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What Is Solar Ray Light Tinted Glass?

Tim McQuade

Solar light tinted glass utilizes passive solar energy. Passive solar energy, unlike active solar energy, does not utilize machinery to utilize the sun's energy. Instead, passive solar energy tries to more efficiently retain or reject the heat from the sun.

Function

Solar tinted glass is produced with specialized tints that change color depending upon the brightness of the sun. These windows have solar heat gain coefficient (SHGC) ratings; the higher the rating, the more solar light and heat is allowed into a building.

Benefits

Solar light tinted windows can reduce the amount of glare and some solar radiation from entering a structure. However, different tints have different effects: a green/blue solar glass tint reduces heat transfer and allows more visible light to enter a structure; a gray/bronze solar glass tint equally reduces light and heat permeation from entering a building; black tinted glass is beneficial in cold climates as it absorbs light and creates added heat for a building.

Considerations

Solar glass tint comes as specialized window glass or as a thin film, or glazing, that is added over normal window glass. The thin film system is very adaptable as it allows you to change a window tint depending on a season and the amount of sunlight present.