Solar Panel Coatings Market | Quantum Dots and the Future of Solar Efficiency

The Solar Panel Coatings Market | Entering a New Chapter

The solar panel coatings market is entering an inflection point. What was once a race to make panels cheaper is now a competition to make them smarter, more durable, and more efficient. Coatings—once treated as a secondary afterthought—are now central to this transformation.

By MarketGenics | September 2025

The latest signal comes from the U.S., where First Solar and UbiQD have signed an exclusive, multi-year supply agreement to integrate quantum dots (QDs) into bifacial panels. The promise is striking: quantum dots solar panels can more than double the efficiency of backside light capture, directly enhancing the yield of bifacial modules.

The UbiQD–First Solar Partnership | From Lab to Utility-Scale

In July 2025, the two companies finalized a commercial agreement, building on R&D collaborations since 2023.

Efficiency effect: According to Markus Gloeckler, CTO of First Solar, even a small improvement in bifaciality will have a big effect in the real world in terms of energy yield. QDs will in this instance be projected to provide backside output improvements of double-digit form.

Manufacturing Scale:  UbiQD is aiming to produce >100 metric tons/year of QD to meet utility-scale demand.

Capital support: In April 2025, UbiQD received a USD 20 million-series B financing round, aimed at large-scale production and construction of one of the largest QD plants in the world in the U.S.

Commercial history: First Solar has a goal of rollout in late 2026 of QD-enhanced bifacial panels.

This marks a structural leap for the solar panel coatings market. The ability to harvest reflected and diffuse light more efficiently pushes bifacial panels into a new performance league.

What This Means for the Solar Panel Coatings Market

At MarketGenics, our latest Solar Panel Coatings Market Report (CH-3682, August 2025) shows the global market valued at USD 4.5 billion in 2025, projected to reach USD 36.3 billion by 2035, growing at a 20.8% CAGR.

The UbiQD–First Solar deal highlights why coatings and surface engineering are at the heart of this growth. Quantum dots aren’t replacing coatings—they are, in essence, the next generation of coatings.

Market dynamics at play:

Anti-reflective coatings (38% market share in 2025) already boost energy capture by 8–12%. Quantum dots extend this principle by manipulating photon wavelengths to maximize conversion.

Nanocoatings like those from SolarSharc (self-cleaning) or Core Solar’s ultra-thin nano coat for low-light generation show how coatings are no longer “cosmetic”—they directly impact ROI.

Dual-side formulas: With bifacial panels now mainstream, coatings must be transparent, anti-soiling, and efficiency-enhancing on both surfaces. PPG’s Sun Mirror X2 bifacial-compatible coating, tested in a 150 MW Enel Green Power project in Chile, already demonstrates this trend.

Strategic Implications | The Solar Panel Coatings Market at the Crossroads of Materials Science and Growth

Performance + Durability = Market Pull

Utility-scale solar projects can no longer afford 2–3% efficiency gains left on the table. Field data shows coatings like DSM’s endurance anti-reflective layer in India’s 250 MW Rajasthan solar farm delivered a 7.4% yield increase. With QDs promising double-digit backside gains, coatings are shifting from optional to mandatory.

Regional Dynamics

Asia-Pacific dominates the solar panel coatings market (40.3% share, USD 77.9B revenue by 2035) because of harsh conditions: dust, humidity, and pollution. Advanced coatings such as Toho Chemical’s SolReflex Ultra in Guangzhou showed a 5.6% output improvement in polluted urban scenarios.

The Middle East is pushing coatings optimized for extreme heat. Saint-Gobain’s NanoCool series boosted efficiency 6% in Abu Dhabi’s 400 MW desert farm.

New Frontiers | Floating Solar & Marine Coatings

Floating solar—already scaling in Asia—is a natural coatings frontier. Daikin’s Aqua Shield for floating PV, used in Indonesia’s 75 MW Cirata Reservoir project, extended panel lifespan by 30% through anti-corrosion and anti-biofouling protection.

An Industry in Consolidation

The solar panel coatings market is fairly fragmented where five players have an aggregate market share of 63 percent of the market share; these players are PPG, BASF, Arkema, DSM, and 3M. However, the advanced coating race is driving consolidation: multinationals are buying smaller nanotech companies, to gain access to IP and scale.

As quantum dots find their way into the mainstream, further consolidation should happen. Once UbiQD reaches >100 MT/year, competitors will tend to partner or merge with coating giants in order to keep up.

Why This Matters

The solar transition is no longer just about cheaper modules. It’s about extracting maximum value per watt installed. The fusion of quantum dots, nanocoatings, and bifacial architectures is reshaping not just panel performance, but the economics of solar deployment.

By 2035, the solar panel coatings market will generate USD 31.7B in new opportunities—but those opportunities won’t flow evenly. They’ll accrue to the companies that can marry advanced materials science with scalable manufacturing and regional adaptability.

The First Solar–UbiQD partnership is an early glimpse of that future: coatings that don’t just protect, but actively engineer photons into profits.

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At MarketGenics, we translate complex solar innovations — like quantum dots and next-gen coatings — into actionable market intelligence.

From bifacial panel adoption to nanocoating breakthroughs, our research and consulting help energy leaders, investors, and manufacturers capture new growth and mitigate risks.

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