Market introduction of Agfa’s UNIQOAT at PV SNEC to set a new standard in the contribution of backsheet to the efficiency and lifetime of solar modules.

Mortsel, Belgium and Wuxi, China | April 19, 2017 8:00 AM CET

  • Thanks to its exceptionally high reflectivity, UNIQOAT can contribute to higher electrical power output of solar modules.
  • By integrating all functionality in one single film sheet, UNIQOAT eliminates the risk of backsheet layers delaminating and helps increasing the reliability and durability of solar modules.
  • Manufactured in a one-step-process, UNIQOAT implies a new scale in cost reduction potential.

At the occasion of SNEC 2017, Shanghai, Agfa Specialty Products announces the launch of UNIQOAT, its next generation of polyester-based backsheet products. Backsheet films are used in the PhotoVoltaic (PV) solar module industry to protect the solar panels against environmental threats and insulate them to avoid power loss and electric hazard.

Capturing solar radiation

In the design of a PV solar module, one of the performance targets is the maximization of the light capture by the cells. In a completed module about one quarter of the radiation is not reaching the cells and cannot contribute to the generation of electrical power. The sun rays that enter a module via the gap between the cells are lost for power generation unless the backsheet can reflect them to yet reach the cells. Agfa’s UNIQOAT backsheet achieves a level of reflectivity that is probably the highest in the market today and thereby offers increased power output of solar modules.

Increased durability and reliability

Today, the most used polyester-based backsheet structures feature two or three film layers that are laminated together using an adhesive component. Such laminate structure is the weakest link in a solar module because the adhesion strength between its layers is far lower than the bonding strength between the other components in the module. Cesar Campos, Global Manager of Agfa’s Functional Foils Business unit explains: “By design UNIQOAT eliminates the risk of backsheet delamination because it is conceived and manufactured as a single layer backsheet. During the extrusion process the hydrolysis and UV resistant polyester is surface-modified to face the challenges to which it will be exposed and to actively contribute to more reliable and durable solar modules.”.

Cost down potential

Unlike the laminated or offline coated backsheet structures, Agfa’s UNIQOAT is manufactured in a one-step-process and delivers a single layer sheet, which implies a great cost reduction potential. As an additional advantage of Agfa’s more efficient production process, the concept of UNIQOAT as a mono-backsheet eliminates the cost of a lamination adhesive and of managing a complex mix of lamination films from a variety of suppliers.

About UNIQOAT

UNIQOAT backsheets are offered to the market in three product types depending on thickness and weathering properties: UNIQOAT 315, UNIQOAT XR 315 for extra reflectivity and UNIQOAT XR 330F for additional protection.

Meets IEC requirements, and more specifically the new IEC DTI

About Agfa

The Agfa-Gevaert Group is one of the world’s leading companies in imaging and information technology. Agfa develops manufactures and markets analogue and digital systems for the printing industry (Agfa Graphics), for the healthcare sector (Agfa HealthCare), and for specific industrial applications (Agfa Specialty Products). Agfa is headquartered in Mortsel, Belgium. The company is present in 40 countries and has agents in another 100 countries around the globe. The Agfa-Gevaert Group achieved a turnover of 2,646 million euro in 2015. Agfa and the Agfa rhombus are trademarks of Agfa-Gevaert N.V., Belgium, or its affiliates.

Werner Vandevelde
Marketing Manager
Septestraat 27
Mortsel - Belgium
Tel nr.: ++32 (0) 3 444 8004
werner.vandevelde@agfa.com