The VOLTA pilot furnace has operated continuously for one year, confirming the reliability of hybrid melting technology for flat glass production. This was announced by AGC Glass Europe.
The furnace was commissioned at the beginning of 2025. Over the course of the year, it delivered stable and consistent production while demonstrating the technological reliability of the hybrid concept.
Throughout the year, operating performance fully met the design expectations. The companies evaluated energy consumption, temperature control and float glass quality under different cullet ratios and glass pull rates. These results strengthen confidence in the scalability of the concept and confirm its suitability for future industrial-scale implementation.
The higher energy efficiency of the hybrid technology, combined with a 50% share of electricity sourced from certified renewable energy and a substantial increase in cullet usage (88% under standard operating conditions compared with 40% previously), has reduced fossil fuel consumption by 66% and cut Scope 1 and Scope 3 CO₂ emissions by 71% compared with the baseline. These figures account for emissions associated with natural gas and raw materials in accordance with the Innovation Fund accounting methodology.
Moving to large-scale industrial deployment will require significant investment. The companies identify the economically optimal balance between electricity and natural gas as the key priority for the next stages of the project's development.
These results are the outcome of the collaboration between Saint-Gobain Glass and AGC, whose combined expertise played a key role in the success of the VOLTA project. Following its successful first year of operation, VOLTA has become a validated technology platform and a foundation for industrial-scale deployment, supporting both companies in advancing low-carbon flat glass production.
The VOLTA project receives funding from the European 's Innovation Fund.