China-based solar panel manufacturer Yingli Green Energy Holding Company announced in January that CleanARC anti-reflective (AR) glass coating is now available on all Yingli product lines.

The announcement was made at the World Future Energy Summit, held at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre, from January 18 to 21.

The CleanARC coating serves to extend the performance of photovoltaic (PV) products in the power generation sector, with a focus on enhancing the perception of renewable energies.

Developed by California-based PV coatings company Enki Technology and offered through Yingli Solar, CleanARC coatings enable PV panels to generate more energy over time, while simultaneously reducing cleaning requirements and creating additional project value, compared with conventionally coated panels.

Owing to their high resistance to abrasion and environmental degradation, Yingli Solar’s CleanARC-coated solar panels are ideal for project sites with harsh environmental conditions such as sandstorms, sea mist, high humidity and extreme temperature fluctuations.

PV solar panels coated with CleanARC can also reduce operations and maintenance expenses because the coating’s structure and hydrophobic properties enable more effective self-cleaning than conventional AR coatings.

Enki Technology CEO Kevin Kopczynski says Enki Technology is pleased to bring this product to market in partnership with Yingli Solar. “Glass coatings are a deceptively simple component that [ensure] long-term financial implications for solar project owners,” he says, adding that extensive lab and field testing demonstrates the clear advantage of multifunctional CleanARC coatings in challenging operational environments.

Yingli Green Energy chief technology officer Dr Dengyuan Song says: “It is extremely promising that our new CleanARC-coated solar panels have already spurred project development in areas where solar adoption has been constrained by harsh climates.

“By driving innovation across all PV technology components, from cells to AR coating, we are making solar power a pragmatic clean energy solution everywhere the sun shines,” he concludes.