Solar Glass

Solar Green glass is used in nearly all windshields today, and is easily identified by the light green tint. This type of glass is called “batch solar glass” because the color is added during the liquid stage of the glass making process. Solar Green glass blocks most of the suns UV rays, so it is used to help keep the interior of the vehicle cooler, to minimize the damage to upholstery and carpet, and to make it a little easier on the passenger’s eyes. Solar Green glass even helps you save fuel because you do not have to run the air conditioning as long to keep the vehicle cool.

All of those are good things, but it is important to understand that by blocking UV rays, Solar Green glass also slows the curing process of a windshield repair. That’s why Delta Kits recommends a full 5 minute cure time, and that is why it is so important to follow that recommendation. I know, I know, Shady Joe down the street doesn’t let his repairs cure for 5 minutes, and fly by night manufacturing does not train technicians to cure for that long, but that’s only because they do not fully understand the impact of Solar Green glass on windshield repairs.

According to Russ Corsi, formerly a technical advisor for PPG AutoGlass, most Solar Green laminated glass blocks about 85% UVA and 99% UVB. Our own in house testing yielded similar results. Some higher end vehicles use a grey or bronze tint that blocks approximately the same amount of UVA and UVB.

Another process called “solar coated glass” gets its solar blocking qualities from a coating applied to the #2 surface* of a windshield. These windshields often appear purple or orange when the sun hits them, as they are more reflective than Solar Green. While repairable, it is important to note that if the coating is damaged, or separated from the glass, you may experience a white ring around the outside of the repair, where the resin meets the coating.

There are also IR blocking films that are wrapped around the PVB, although these are even rarer than the solar coated windshields. Repairing this type of windshield is no different than repairing a Solar Green windshield and should pose not problems.

*A windshield is made up of two layers of glass with a layer of PVB sandwiched in between. The #1 surface is the surface of the outer layer of glass that the windshield wipers rest on. The #2 surface is the surface of the outer layer of glass that touches the PVB. The #3 surface is the surface of the inner layer of glass that touches the PVB. The #4 surface is the surface of the inner layer of glass that is exposed to the inside of the vehicle.

-Brent Deines