Protect Solar Panels with Solar Shield® Protective Glass Coating
Through extensive research and development, Unelko now offers Solar Shield® products specifically designed to clean and protect solar panels. They offer invisible, long lasting, and renewable protection for the preservation, enhancement and energy efficiency of solar panels.
What is Solar Shield®?
Solar Shield® is a nano scale transparent polymer coating designed to protect glass solar panels. It stops the adhesion of soil, grime, pollution, acid rain & other contaminates allowing your panels to produce at optimum efficiency. Rain alone will not keep solar panels clean and prevent soiling or etching. Dirty solar panels reduce performance by 10% or more. Solar Shield® also accelerates burn off of frost and snow.
The Problem
Producing electricity from sunlight requires photovoltaic solar panels and solar dish collectors/concentrators. For maximum efficiency, they should be clean and uninhibited from buildup of soil and mineral deposits (whether situated on roofs of buildings or on solar farms.) Cleaning solar panels can be very difficult. Dust, soil, leaves, and water are common contaminates on solar panels. The buildup of these contaminates reduce the efficiency of the panels over time, presenting ongoing problems for the life of the glass used.
The Solution
Until it rains distilled water, photovoltaic panels and mirrored concentrators will never be self-washing! The good news is they can be durably protected with Unelko’s nanoscale protective treatments, including the Solar Shield or Invisible Shield Pro 15 Coatings, to properly care for them and keep them working optimally. Unelko’s surface treatments do not visually change the surface. Instead, they preserve the appearance and texture, enhancing performance and making them less prone to the impact of water and the formation, adhesion, and build-up of soil.
Invisible Shield® PRO 15 Architectural Grade Coating
The Invisible Shield PRO 15 treatment can be applied in factory to glass solar panels at an OEM level before installation or by certified applicators. The product is technical, but easy to apply and creates a super hydrophobic coating that seals & protects the panels against deterioration and degradation. One application of the Invisible Shield PRO15 Coating can last from 3 to 15 years depending upon application, exposure, abrasion, environment, and a light maintenance routine. Understanding the horizontal or diagonal orientation of solar panels, the susceptibility of water, soil, and debris accumulating faster on this surface may require the need to rejuvenate these types of coatings more often for optimal performance.
Products Specifically Designed to Clean and Protect Solar Panels
Superior Repellency
Easier Panel Maintenance
Inhibits Buildup
Long-Lasting Protection
Residential Application
Postproduction Application
What You Need to Know: The Nature of Glass & Solar Panels
Glass is easily one of our most perfect materials. With its strength, insulation qualities and clarity, it is the material and surface of choice for photovoltaic panels, tubes, and concentrator mirrors. Because of its composition, the natural surface of glass is hydrophilic, non-conductive, and microscopically irregular. It attracts and holds moisture and water-borne soil on its surface. It permits static electrical charges to remain on the surface and attract dust and dirt. It also allows its microscopic pores to trap a myriad of reactive chemicals, particulate matter, and atmospheric contaminants. These lead to weathering, soiling, staining and erosion. This means reduced clarity for energy generation.
The Impact of Weather & Water on the Surface of Glass & Plastics
Rain and spray from lakes and oceans contain enough dissolved gases, carbonic acid, chlorides, sulfates, nitrates, ammonia and particulate matter to be chemically active. While generally safe for drinking, cooking, washing and bathing, most ground and municipally supplied water contains enough salts, hard water minerals, bacteria, organic and inorganic contaminates and water treatment chemicals to also be chemically active.
Solar Panel Cleaners
and Coatings for Improved Solar Panel Efficiencies
Unelko Corporation has pioneered the surface protectant category with its Invisible Shield®, the world’s first renewable coating for the preservation, enhancement and preventive soiling of all glass, porcelain and ceramics. We invented the Original Rain-X® automotive product for improved visibility and driving safety. Beginning with U.S. Patents 3,578,488 & 3,579,540, U.K. Patent 1,344,661, and Japan Patents 805,376 & 805,377, Unelko responded to the glass and surface preservation challenge with solvent-extended technologies that easily transformed glass and other surfaces from being water and soil accepting to being durably water and soil repelling.
Unelko’s Nanoscale Repellent Coatings Keep Water, Soil, and Stains from Penetrating the Surface of Glass for Easier Next-Time Cleaning
Solar Shield®, Glass Shield® and Invisible Shield® PRO 15
Unelko’s protective coatings are designed to durably protect solar panels. These products offer invisible, long lasting, and renewable protection to preserve, enhance, and improve the energy efficiency of your solar panels. Through extensive research and development, our highly rated protective coatings are superior in the commercial glass, solar and construction industries.
