Guardian EcoGuard receives Glass Magazine’s Crystal Achievement Award for Most Innovative Solar Glass Product

Guardian EcoGuard receives Glass Magazine’s Crystal Achievement Award for Most Innovative Solar Glass Product

Auburn Hills, Mich. (September 16, 2010) – Guardian Industries has received a prestigious industry award for its EcoGuard Solar-Boost LP, a high-performance laminated parabolic mirror for solar energy collection. Guardian received Glass Magazine’s Crystal Achievement Award as the Most Innovative Solar Glass Product for 2010.

The awards recognize the best products and glass applications in the commercial, retail and fabrication markets. Winners were selected by a panel of judges representing all segments of the industry. The award was presented this week in Las Vegas at the GlassBuild America trade show.

Guardian’s EcoGuard® Solar Boost-LP mirrors  provide best-in-class solar reflectivity, concentrating efficiency and durability.

EcoGuard Solar Boost LP utilizes Guardian’s highest performing solar glass, EcoGuard Float, and the company’s internationally renowned mirror technology, to create a laminated parabolic mirror with more than 94.5 percent solar reflectivity at AM 1.5 (ISO 9050).

Guardian’s precise manufacturing process yields a smooth, accurate mirror. Durability is ensured by a laminated glass assembly similar to an automobile windshield, where the mirror is encapsulated between two layers of glass and held together by a PVB interlayer. A mirrored surface is contained within the laminate on the backside of the forward glass. The thin front glass results in a shorter transmission path and industry benchmark reflectivity performance.  Guardian has years of experience in developing systems and efficiencies in such manufacturing processes.

EcoGuard Solar Boost-LP has been extensively field tested for proven durability and validated using numerous accelerated test protocols. The combined glass and PVB layers provide superior rigidity and durability compared to traditional monolithic glass systems. The laminated construction also results in optimum damping, wind resistance and reduction of subsequent field component damage.

“EcoGuard Solar Boost-LP withstands the extreme conditions to which concentrating solar mirrors and reflector panels are subjected. EcoGuard Solar Boost-LP represents optimal solar performance and a valued investment for our customers. With a glass mean free path of just 3.2 mm, EcoGuard Solar Boost-LP mirrors attain an average solar transmission of 95 percent. This results in a reduction of total cost of ownership for our customers,” said Scott Thomsen, group vice president of North American Flat Glass at Guardian.

Guardian EcoGuard is featured along with other Crystal Achievement Award winners in the September issue of Glass Magazine and was honored at GlassBuild America in Las Vegas.

For more information on Guardian EcoGuard and other solar glass products, visit www.guardian.com.

About Guardian Industries Corp.:

Guardian is a diversified global manufacturing company headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan, with leading positions in float glass, fabricated glass products, fiberglass insulation and other building materials for commercial, residential and automotive markets.  Its automotive trim group, SRG Global Inc., is one of the world’s largest suppliers of advanced, high value coatings on plastics. Through its Science & Technology Center, Guardian is at the forefront of innovation including development of high performance glass coatings and other advanced products. Guardian, its subsidiaries and affiliates employ 18,000 people and operate facilities throughout North America, Europe, South America, Asia, Africa and the Middle East.

EcoGuard is a registered trademark of Guardian Industries Corp.