Solar Lattice

Symptom

Hazy or milky glass

ID
symptom:hazy-glass
IRI
https://solarlattice.org/kb/symptom/hazy-glass
Status
active
Also known as
Milky discolouration, Glass-milky discolouration

On the front glass, the colour and transparency change, either evenly or in patches, and the surface looks hazy or milky. It can also feel rougher than glass that has not degraded. This appearance usually points to glass corrosion or abrasion. Corrosion comes from humidity combined with pollutants, salt or ammonia. Abrasion comes mainly from wind-blown sand in deserts or from cleaning methods and agents that are too harsh. Front delamination can also look like bright, milky areas, so it is not the same thing. It is a separation between the glass and encapsulant, or between the cell and encapsulant, and it often shows bubbles, either as one continuous area or in spots. Corrosion or abrasion lowers how much light the glass lets through. The power loss is usually only a few percent and levels off over time, but losses can be larger if the glass now soils much more easily. Watch for modules that get dirty faster than usual, because that often comes with degraded glass. If you suspect the anti-reflective coating has worn off, measure reflectance with a hand-held spectrometer. A rise in reflectance after cleaning means the coating is being removed. Check the site's cleaning methods and agents first, because the wrong ones can damage or remove the coatings.

<!-- review notes

Claims

observed_as

c1 drafted · lead Increased glass reflectance

Reflectance measurements after cleaning tests showed strong changes, and a steady rise over cleaning cycles, which pointed to removal of the anti-reflective coating. Reflectance can be measured in the field with a small hand-held spectrometer.

review note: support check: partial - Passages support reflectance rise indicating ARC removal after cleaning and hand-held spectrometer field measurement, but do not link hazy/milky glass to the reflectance-increase observation.

Referenced by

Data