How Much Glass Does 1GW Need for Different Components?

The density of glass is about 2.5 tons/cubic meter. Using the calculation formula of physical mass m=PV, it can be calculated that one square meter of glass with a thickness of 2.5mm and 3.5mm requires about 0.00625 tons and 0.00875 tons of glass respectively.

The specific calculation method is：

0.0025m*1㎡*2.5 tons/cubic meter=0.00625 tons.

0.0035m*1 m2*2.5 tons/cubic meter=0.00875 tons.

For example, let’s calculate the glass using of M6 72(166mm) version of Zhonghuan Co., Ltd. The module size is 1052mm*2115mm, module area is about 2.22 m². The average power of M6 single-glass modules is about 450w. The rated power is calculated as 75%. That means for single-glass modules, power generation is 450w * 0.75=338w. We assume that the power generation efficiency of double glass is 10% higher than that of single glass, so for double glass modules, the power generation is 338w*1.1=371w. So, we can calculate generate 1GW power, we need:

Single glass modules: 1GW/338W=2958579.882 pieces

Double glass modules: 1GW/371W=2695417.79 pieces

So, we can calculate the glass mount we need:

The glass of Single glass modules: 2958579.882 pieces * 2.22 m2*0.00875 ton/m2=57470.41 ton.

Glass of double glass modules: 2695417.79 pieces * 2.22 m2*2*0.00625 ton/m2=74797.84 ton.

According to the calculation method, we can know the glass weight of other brand modules.

For M10 72 (182mm) version module produced by LonGi, its size is 2256*1133 mm, and the module area is 2.56 m². So, we can get the below data after calculation:

Average power of M10 single glass: 540 W; Rated power: 405 W; 1GW needs 2469135.802 pieces modules and requires about 55308.64 tons of glass.

Rated power generation of M10 double glass: 446W; 1GW needs 2242152.466 pieces modules and requires about 71748.88 tons of glass.

From the above information, it can be seen that the larger the size of the silicon wafer, the less photovoltaic glass needs to be used per GW.

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