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Development of Transparent Electrodynamic Screens on Ultrathin Flexible Glass Film Substrates for
Retrotting Solar Panels and Mirrors for Self-Cleaning Function

M. K. Mazumder, J. W. Stark, C. Heiling, M. Liu, A. Bernard, M. N. Horenstein, S. Garner and H. Y. Lin

MRS Advances / FirstView Article / May 2016, pp 1 - 10

DOI: 10.1557/adv.2016.60, Published online: 26 January 2016

Link to this article: http://journals.cambridge.org/abstract_S2059852116000608

How to cite this article:

M. K. Mazumder, J. W. Stark, C. Heiling, M. Liu, A. Bernard, M. N. Horenstein, S. Garner and H. Y. Lin Development of
Transparent Electrodynamic Screens on Ultrathin Flexible Glass Film Substrates for Retrotting Solar Panels and Mirrors for
Self-Cleaning Function. MRS Advances, Available on CJO 2016 doi:10.1557/adv.2016.60

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 MRS Advances © 2016 Materials Research Society
DOI: 10.1557/adv.2016.60

Development of Transparent Electrodynamic Screens on Ultrathin Flexible Glass Film

Substrates for Retrofitting Solar Panels and Mirrors for Self-Cleaning Function

M. K. Mazumder1 , J. W. Stark1 , C. Heiling1 , M. Liu1 , A. Bernard1 , M. N. Horenstein1,

S. Garner 2 , and H. Y. Lin3
1
Boston University, Boston, MA
2
Corning Inc., Corning. N.Y.
3
Industrial Technology Research Institute, Taiwan

ABSTRACT

Development of transparent electrodynamic screens (EDS) printed on ultrathin flexible

glass film substrates for retrofitting on solar panels and solar mirrors to perform self cleaning
function is reviewed. Large-scale solar plants are generally installed in semi-arid and desert areas
where dust layers build up on solar collectors causes major energy-yield loss. Maintaining
designed plant capacities requires more than 90% reflectivity for CSP mirrors and 90%
transmission efficiency for PV modules; solar collectors must therefore be cleaned at a frequency
depending on the rate of dust deposition. Scarcity of water in these regions requires a cleaning
method that drastically reduces or eliminates water and the associated labor costs for high
efficiency operation of large-scale solar plants. An EDS film consists of rows of interdigitated,
transparent conducting parallel electrodes embedded within a flexible ultrathin glass film and an
optically clear adhesive film used for retrofitting the film on the surface of solar collectors. When
phased voltage pulses activate the electrodes, the dust particles are first electrostatically charged,
then repelled and removed from the surface of the solar collectors by Coulomb force, restoring
transmission efficiency greater than 90%. The electrodes of EDS are either made from silver
nanowire or another conductive transparent material printed on a highly transparent, ultrathin
(100-μm thick), flexible borosilicate glass film. Applications of different conducting transparent
electrodes and methods of printing are reviewed for optimizing self-cleaning function of solar
panels and mirrors.

INTRODUCTION

Semi-arid and desert areas have the solar energy delivery capacity to meet current and
future global needs. For example, just the seven largest deserts in the world have the solar power
capacity for meeting energy needs permanently, assuming energy storage and distribution
technologies become available on the terawatt-hour scale. Current solar power plants on the MW
and GW scales comprise Photovoltaic (PV) modules, concentrating solar power (CSP) systems,
and concentrating PV (CPV) systems. The solar plant installations in utility scales require vast
areas of land having high solar irradiance.
The arid regions have inherent high reliability of high solar irradiance with minimal
interruption from cloud and rain. However, significant attenuation of solar radiation occurs due
to (a) high atmospheric dust concentration, (b) high rate of dust deposition on solar collectors
and occasional dust storms, (c) high ambient temperature, (d) high wind speed, and (e) high
relative humidity in the morning hours when these areas are particularly located close to an
ocean.

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 Degradation of the optical efficiency caused by dust deposition on solar collector results
in a considerable loss of energy yield. Two comprehensive reviews conducted recently [1, 2]
reported the energy yield losses (5 to 40% per month) caused by dust deposition on solar
collectors in different semi-arid and arid regions of the world. These reviews also list the
advantages of different cleaning processes of solar collectors including heavy rain, manual
cleaning with water and detergent, automatic robotic cleaning with brush, and passive surface
treatments for reducing dust adhesion. Application of transparent electrodynamic screens (EDS)
[3-7], as an emerging method for cleaning terrestrial solar collectors, was also discussed in these
reviews. In this paper, we briefly review the basic design of the transparent EDS film, methods
of construction of the film, experimental data obtained from prototype EDS film, and material
challenges involved in maintaining high optical efficiency of the solar collectors meeting
requirements of low cost and durability.

ELECTRODYNAMIC SCREEN (EDS)

To maintain high reflection efficiency of solar mirrors in CSP plants or high transmission
efficiency of the cover glass plate of PV modules, the solar collectors must be cleaned
periodically at a frequency that depends on the rate of dust deposition. EDS method has the
potential to maintain high efficiency by cleaning the solar collectors as frequently as needed at a
low cost without water. An EDS consists of rows of transparent, parallel electrodes embedded
within a transparent dielectric film, as shown in Fig. 1. The transparent screen is integrated or
retrofitted on the front cover-glass plates of the solar panels or the concentrating solar mirrors.
When the electrodes are activated with three-phased voltages, the dust particles deposited on the
surface of the EDS become electrostatically charged and are repelled and removed by the
Coulomb force and the traveling wave generated by the three-phase electrodynamic field.

Figure 1. Schematic diagram of an electrodynamic screen integrated on the second surface of a

glass mirror.

Although EDS [3 – 8] is an effective method of dust removal, integrating EDS film on

the surface of a solar mirror or PV module will cause an initial loss of reflection or transmission
efficiency due primarily to the presence of the electrodes. The electrodes should have high
transmission efficiency and low sheet resistance. This initial optical loss will depend upon the
choice of electrode material, their geometry, and the properties of the dielectric film
encapsulating the electrodes. The objective is to minimize the initial loss while enhancing the
dust removal efficiency for maintaining high average optical efficiency of the solar collectors.

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 EDS FILM PRODUCTION AND RETROFITTING ON SOLAR COLLECTORS

In order to construct an EDS suitable for all surfaces regardless of curvature, a fabrication
process has been developed that first prints the EDS electrodes on a highly transparent, flexible
glass film. The latter is then applied to the curved (such as a parabolic trough) or flat surface
(such as a PV module) using an optically clear adhesive. Fig. 2 shows an EDS film stack
composed of electrodes made of transparent conducting materials, an optically clear adhesive
film, and a transparent dielectric film that encapsulates the electrodes on the surface of solar
panels or solar mirrors [3].

Fig. 2. Construction of EDS film stack for integration or retrofitting on a second surface mirror
or a PV module.

EDS film can be laminated on the optical surface of PV modules, second surface
borosilicate glass mirrors and silvered polymer films. Electrode materials include (a) silver
nanowire ink, (b) PEDOT: PSS, (c) ITO and (d) Aluminum doped zinc oxide (AZO). Ag-paste
electrodes are used when high transparency is not critical. Typical electrode geometry may have
the following dimensions: width (w) = 30 to 75 μm, inter-electrode spacing (g) = 700 to 750μm,
and electrode thickness (δ) = 1μm.

ELECTRODE DEPOSITION PROCESS

Electrode printing methods includes screen-printing, gravure offset printing, photo-

lithography, or laser ablation. Gravure Offset Printing (GOP) is considered as the most efficient
roll-to-roll manufacturing process for EDS film. It provides inexpensive printing of the ink with
precise electrode geometry. However, the process requires ink to be available as a paste with
appropriate viscosity. AgNW ink, currently available in water or alcohol suspensions, is not
suitable for screen printing or gravure offset printing without additional formulations.
Screen-printing is favorable for prototype development of EDS in a lab environment for
optimizing the electrode materials and geometry for providing the desired performance of the

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 EDS film. The width and inter-electrode separation cannot be controlled precisely when
prototype devices are made manually. The results presented here were taken with prototype EDS
film screen-printed with a mixture of AgNW conductive ink and polymer binder to ensure the
desired viscosity and adherence to the borosilicate glass substrate (Corning® WillowTM Glass
film). The printed substrate is baked at , rinsed with ethanol, for removing most of the
binder materials. The transparent EDS film is then affixed to the test mirror or solar panel. The
EDS electrodes were than connected to the power supply unit.
The photolithographic process provides more precise control of the electrode layout
compared to screen-printing method. The photolithographic technique is expensive but can be
used for large-scale (1 m 1.3 m) mirrors or modules. The process is compatible for producing
EDS with ITO, Ga- or Al- doped zinc oxide (GZO or AZO) electrodes, which have the potential
to provide both high reflectivity and good dust-removal efficiency.
The EDS film lamination to a solar collector surface is done by using optically clear
adhesive (OCA) film or an optically clear liquid adhesive coating. Further encapsulation
methods and lamination techniques can be used to optimize the performance of the EDS panels
and resist weathering of electrodes [8]. The electrodes are then connected to a three-phase,
pulsed, high voltage drive. The energy requirements for operating EDS film is less than 1
Wh/m2.

Dust Removal Mechanisms:

Dust removal process involves (a) electrostatic charging of the dust particles on the
surface of the EDS film as shown in Fig.3, (b) electrostatic repulsion by Coulomb force, and (c)
translation of dust from the surface by electrodynamic traveling wave.

Figure 3. Depiction of a filamentary microdischarge process at the interface of glass and a

dielectric medium surrounding the electrodes. The micro-discharge process charges the dust
particles with positive electrostatic charge [3].

For measuring dust removal efficiency, the EDS film-integrated solar panels are placed in an
environment controlled test chamber where they are subjected to deposition of test dust at a
controlled temperature and humidity, simulating desert conditions. The panels are positioned at
an inclination of 30o tilt angle. The short circuit current of the solar panel, which is proportional
to the power output, is measured before and after the deposition of test dust. A three-phase

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 pulsed voltage is applied to energize the electrodes at a frequency of 5Hz. The energized
electrodes produce an oscillating electric field and a traveling electrodynamic wave that charges
the particles on the surface. The electrodynamic field exerts Coulomb force to lift the dust from
the surface and repel it from the screen by the traveling electric field, thereby transporting it to
the edge of the screen and clearing the panel.

LAMINATION OF EDS FILM ON SOLAR PANELS OR MIRRORS FOR DUST

REMOVAL

Fig 4A shows an EDS film with AgNW electrodes and Fig. 4B shows the EDS film
laminated on a solar panel. When phased voltage pulses activate the electrodes, the dust particles
on the surface become electrostatically charged and are removed by the traveling-wave generated
by the three-phase alternating electric field. Over 90% of deposited dust is removed within two
minutes, using a very small fraction of the energy produced by the solar collector. The power
output is restored to 95% or better compared to the power obtained under clean conditions. No
water or mechanical wiping is involved.

Figure 4. A) EDS film on ultrathin glass film (Corning® WillowTM Glass) and B) EDS film
laminated on a solar panel.

EDS ELECTRODE GEOMETRY AND MATERIAL OPTIMIZATION

There are three primary factors that drive the design of electrodes for EDS applications:
(1) high conductivity of the electrodes (low sheet resistance) and the electrode pattern to remove
dust particles in the size range 0.5 to 50 μm in diameter, with high dust removal efficiency
(DRE), (2) high transparency to minimize the loss in specular reflectivity of solar mirrors and
transmission loss of sunlight to the solar panel caused by the presence of the EDS film, and (3)
outdoors durability. The inter-electrode spacing, width of the electrodes and their thickness affect
the specular reflectivity loss (ΔSR) for mirrors or loss of short-circuit current Isc (ΔIsc) of the PV
module. A high-density arrangement of parallel electrodes with narrow inter-electrode spacing
provides optimal electric field magnitude for charging and repulsion of dust enhancing the dust
removal efficiency (DRE) of the EDS film, while a large inter-electrode spacing and thin
electrodes provides high optical transmission efficiency that minimize ΔSR for mirrors and ΔIsc

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 for modules. Low cost and long-term durability of both the electrodes and the transparent
substrate are also of major importance.
In order to obtain high specular reflectivity together with good dust-removal efficiency, a
compromise is necessary in the choice of electrode material and the geometrical pattern of the
electrodes. The choice of material for the electrodes is also constrained by the method used to
pattern them. To meet these requirements, we limited our choice to (1) one transparent
conducting ink, silver nanowire (AgNW) and one opaque ink, silver paste (Ag-paste) for
electrodes and (2) ultrathin (100 μm) flexible alkali-free borosilicate glass film (Corning®
WillowTM Glass) as the transparent substrate. Since the ultrathin borosilicate glass film is
laminated on the front cover glass of PV module or a second surface silver mirror, the
transmission loss caused by the film substrate is negligible compared to that of electrodes.
AgNW electrodes provide highest transparency and low sheet resistance; Ag-paste
electrodes provide proven durability in solar fields and Willow glass film was chosen for its high
transparency, flexibility, impact resistance and outdoors durability. The optical transmission loss
of the EDS film was determined by measuring the power of a collimated beam of
monochromatic light at 600 nm wavelength reflected from a second surface silver mirror under
two conditions: (1) mirror surface without any lamination, (2) mirror with its front surface
laminated with the test EDS film. Table 1 shows the experimental data on transmission
efficiency. Column 1 shows the power of the reflected beam from the mirror surface and column
2, 3, and 4 show optical power when the mirror was laminated with the EDS film with Ag-NW,
Ag-paste, and ITO electrodes respectively. The average loss of reflectance was found to be less
than 1% for AgNW, 10% with Ag-paste and 6% with ITO electrodes respectively.

Table 1. Specular reflectance of a collimated beam of monochromatic light of a second-surface

mirror and the loss of reflectance when the front surface of the mirror was laminated with EDS
film with three different electrode materials: AgNW, Ag-paste and ITO electrodes.

Back Mirror AgNW Ag Paste ITO

95.3 95.2 84.7 89.6
95.3 94.7 87.2 91
95.2 94.2 82.6 88.2
95.3 94.5 88.8 90.7
95.4 94.7 82.9 87.9
Average: 95.3 94.66 85.24 89.48

The results show that EDS film with AgNW electrodes will provide minimum
transmission loss (< 1 %) when laminated on the PV modules or on solar mirrors. The incident
beam travels twice the EDS film for its reflected optical path to the receiver and hence suffers an
additional loss in specular reflection compared to the optical path to the solar panel.
Determination of transmission loss using a mirror for specular reflectivity measurements with
and without the EDS film lamination has an advantage that the measurement of direct
transmission is less affected by forward scattering. Forward scattered light from the electrodes
will have a slightly longer optical path length compared to the direct transmission within the
solar cell providing higher absorption if the photon energy exceeds the bandgap.

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 STABILITY AND DURABILITY OF AgNW ELECTRODES

The advantage of using silver nanowire ink, in addition to its transparency, is its very low
sheet resistance. AgNW electrodes provide both high conductivity and high flexibility, which
makes it adaptable for multiple applications including touch screens. Due to low sheet resistance,
it exhibits low Joule heating, which avoids increase in temperature while being activated, which
in turn ensures that the nanowires will not fail during pulsed voltage applications [9 – 10].
Even though silver nanowire shows great potential as transparent conducting electrodes, it
suffers from long-term stability problems. The sheet resistance is subjected to change under
environmental factors, such as high ambient temperature, high RH and high solar irradiance [10].
Electro-migration of silver ions when operating under an electrical field [11] is another factor of
long-term instability. Silver reacts with atmospheric H2S to form silver sulfide and silver oxide,
which worsens at high humidity and temperature. Formation of silver nanoparticles is also a
factor of degradation at high humidity.
A comparative study was made to evaluate performance of different electrode materials
with respect to their performance [8 – 14]. It was concluded that AgNW ink showed excellent
sheet resistance, second only to ITO [14] . The results are shown in Table 2.

Table 2. Comparative Study of Different Electrode Materials

Possible Printing Conductivit Light Stability Comments

electrodes technique y/Transpare Reflectio
materials ncy n
ITO Sputtering 10 Ω/sq at High Medium  Poor
(indium tin deposition/ 90% Flexibility
oxide) Photolithography  Low
Availability
 High Cost
CNT Spray 180 Ω/sq at Low High  Flexible
(carbon coating/Spin 85%  Cost
nanotubes) coating/Dip effective
coating
Metal Roll-to-roll 9.7 Ω/sq at Low Low  Flexible
nanowires coating/ 89%; 30  Costly
(AgNW) Screen-printing Ω/sq at 93%
Conductive Inkjet 42 Ω/sq at Low Low  Highly
polymer printing/Spray 82% Flexible
(PEDOT:PSS) coating 240 Ω/sq at  Cost
97% effective

Table 2 shows relative advantages and disadvantages of some of the commonly used transparent
conductive electrodes reported in the literature [9 – 14]. One possible choice would be the use of
carbon nanotube or graphene in combination with AgNW for EDS film production [13].

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

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 Restoration of Short Circuit Current

Experimental data on the restoration of Isc, which is proportional to the power output of a
solar panel, is shown in Table 3. Short circuit current Isc was measured (1) under clean
condition, (2) after dust deposition and (3) after activation of the EDS film. An EDS film with
chrome electrode was laminated on a solar panel.
Table 3. Measurement of the restoration of the short circuit current Isc

Restoration of Isc by EDS film Activation after dust

Deposition on Solar Panel
Isc (mA)
Percent Isc
Clean After Dust After EDS Restored After
Surface Deposition Activation EDS
410 322 393 95.8%
415 296 397 95.6%
404 262 393 97.2%
400 262 386 96.5%
407 267 395 97.0%
403 270 387 96.0%
402 271 390 97.0%
403 271 390 96.7%
411 276 387 94.1%
417 283 404 96.8%

Table 4. Dust Removal Efficiency (DRE) of an EDS film laminated solar panel.

DRE from Dust Mass Measurements

Trial mo (g) mr (g) DRE
1 0.0461 0.0061 86.8%
2 0.0500 0.0063 87.4%
3 0.0845 0.0105 87.6%
4 0.1076 0.0118 89.0%
5 0.1000 0.0129 87.1%
6 0.0857 0.0074 91.3%
7 0.0697 0.0062 91.1%
8 0.0779 0.0079 89.8%
9 0.1076 0.0104 90.3%
10 0.0781 0.0095 87.83%

Percentage restoration was determined from the ratio of Isc restored/Isc under clean optical
surface and (2) the dust removal efficiency (DRE) of the EDS-solar panel (Table 4) was measured

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 from the ratio of (mo – mr)/mo where mo is the dust mass deposited on the panel and mr is the
dust mass remaining on the panel after EDS activation.

Specular Reflectivity

Specular reflectance efficiency of EDS-film laminated on a solar mirror was measured

for the panels with three different electrode materials: AgNW electrodes, Ag-paste and ITO
electrodes. The experimental data collected are shown in Table 1.

We conducted several experiments to examine how inter-electrode spacing, applied

voltage, and relative humidity affect dust particle charge-to-mass ratio. We found that that as the
inter-electrode spacing increases, the charge-to-mass ratio decreases due to the decreased electric
field intensity.

CONCLUSIONS

Experimental studies showed that transparent EDS films can be used to laminate solar
panels and mirrors for self-cleaning function without requiring water. Optimal design and
operating conditions of EDS film, to obtain high restoration of short circuit current or
specular reflection efficiency (SR), require durable transparent conducting electrodes with
formulations suitable for gravure offset or scree-printing. Dust removal efficiency for a wide
range of particle size distribution requires optimal electrode geometry depending upon the
properties of the electrode materials. Specular reflection efficiency studies showed that
electrodes with AgNW ink were best at restoring the initial SR values. Different electrode
materials were compared with respect to their optical transparency, sheet resistance, stability and
performance.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

We acknowledge the grant from the Department of Energy (DOE CSP DE-EE0005794)
for supporting this research project on prototype development and evaluation of self-cleaning
concentrated solar power collectors. We also acknowledge the support from our industrial
partners including Corning®, ITRI, Geodrill, and contributions from our colleagues Hannah
Gibson, David Crowell, Fang Hao and John Hudelson.

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