R&D Award | ColorQuant Solar Design Technology

Ceramic Colors Wolbring GmbH’s ColorQuant is a frit technology that allows glass panels to look just like spandrel glass but are 80-90% transparent to solar radiation. This allows for the installation of photovoltaics behind the panel to generate electricity. The panels are more aesthetically pleasing than a solar cell, according to company officials, and they still allow for the generation of electricity.

The product is a frit paste that can be applied by screen printing and is then processed in the same fashion as a typical frit spandrel coating. Over 500 shades are currently available. This product addresses the need to construct building envelopes that are both energy efficient and remain attractive, say company officials. 

During R&D, the Ceramic Colors Wolbring team balanced energy performance with aesthetics. The technology’s color palette is achieved through a complex interaction among the different layers of the solar module, ensuring a visible color effect while maintaining the power generation of the system. By using a principle of physics called wavelength interference, those involved in R&D could ensure that only the desired hue was reflected by the glass, while all other color wavelengths were absorbed by the solar panel.