German researchers have unveiled a special self-healing coating that could fix microscopic cracks in solar glass by reducing its weight by 40 percent and making it seven times stronger.

The technology was created by Gräfelfing-based solar energy company EXXERGY and its subsidiary EXXOSQEL. For the effort, the firm teamed up with Würzburg’s Fraunhofer Institute for Silicate Research ISC.

The innovation could additionally make solar panels 30 percent lighter. According to the team, lab tests have already shown promising results. The coating increased the strength of 0.08 inches (two-millimeter) glass samples by up to four times. Simultaneously, thinner 0.04 inches (one-millimeter) samples became up to seven times stronger in contrast to untreated, non-tempered glass.

Efforts are underway to adapt the coating for full-sized solar panels. “The steps from a laboratory sample to a large solar module require considerable expertise in scaling up material synthesis, application technology, and module manufacturing,” Thomas Sauer, EXXOSQEL managing director, said.

Glass is a critical component of solar panels, as it protects solar cells and other electrical parts from weather conditions and lets sunlight pass through. It accounts for up to 80 percent of a solar panel’s total weight.

Conventional solar panels typically weigh between 2.3 and 2.7 lbs per square foot (11 and 13 kilograms per square meter). Heavier designs can, however, reach 3.3 lbs per square foot (16 kilograms per square meter). Using thinner glass could reduce solar panel weight, but increase the risk of damage.

Producers usually strengthen glass through heat treatment, which makes it harder for cracks to spread.

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