Sales of smart coatings to solar industry shows growth potential

Citation

(2011), "Sales of smart coatings to solar industry shows growth potential", Anti-Corrosion Methods and Materials, Vol. 58 No. 5. https://doi.org/10.1108/acmm.2011.12858eab.005

Sales of smart coatings to solar industry shows growth potential

Article Type: Industrial news From: Anti-Corrosion Methods and Materials, Volume 58, Issue 5

Industry analyst firm NanoMarkets today announced the addition of the report “Smart Coatings in Photovoltaics” to its publication schedule.

NanoMarkets believes that there will be growing opportunities to sell smart coatings into the PV sector given their ability to effect substantial improvements in the efficiency and costs for PV devices as well as add new functionality to PV devices that will open important niche markets.

Examples of where smart coatings can help PV firms provide better value to their customers include the ability to provide enhanced protection to PV panels and reduce maintenance requirements. Self-repairing coatings reduce the impact of scratches – virtually impossible to avoid in many outdoor markets, especially BIPV ones – that can obstruct light or, worse, lead to breakage. And self-cleaning coatings help to keep dirt from blocking light from PV panels, maximizing power output – and reducing the cost of keeping them clean.

Improvements in transparency and durability are not the only value adders that can be provided to the PV industry by smart coatings. Electrochromic and thermochromic coatings – normally targeted for ambient lighting and shading purposes – have a role to play in the PV market as well. Most other sources of electricity come with a way to manually control the output, such as a throttle or even a simple “off” switch.

All of these functionalities mean added value for the end-user, which is why we believe that smart coatings will do so well in the PV sector. This is the reason that NanoMarkets is publishing this report. In addition to the analysis of the market opportunities, this report also contains an eight-year forecast of the market for smart coatings in the PV industry, by type of smart coating. This report will be essential reading for firms that produce or develop smart coatings of all types and for PV firms seeking to add value to, and make more money from their products by using smart coatings.

Additional details about the report are available at: www.nanomarkets.net