The atmospheric pressure glow discharge（APGD） is generated in atmospheric air using the mesh electrodes and with the PET as barriers. The electrical discharge parameters and light-emission phenomena are measured

and the differences between APGD and filamentary dielectric barrier discharge （DBD） are compared

with the discharge mechanism of APGD being discussed. Results show that the APGD in air can be generated with the electrode arrangements shown in this paper

and the discharge characteristics of APGD in air are different from those of DBD. The grid electrodes can generate corona discharge before the breakdown of the gas gap

which is responsible for charging the electret barriers.