Kastus Anti-Soiling Photocatalytic Glass Coating

Kastus Technologies is an Irish company that has been developing clean glass technologies since 2014. It targets soiling on solar panels, which the International Energy Agency estimates caused efficiency losses of $3.2 billion in 2023, as well as bacteria and viruses on glass touch surfaces.

Kastus is a water-based nanotechnology solution sprayed onto glass before tempering; once fired it sinters into the surface and lasts for the life of the glass. The treated surface is photocatalytic, using UV light and oxygen to create radicals that break down biofilm, bird droppings, moss, bacteria and viruses, and hydrophilic, so water spreads and carries away dust. It is offered to solar module and glass manufacturers, with versions for automotive glass and cleanrooms.

• Pre-tempering application: water-based solution sprayed on glass and sintered during tempering.
• Photocatalytic action: 100% anatase titania surface that oxidises organic soiling under UV light.
• Hydrophilic surface: low contact angle so rain spreads and washes off inorganic dust.
• Antimicrobial effect: kills up to 99% of bacteria and viruses on glass.
• Durability testing: abrasion and chemical cleaning tests reported on the technology page.
• Application variants: solar modules, automotive glass and sensors, and cleanrooms with partner Daldrop.

Solar module and solar glass manufacturers in Vietnam can integrate the coating into their tempering lines to offer anti-soiling modules for export. Solar farm owners can specify treated modules to reduce cleaning frequency. Hospitals and electronics cleanrooms can use treated glass partitions and touch screens to reduce surface contamination.

The coating is embedded during glass manufacturing, so it is permanent and does not need reapplication over the panel's life. It keeps solar glass cleaner, which the company says lets treated modules outperform standard modules in field validation, and reduces the cost and pollution of repeated cleaning cycles. On glass touch surfaces it kills up to 99% of bacteria and viruses, including human coronavirus.

Dust, pollution and bird droppings reduce solar output, especially in dry seasons and near industrial zones, and manual cleaning raises operating costs. Southeast Asia, including Vietnam, hosts large solar module factories and a growing rooftop and utility solar fleet, creating demand for durable anti-soiling glass built in at the factory.

Kastus Technologies Company Limited, an Irish company supported by Enterprise Ireland, developing clean glass technologies since 2014. ISO 9001 certified. Cleanroom partnership with Daldrop. Exhibited at SNEC 2025 in Shanghai (June 11-13, 2025) and met LONGi Solar in Jiaxing through Enterprise Ireland's Shanghai team.