Mechanical engineer, Gerhard Reisinger, discovered by accident that low-iron glass used in solar panels permits about 37% of the ultra-violet UVB light to enter the glasshouse. UVB light helps plants to grow compact, develop greater disease resistance and it enhances flower colour, and the flavour of fruits. The transmission of the light in the spectrum used by plants (PAR) is 91% in comparison to 89% with ordinary horticultural float glass which also blocks completely the transmission of UVB light.  More recently by giving the low-iron glass a micro-structure that scatters light plus a special anti-reflex coating its  PAR transmission was increased from 91% to 97%, offering an advantage over ordinary glass of about 10%.  Currently this new HiT-MM SolarGlas costs double the price of ordinary horticultural float glass but researchers calculate that the extra cost can be recovered in 3-4 years. A fall in the price of the new glass can also be expected in the future. The anti-reflex coating provides more available light to enter the glasshouse particularly in the evening and in winter when the sun is low in the sky. Furthermore light transmission is unaltered by the formation of condensation on the inside of the glass. On using the new glass, good ventilation is vital to avoid the build up of excess heat in the glasshouse.  The new HiT-MM SolarGlas was launched at the recent IPM exhibition and is manufactured by Flabeg in Germany. This new glass has been installed in the ‘Climax’ experimental glasshouse at the Institute for the Phytosphere, Jülich Research Centre, Germany. Since the introduction of the ‘Climax’ experimental glasshouse in 1998 it has undergone other significant developments. One example is a new roof angle of 21° in the upper half of the roof and 28.8° for the lower half. This provides a 2% increase in light transmission and improved ventilation possibilities. The Institute’s objective as explained by Director, Dr. Ulrich Schurr in  an article by Helen Armstrong in “FlowerTech” 2004, Vol.7/no.1, is to study the dynamics of plant growth and development and how this changes in response to changing environmental conditions. www.HortiWorld.nl  For further information, contact the Jülich Research centre, E-mail: a.stettien@fz-jeulich.de  www.fz-jeulich.de For information from the manufacturer, contact Flabeg GmbH, Fürth, Germay, Fax 0049 911 9974303 www.flabeg.com or the Italian branch, Flabeg Srl, Trofarello (TO), Fax 011 6804010.