From Proxy to Impact: Evidence Translation in Functional Photovoltaic Cover Glass Coatings

Mahdi, DK ORCID: 0000-0002-0976-5531, Jasim, HA ORCID: 0000-0002-3637-3090, Aldhaibani, OA ORCID: 0000-0003-0235-2862, Mahmood, ZH ORCID: 0000-0001-5071-4173 and Juma, ARS (2026) From Proxy to Impact: Evidence Translation in Functional Photovoltaic Cover Glass Coatings. Solar, 6 (5). ISSN 2673-9941

Preview

Text solar-06-00068.pdf - Published Version Available under License Creative Commons Attribution. Download (1MB) | Preview

Abstract

Functional coatings for photovoltaic (PV) cover glass are often supported by optical, photocatalytic, wettability, or dust removal measurements, but these endpoints do not by themselves establish PV performance, field persistence, maintenance reduction, or environmental benefit. This critical conceptual review uses a structured, non-comprehensive evidence map of 56 primary studies published from 2006 to 2026 (46 PV-targeted and 10 boundary cases; 24 Si-Ti-containing studies) to examine how evidence moves from coating characterization to system-level outcomes. Optical and surface-functional evidence occurred in 51/56 (91.1%) and 50/56 (89.3%) studies, durability in 30/56 (53.6%), field or outdoor evidence in 24/56 (42.9%), PV performance evidence in 23/56 (41.1%), and coating-specific environmental outcomes in 3/56 (5.4%). Fifteen studies (26.8%) contained both field/outdoor exposure and PV performance evidence. Within the mapped corpus, PV performance evidence was positively associated with publication year (odds ratio 1.30 per year, 95% CI 1.10–1.53; p = 0.002), whereas the field/outdoor association was weaker (odds ratio 1.11, 95% CI 0.98–1.26; p = 0.095). The expanded map therefore supports a diagnosis of uneven, rather than absent, evidence translation. A two-track Evidence Translation Framework separates outcome evidence from mechanistic attribution and is used as a claim–audit architecture rather than a numerical quality score. The map is not presented as a prevalence census of the entire literature. Records without full-text verification are treated conservatively, and no formal inter-rater reliability is claimed.

Item Type:	Article
Subjects:	Q Science > QA Mathematics > QA76 Computer software T Technology > T Technology (General)
Divisions:	Computer Science and Mathematics
Publisher:	MDPI AG
Date of acceptance:	22 September 2026
Date of first compliant Open Access:	7 October 2026
Date Deposited:	07 Oct 2026 09:58
Last Modified:	07 Oct 2026 09:58
DOI or ID number:	10.3390/solar6050068
URI:	https://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/id/eprint/29623

View Item