Technical Facts:

  • The EU ProSun Glass is an Ad-Hoc association of EU solar glass manufacturer. The EU ProSun Glass supporters manufacture more than 50% of the solar glasses produced in the EU.
  • Solar glass as a cover of photovoltaic and thermal collectors and hence the key for efficient solar technology. Its transparency is therefore highly important.
  • Glass making has always been very energy intensive. Hence it is very important that for manufacturing resource- and environmental friendly processes are used.
  • The task of the final product is to provide energy in terms of heat or electricity in a resource-efficient and sustainable way. The components from what the collector was made must – according to the task – also be produced by sustainable and environmental friendly processes.
  • To produce a square meter of solar glass in China more than 3 times of CO2 is emitted compared to Europe. (Source: GEMIS database)
  • The most important task of solar technology -  to produce energy responsible and sustainable - has degraded into a purely financial investment. Financial profit is the only thing that counts.


Economic Facts:

  • China has established extreme overcapacity both in module production as well as in the manufacture of components. The production capacity of the Chinese solar glass manufacturer exceeds the world demand for solar glass by more than double.
  • Imports of solar glass from the Far East have almost quadrupled in past 3 years. Already over 90% of the imported solar glass comes from China. European manufacturers are becoming obviously displaced from the market.
  • 70 - 80% of the manufacturing costs of solar glass are composed of energy costs and raw material as well as costs for capital. Under normal market economy conditions this may not vary by factor of 2 between two countries. But exactly this factor is for EU producers between their cost and the import price. Additionally there are transport costs halfway around the world for a very heavy product.
  • For the EU and their producers this development means the loss of many jobs, the loss of another key technology and the loss in the investments made. Another step towards de-industrialization of Europe.
  • EU ProSun Glass stands for free markets and fair trade conditions in the future.