Since Bell Labs announced the invention of the first practical silicon solar cell in 1954,¹ solar photovoltaic systems have improved dramatically and are now one of the leading technologies in the shift to renewable energy.²

Much research on photovoltaic systems focuses on increasing the conversion efficiency of individual photovoltaic cells by improving or developing new materials from which the cells are made. But there is another important aspect to photovoltaic systems that also has garnered much attention—glass coatings.

Manufacturers of architectural glass already engineer coatings on glass to improve energy efficiency of buildings. For example, Pennsylvania-based Vitro Architectural Glass sells its Solarban^® and Sungate^® brands of coated glass products to the architectural glass industry. And, in recent years, the company has worked to expand the use of similar and some new coatings in solar applications.