German chemical company BASF and Chinese PV panel border specialist Jiangsu Worldlight New Material have developed a new solar panel border made from glass fiber-reinforced polyurethane (PU) composite combined with water-based paint solution.

Basf said in a statement: "This PV module bezel uses an industry-leading total solution that reduces the product carbon footprint by 85% compared to aluminum bezels. The use of a water-based paint solution further reduced VOC emissions by more than 90 percent."

The two manufacturers claim that the new solution achieves better insulation, lighter weight and longer service life than aluminum products. But they did not reveal any other technical details about the new product.

Basf and Oriental Yuhong, a Chinese company, have recently started working together to develop thermoplastic polyolefin (TPO) roof waterproofing films for the rooftop PV market. The project meets the requirements of the Chinese GB55030 building code, which means that the material should be used for at least 20 years.