NGA opposes NFRC’s nonresidential rating program
Officials from the National Glass Association of McLean, Va., issued a letter Sept. 27 stating the organization’s firm opposition to the National Fenestration Rating Council’s proposed Component Modeling Approach, an energy rating program for the nonresidential glass industry… read more

PPG executive talks globalization, residential downfall and the company’s automotive exit
In a Sept. 30 Q&A with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Victoria Holt, the senior vice president of the glass and fiber glass division for PPG Industries, Pittsburgh, discussed the company’s recent exit of the auto glass business and its future in the construction segment.

Holt emphasized the “tremendous opportunity for growth” in the performance glazing business, but said the overall glass division for the company is feeling the negative effects of a falling residential market, according to the article.

Holt also discussed the company’s increasing overseas presence, particularly in Asia. Read the full Q&A here.

Man in critical condition after glass accident
A 25-year-old man received severe injuries after being trapped between sheets of glass, according to a Sept. 28 article from The Sydney Morning Herald. While no details of the accident were released by officials, a rescue spokesperson said the accident involved two tons of glass, according to the article.

The man received injuries to his chest, abdomen and limbs, and was sent to Liverpool Hospital in critical condition, according to the article… read more

Falling glass in Montreal shopping mall injures teen
A 15-year-old girl was hit in the head by part of a pane of glass that fell inside the Complexe Desjardins shopping mall in downtown Montreal Sept. 27, according to a Sept. 28 Montreal’s Gazette article.
The piece of glass came from a 3.3-foot-by-8.2-foot, 100-pound pane, and fell from a height of about 33 feet, hit a landing and shattered, according to the release … read more

Solar companies search for cost savings
During the Solar Power 2007 conference in Long Beach, Sept. 24-27, companies from all segments of the solar industry are brainstorming ways to reduce end costs to the consumer, according to a Sept. 25 article from the New York Times.

Photovoltaic installation is one area with major potential savings, as installation currently constitutes 30-50 percent of the total cost, according to the article … read more 

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