Hand crafted for millenia, industrialised for centuries, glass is a material in constant evolution.


Hand crafted for millenia, industrialised for centuries, glass is a material in constant evolution.
The kind of glass we study covers a wide range: glass for the building and automobile markets, glass for solar energy, for containers, fibreglass and also special glasses such as glassceramics...

We work on improving manufacturing processes, from development (melting of raw materials) to shaping (forming or fibering).  

Conscious of energy performance improvement and of limiting our impact on the environment, we improve our melting furnaces and the use of refractory material from which they are made, the concept and the energy sources in order to reduce C02 emissions during the glass manufacturing process, and to reduce energy consumption and promote recycling.

Glass development involves all kind of scientific skills, such as chemistry, physical chemistry, thermal, mechanical, optical sciences, as well as modelling and characterisation methods. 

Glasses for solar applications

In 2009, Saint-Gobain created Saint-Gobain Solar, a subsidiary to serve solar applications, which is fully in line with its global development strategy linked to Habitat, energy savings and environmental protection.


Climate change, the depletion of fossil fuels, and the recent surge in their prices have accelerated the development of alternative energies, in particular, solar energy. Large projects have emerged around the world, either to produce electricity (photovoltaic conversion) or to produce heat (thermal conversion).

For its part, and in accordance with its overall strategy, the Saint-Gobain Group created Saint-Gobain Solar in 2009, a subsidiary specialising in solar energy, which designs, manufactures and markets a range of PV solutions for residential, commercial, industrial and agricultural buildings.

Today, thanks to research undertaken at the initiative of Saint-Gobain Solar, Saint-Gobain produces several glasses for solar applications. They are used either as substrates or as frontside panels for photovoltaic cells. They are also used to manufacture mirrors concentrating sunlight onto heat transfer fluids.