​LG Chem commercializes durable engineered plastic frame material for solar panels

By Park Sae-jin Posted : October 19, 2021, 10:36 Updated : October 19, 2021, 10:36

[Courtesy of LG Chem]

SEOUL -- LG Chem, the chemical unit of South Korea's LG Group, has developed a lightweight and durable engineered plastic frame material for solar panels. The company thinks the renewable plastic frame is cheaper than conventional frames made of aluminum and has great market potential because it can be applied to the automobile industry.

The frame of a solar panel maintains the power generating device's structural integrity while protecting it from external forces. Solar panel makers favored aluminum. Plastics are not ideal for outdoor use because the polymer material is prone to degradation by ultraviolet (UV) light from the sun. The engineered plastic material is a special polymer compound designed to have special characteristics such as the ability to maintain its integrity after years of exposure to sunlight.

LG Chem has developed "LUPOY EU5201," a flame-resistant engineered plastic compound material containing fiberglass. The company said the lightweight and cost-effective engineered plastic frame will help solar panel makers reduce the weight and cost of power generating devices.

LG Chem said the company targets the world's photovoltaic panel market projected to stand at about $130 billion in 2030. "Based on our world's top-class compound-developing abilities, we will lead the global solar photovoltaic panel market," said LG Chem's senior managing director Steven Kim in a statement on October 19.

Through special orders, LG Chem said that the company can make the engineered plastic compound have low-carbon characteristics by increasing the content ratio of post-consumer recycled polycarbonate (PCR PC).
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