iConnectHub

Login/Register

WeChat

For more information, follow us on WeChat

Connect

For more information, contact us on WeChat

Email

You can contact us info@ringiertrade.com

Phone

Contact Us

86-21 6289-5533 x 269

Suggestions or Comments

86-20 2885 5256

Top

Next-generation materials for solar energy application

Source:International Plastics News for Asia Release Date:2022-03-16 1071
ChemicalPlastics & RubberOthersCompoundingRaw Materials & Compounds
Add to Favorites
Plastics for solar energy application have started to emerge and offer huge potential because of their incredible properties.

As the world’s population and notion for sustainable living continues, the demand to utilise renewable energy also increases. Plastics for solar energy application have started to emerge and offer huge potential because of their incredible properties. Flexibility and cost-effectiveness, these have become a significant focus of the solar power sector.

 

According to Fortune Business Insights, solar power is the cleanest and most plentiful renewable energy source present on this planet. Countries such as China, Germany, Spain, and the United States have some of the largest solar resources all over the world. Multiple research efforts that are being conducted on new-generation materials for solar energy generation have revolutionised the power sector. 

 

Affordable concentrated solar power technology

As companies all over the globe are working hard to make the process of extracting oil and gas cleaner, a California-based Teknor Apex  partner, Hyperlight Energy, has developed an innovative concentrated solar power (CSP) system to sustainably and affordably decarbonise oil recovery. CSP projects usually look like massive fields of mirrors with one tall tower in the middle. 

 

Traditional CSP projects have to operate at massive scale and can use a Golden Gate bridge’s worth of steel. Hyperlight developed an affordable and reliable CSP system, called Hylux™, using domestically produced, recyclable tubes made from Teknor Apex vinyl compounds. Hyperlight uses the Apex® compound to extrude a hollow profile to hold the mirrors for the CSP technology – completely replacing the traditional steel in this component. The Teknor Apex compound contributes to this sustainable solution while providing other key benefits such as UV stability - ensuring no cracking or degradation over time.


igus web.jpg

 

The simple, robust, low-cost system eliminates 90% of the expensive steel and concrete of traditional CSP by replacing that with plastic, according to John King, Hyperlight CEO. Teknor Apex’s collaboration with Hyperlight on this project ties directly to its own sustainability goals as providing domestically-produced and recyclable PVC compound has allowed for a greener and more affordable alternative to traditional concentrated solar projects, according to Mike Patel, Director of Marketing for Teknor Apex, Vinyl Division.

 

Replacing metal in solar panel frames

Solar panel frames are located at the edge of solar panels to protect and support the panel from external impact. Solar panel frames account for about 10% of solar panels, and are mainly made of aluminium alloy. The use of metal in solar panel frames has been a standard but things are changing. LG Chem, which is targeting to penetrate the solar panel frame market has developed a plastic material that can replace the metal in solar panel frames for the first time in Korea and starts full-scale market penetration.

 

LG Chem’s LUPOY EU5201 is a PC/ASA flame retardant material that maintains the material shape even during temperature changes due to its low thermal expansion levels, using their proprietary technology and manufacturing method. PC/ASA is an engineering plastic with enhanced physical properties made by mixing ASA (Acrylonitrile Styrene Acrylate) resins with polycarbonate as a base.


teknor apex web.jpg

 

Heat resistance and strong durability against corrosion are required as the materials are exposed outside for a long time, such as on exterior walls or the roof where there is direct sunlight. LUPOY EU5201 is a high-performance engineering plastic material that supplements the mechanical properties of general plastics by adding glass fibre to polycarbonate compounds. It has the same level of durability as existing aluminium, but is half the weight and has excellent price competitiveness. It has excellent dimensional stability that maintains its shape even in temperature changes. 

 

The chemical decomposition caused by ultraviolet rays exposure has been reduced, which has significantly improved the lifespan of the product compared to general plastics, and the colour remains the same even after long-term exposure to UV rays. If aluminium is replaced with LG Chem's new engineering plastic material, the weight of the solar panel is expected to decrease dramatically and material cost can also be reduced. Starting with the supply for solar panel frames, the LG Chem plans to expand the application of materials to interior and exterior materials of automobiles in the future.

 

LG Chem has PCR PC (Post-Consumer Recycled Polycarbonate) development technology that recycles plastics used by general consumers, so the company can also produce eco-friendly low-carbon products using high-content PCR raw materials at the request of customers. The company also plans to review ways to collect the solar panel frame that will be discarded in the future and reproduce them into PCR PC.


LG Chem plans to accelerate carbon-neutral growth through the transition to renewable energy and contribute to the development of renewable energy industry such as solar power through the development of LUPOY EU5201 product. The company declared ‘carbon-neutral growth by 2050’ last year, the first company to do so in the domestic petrochemical industry, and is promoting RE100, which produces products using renewable energy at all workplaces around the world.

 

Triple UV-resistance in solar materials

Solarmid and iglidur PUV are the names of the two new materials that igus has now developed specifically for pillow blocks in single-axis solar trackers. The new polymer's durability is showcased particularly well in 2P (two-in-portrait) tracker applications, which subject bearings to direct sunlight for hours at a time. The materials were convincing in real-life testing, exhibiting up to three times the UV-resistance.

 

It's the same in solar parks all over the world: more and more operators are relying on bifacial solar modules that can capture the incident light not only via the front but also via the back. In order to support the modules securely on square tubes, igus provides a reliable solution with its igubal pillow block bearings, which have proven themselves in thousands of applications for more than six years. So far, the bearings have seen classic use, installed behind the module, and were therefore subjected to sunlight only intermittently. To further increase the utilisation of solar parks, operators are increasingly relying on two bifacial modules laid out on top of each other, also known as a 2P (two-in-portrait) configuration. A space is left between the two, and that is where the pillow block is located, now subjected to greater UV radiation. igus has now developed two tribo-polymers, solarmid and iglidur P UV, specifically for this application (for use in the housing and the spherical ball). The materials require neither lubrication nor maintenance, and they are resistant to dirt and dust.

 

A test according to ASTM-G154, a standard test for plastics, revealed that after 2,000 hours of extreme UV radiation, the bending properties of the new materials had changed by just 5%. For comparison, the figure for materials previously used in the solar industry was 14%. The test indicates that igus has successfully developed new materials for the solar industry that will make solar trackers even more durable and reliable, according to Richard Won, Renewable Energy Industry Manager at igus GmbH. The new materials, solarmid and iglidur P UV, will enable igus to offer customer-specific bearing solutions specifically for utility-scale projects.  

 

- This article also appears in the International Plastics News for Asia. To read the full issue, click here.

Add to Favorites
You May Like