AGC Flat Glass North America (AGC Glass Company:North America) The Kingsport Plant has introduced a highly energy-efficient electric melting furnace to its production line for photovoltaic cover glass, thereby reducing CO₂ emissions from the glass production process.

Trends in the United States

In the United States, environmental business has been growing in a range of fields driven by Green New Deal policies, and the creation of new businesses, such as those using clean energy from photovoltaic and wind generated power, electric vehicles, and smart grid technologies for next-generation power supply systems. It is expected to lead to the creation of various new jobs. Especially, the photovoltaic energy is high-visibility as the alternative energy of fossil fuel in terms of reducing the dependence on foreign oil and CO₂ of energy generation. Photovoltaic energy has been increasing rapidly in the US since 2005 in the form of utility scale projects.

The AGC Glass Company (North America)'s Initiatives

The AGC Glass Company aims to be at top level contribution to the prevention of climate change in the primary material production industry. In the United States, photovoltaic energy, one of key technologies for contributing the climate change issue, has been increasing rapidly in the form of utility scale projects. As part of its contribution, the Kingsport Plant successfully launched an antireflective coating (ARC) line for photovoltaic cover glass in 2007.

Reducing CO₂ Emissions by Increasing the Energy-Efficiency of the Production Line

The Kingsport Plant has introduced an all-electric melting furnace to its production line for glasses of photovoltaic modules. An allelectric melting furnace is approximately twice as efficient as a conventional fossil fuel fired furnace, because the furnace directly heats glass materials, unlike conventional oil and gas-fired glass melting furnaces that heat the materials by the heat radiated from the combustion flame. The Kingsport Plant is thus manufacturing products that contribute to the solution of climate change issues at its production line with lower CO₂ emissions.