CH715386B1 - Photovoltaic module, prefabricated façade element comprising it, building and set of buildings comprising such prefabricated elements. - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a prefabricated photovoltaic module (1), comprising a plurality of photovoltaic cells (2) electrically connected to each other and arranged in a regular network between first and second panels optically transparent to solar light radiation, said first and second panels being secured to each other edge to edge by an intermediate layer to encapsulate said cells between said panels in a sealed manner. This module has a rectangular shape, with dimensions between 650 and 700 mm in width (11) and between 1100 and 1500 mm in length (L1), the number of photovoltaic cells (2) being between 28 and 36 cells per module. The invention further relates to a prefabricated façade element comprising a photovoltaic module (1), as well as a building and a building assembly comprising a façade envelope formed with such prefabricated façade elements.

Description

Technical area

The present invention relates to the field of construction, including but not limited to homes s. It relates, more particularly, to a prefabricated construction element designed and produced to manufacture all or part of the envelope of a building by assembling several said prefabricated construction elements.

The invention also relates to a residential building whose envelope is constructed from construction elements according to the invention and further equipped with means for storing photovoltaic electricity produced by said prefabricated construction elements and an electronic device for managing and distributing the photovoltaic electricity produced.

The invention finally relates to a stock of residential buildings as defined above, comprising at least a plurality of said residential buildings interconnected in a network and whose electronic devices for managing and distributing electricity photovoltaic produced by each building are configured to communicate with each other and to distribute said electrical energy autonomously between each building as needed.

State of the art

[0004] For many years now, construction and environmental standards have promoted, or even required, that new constructions, in particular individual or collective dwellings, be energy efficient. More simply stated, these new constructions must ideally be energy-efficient, and therefore maximize the capture of environmental energy, in particular solar energy, for interior heating (water, air) while avoiding as much as possible the loss of energy from the interior towards the exterior of buildings.

[0005] In addition, the use of so-called sustainable materials, that is to say natural and/or recyclable materials, is also promoted in order to obtain constructions whose so-called “carbon” balance sheet is as neutral as possible.

[0006] In this approach, a first axis of development focused on improving the thermal insulation of buildings, in particular in order to limit their loss of energy at the level of the facades. Insulation facings, from the outside or inside, have thus been developed, making it possible to improve the insulation of new or existing buildings. However, such facings often have the effect of sealing buildings, which in particular tend to evacuate internal humidity poorly. It is then necessary to ventilate regularly to evacuate this humidity, which hinders the improvement of the insulation obtained.

[0007] Another line of development has also consisted in promoting the energy autonomy of buildings by producing hot water and/or electricity by means of solar thermal and/or photovoltaic panels fitted to the roofs and/or facades. However, these panels require assembly by specialized operators on the external surface of the buildings, therefore sometimes to the detriment of the architectural aesthetics initially defined, and a hydraulic or electrical network for connecting the panels to each other and to an internal management/distribution device must also be fitted out, requiring openings in the walls and therefore potential thermal bridges not initially envisaged. In addition, the dimensions of such panels are such that they do not entirely cover the walls of buildings, thus limiting the energy efficiency in production of the building with respect to its total envelope surface. Indeed, the sizing of the structural elements with the solar panels can prove to be problematic because of the predetermined dimensions of the solar panels which cannot be cut, unlike wooden or glass panels for example. Conversely, when the panels are custom-built to the specific dimensions of the equipped envelope walls, this results in logistical problems related to their transport, their storage and their assembly and therefore an additional construction cost.

To overcome these difficulties, application EP-2374952-A1 describes prefabricated facade elements comprising a support frame and an internal reinforcement defining at least one opening closed by a solar panel. These prefabricated elements are designed to form whole sections of active façade incorporating solar panels, which simply need to be assembled together to form the walls of the vertical envelopes of a building level or storey, between a floor slab and a classical structure ceiling tile. The frame and the reinforcements comprise holding and connection means making it possible to ensure a watertight junction without thermal bridges between the prefabricated elements.

[0009] However, these facade elements are also designed to be made to order and the dimensions of the openings and solar panels as well as are not optimized to allow mass production of the prefabricated elements to dimensions offering maximum design flexibility. of facade walls of unit levels of residential buildings with a guarantee of energy efficiency in the production of maximum photovoltaic electricity, an optimized cost price and transport.

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention aims to remedy the aforementioned drawbacks by proposing photovoltaic panels and prefabricated facade elements configured for mass production and the construction of housing envelopes with improved energy performance, by assembly and without cutting. of the said panels before their installation.

[0011] The inventors have indeed been able to determine, after several years of research, a dimensional optimum of unitary photovoltaic panels and associated prefabricated elements making it possible to create facade modules to produce, in the form of an assembly to be assembled, the envelope of each level of housing perfectly insulated and producing photovoltaic energy, while offering owners freedom and architectural flexibility in the aesthetics of the modules and the fitter a great simplicity of assembly without rework or cutouts.

Thus, in accordance with a first object, the invention provides a prefabricated photovoltaic module, comprising a plurality of photovoltaic cells electrically connected to each other and arranged in a regular network between a first and a second panel transparent to solar light radiation. Said first and second panels are assembled to one another edge to edge by an intermediate adhesive layer so as to encapsulate said cells between said panels in a sealed manner, according to a conventional manufacturing method per se. The module of the invention finds its inventive character in that its dimensions are between 650 and 700 mm in width and between 1100 and 1500 mm in length, and the number of photovoltaic cells is between 28 and 36 cells per module.

The inventors have in fact determined that photovoltaic modules thus configured advantageously make it possible to mass-produce active prefabricated facade elements, that is to say capable of producing electrical energy, suitable for the construction of envelopes of unit levels of residential buildings, with common dimensions in the industry, that is to say of the order of 2700 to 2800 mm in facade height, for optimal energy efficiency in energy production, optimized manufacturing and transport logistics for modules and prefabricated elements involving no additional construction costs compared to conventional manufacturing, and with optimum simplicity and reliability of assembly for assembly operators at construction sites.

[0014] In addition, such modules make it possible either to equip prefabricated facade elements fully covered with modules, or partially covered, whether or not incorporating openings, without it being necessary to modify the dimensioning of the photovoltaic modules or that of the prefabricated facade elements.

[0015] According to particular characteristics of the photovoltaic module of the invention: the cells are arranged linearly over the length and width of said module, and in an even number of rows of cells over the width of said module, optically transparent panels are made of tempered or hardened glass; the photovoltaic cells are cells based on mono- or polycrystalline silicon and/or amorphous silicon and/or perovskites; electrical connection means between the cell networks of two identical modules are provided.

[0016] The invention also proposes, according to a second object, such a prefabricated facade element comprising at least one photovoltaic module as previously defined. Such a prefabricated element thus constitutes a unitary and self-sufficient brick for the construction of a facade envelope, in particular advantageously comprising a parallelepipedic facing block composed of an insulating structural multilayer and a fixing reinforcement, the said ) photovoltaic module(s) being fixed(s) by retaining means on said armature.

[0017] Such prefabricated elements advantageously allow an owner to choose custom, from a catalog, the structure and the complete look of the facade envelope of each level of a dwelling house that he wishes to build according to the energy autonomy and the design that he wishes for his home, then to produce or have produced in the factory the prefabricated elements which are then delivered to the construction site and assembled equipped with their photovoltaic modules, without any additional operations required than the sealing between elements between them and the floor and ceiling slabs of a given level of construction.

[0018] The integration of each photovoltaic module in the factory eliminates the logistical problems associated with the transport and storage of the solar panels, as well as their installation on site. The cost of implementing such photovoltaic modules is thus greatly reduced.

Finally, advantageously, the prefabricated element of the invention is dimensioned such that it can comprise at most eight photovoltaic modules juxtaposed over an entire main surface of the facing block.

[0020] In accordance with a third object, the invention also relates to a building comprising at least one level of occupation delimited by a floor slab and a ceiling slab separated and interconnected by walls forming a facade envelope of the building. , characterized in that said facade envelope is formed by an edge-to-edge assembly of prefabricated elements as previously defined.

[0021] Advantageously, such a building comprises a device for storing and distributing electrical energy produced by the photovoltaic modules of each said prefabricated element.

[0022] The invention finally relates in a last object to an assembly comprising at least two buildings as previously introduced, whose electrical energy storage and distribution devices are connected in a network and configured to communicate with each other so as to distribute on demand between said buildings the electrical energy produced and, if necessary, stored according to their respective consumption needs. Such a set of buildings has the unique advantage of being autonomous and potentially self-sufficient in electrical energy, independently of any connection to an external power supply network.

Description of the appended figures

The various characteristics of the fixing device according to the invention, as well as its use, will emerge better on reading the description which follows, with reference to the appended figures, among which: FIG. 1 represents a schematic plan view of a photovoltaic module according to the invention; Figures 2A to 2D show a front view of a prefabricated facade element according to the invention in particular embodiments of; FIG. 3 represents a cross-sectional view of the facade element of FIG. 2A along a vertical section plane P; FIG. 4 schematically represents the mode of construction of a residential facade using facade elements according to the invention; FIG. 5 schematically represents a housing stock according to the invention connected to an autonomous energy distribution network and to the external electrical network.

Embodiments of the Invention

For the different embodiments, the same references will be used for identical elements or providing the same function, for the sake of simplification of the description.

Figure 1 schematically shows a photovoltaic module 1 according to the invention in a preferred embodiment. This module 1 has a generally rectangular shape. The dimensions in length L1 and width l1 of this module 1 are chosen as multiples respectively of the width l2 and the length L2 of a prefabricated facade element 1 according to the invention as represented in FIGS. 2A to 2D. According to the preferred embodiment presented, the module 1 has a length L1 of 1170 mm for a width l1 of 690 mm and the prefabricated facade element 10 has a length L2 of 2780 mm for a width l2 of 2350 mm. Thus, a prefabricated facade element 10 can be equipped on an exterior face of the facade with 1 to 8 modules 1 juxtaposed in height and/or in width to completely cover (Fig. 2A, 2C, 2D) or partially (Fig. 2B) the outer surface of the prefabricated element 10 as will be described later.

The photovoltaic module 1 comprises a plurality of photovoltaic cells 2 electrically connected together and arranged in a regular network comprising, according to a characteristic of the inventive module 1 an even number of rows of cells 2 over the width l1 of said module 1. The cells 2 are arranged between a first and a second panel, not shown in the figures, transparent to the light spectrum of solar radiation. Said first and second panels are glued to each other edge to edge by an intermediate adhesive layer so as to encapsulate said cells 2 between said panels in a sealed manner, according to a conventional manufacturing method per se. The panels of module 1 can preferably comprise an exterior glass panel and an interior glass panel, the terms "exterior" and "interior" referring to the orientation of a said panel once the module 1 comprising it has been integrated on a facade element 10 of a building.

Thus, the outer glass panel, intended to form the incident surface to the solar light rays, and therefore the light entry surface, can be formed of a laminated glass, tempered or hardened, if necessary treated for be reflective at certain wavelengths of the solar light spectrum

[0028] The interior bonded glass can itself comprise laminated glazing or any other frosted, tempered or untempered laminated glass.

A polyvinyl butyral or ethylene-vinyl acetate spacer or any other transparent spacer preferably inserted between the outer and inner glass panels in which the photovoltaic cells 2 are encapsulated. These photovoltaic cells 2 are cells based on mono silicon. - Or polycrystalline and/or amorphous silicon and/or perovskites. They are connected in series by groups of cells connected to connectors 3, making it possible to connect the modules 1 to each other and to a device for managing and storing the electricity produced in use.

[0030] As shown in FIG. 1, the cells 2 are arranged linearly over the length L1 and the width l1 of said module 1, spaced between them by a space e1 in a longitudinal direction (along the length) and by a space e2 in the transverse direction (along the lenght). These spacings e1, e2 obviously depend on the dimensions of the module 1 and on those and the number of the photovoltaic cells 2. In accordance with the invention, however, these cells 2 must be at least 28 and at most 36 in number per module 1. In In the example of FIG. 1, module 1 thus comprises 28 cells of approximately 150 mm sides and spaced apart at e1 by approximately 7 mm and at e2 by approximately 8 mm. The cells 2 are also set back from the lateral and longitudinal edges of the glass panels of the module 1, in practice in the example shown of the order of 18 to 22 mm.

Still in accordance with the invention, the cells 2 are arranged according to an even number of horizontal lines, in order to simplify the connections between two adjacent modules and to facilitate the management of the modules once the facade elements 10 comprising them have been installed to build a dwelling H as described later.

These photovoltaic modules 1 allow the production in series of prefabricated facade elements 10 as shown in Figures 2A to 2D for example, to simply produce envelopes of positive energy residential buildings H, without having to retouch to modify facade elements 10 on the construction site.

[0033] In its basic embodiment, shown in FIG. 2A, a prefabricated facade element 10 according to the invention is in an essentially rectangular shape of length L2 and width l2 mentioned above, these dimensions being chosen on the one hand to allow the integration of an integer number of photovoltaic modules 1 according to the invention as previously described and on the other hand, to allow the simple production of unit levels of facades of residential buildings, as shown in FIG. 4.

[0034] Thus, as can be seen in FIG. 2A, a single facade element 10 can comprise up to eight modules 1 juxtaposed two by two in width L2 and four by four in length L2. Such a unitary facade element 10 can also combine an opening O and photovoltaic modules as in FIG. 2B, or even comprise a false weft half-element adapted to be associated with a second opening half-element (a door or a glazed panel for example) as shown in FIG. 2C or constitute a corner element as shown in FIG. 2D, then formed of two false frame elements assembled over a length L2 to form a re-entrant angle or an outgoing angle for example.

The prefabricated facade element 10 according to the invention is structurally in a form similar to that described in the prior application EP-2374952-A1 and its implementation also complies with the principles described in this document. It comprises in particular a wooden framework frame surrounding a parallelepiped facing block composed of an insulating structural multilayer 11 and a fixing frame integral with a main face of said facing block to support the photovoltaic modules 1. The block of facing 11, a section of which along a plane P of the element 10 of FIG. 2A is shown in FIG. 3, comprises the different structural layers of insulation of the facade element guaranteeing the energy performance of homes built from such facade elements 10.

As illustrated in Figure 3, the facing block 11 has an internal building face INT, intended to form an internal residential wall wall and an external building face EXT forming the external wall face of the dwelling. From the internal face INT to the external face EXT, the multilayer of the facing block 11 comprises, in the example shown and in a non-limiting manner, two finishing thicknesses mainly in plaster A, an insulating backing layer B, preferably made up of fibers natural materials, for example, and a vapor barrier yarn C, these layers A, B, C forming a first interior third of the facing block 11. -fire F, for example a fermacell® fiber-gypsum board, between which extends a wooden structural beam E, preferably spruce, on either side of which is housed a second insulating layer E 'of fibers natural, identical to or different from the first layer B. The facing block 11 finally comprises a last external section, composed of a rainscreen film G affixed to the fire-resistant plate F. and finally a ventilated air gap H arranged between the reinforcing profiles (not shown ) of the facade element 10 and on which the photovoltaic modules 1 are fixed.

Of course, when an opening O must be integrated into the facade element 10, the latter is inserted into suitable cutouts formed during the manufacture of the facade element 10, these cutouts then representing an opening of surface area equivalent to an integer number of photovoltaic modules 1, as in FIG. 2B, the opening elements O coming to be resumed in a sealed manner on the frame internal to the frame of the facade element.

The facade elements 10 of the invention allow, as previously indicated, to produce integrated facades of unit levels of residential buildings, equipped with increased energy performance with great simplicity of implementation, as shown schematically in the figure. 4. In practice, the facade elements 10, ordered and manufactured at the factory, are delivered to the construction site and are assembled there directly, according to the techniques described in EP-2374952-A1 for example. The facade elements 10 are thus erected and pressed between a floor slab DS of one level and the ceiling slab DP of the same level, thus forming the peripheral enclosure envelope of said level. The mechanical connection of the prefabricated elements 10 on the slabs DS, DP is carried out for example by a metal shoe, receiving a fixing hook incorporated on the frame or an internal field of the facade element. In addition, the photovoltaic modules 1 of each facade element 10 are connected to each other and to a device for managing and storing the electricity produced, not shown. Sealing between the facade elements 10 is ensured by a metal profile carrying seal which accommodates a flexible elastomer seal of the EPDM type, no longer requiring any intervention from the outside after the installation of the facade elements, this seal completely ensuring the sealing between the elements.

[0039] It is thus possible to produce dwellings with great architectural flexibility and increased energy performance, allowing in practice total energy autonomy of the dwelling for conventional family occupancy. The facade elements 10 equipped with photovoltaic modules according to the invention make it possible to generate sufficient electrical production to supply all the electrical systems necessary in the dwelling on a daily basis. The energy consumption of a household occurring mainly in the early morning and in the evening, therefore out of step with the production of electrical energy by the photovoltaic modules 1, the electrical energy produced can advantageously be temporarily stored in an ecological storage system and durable such as for example salt water associated with a management and distribution device allowing the management of the quantity of internal electrical energy in a dwelling.

[0040] Hybrid panels can also be associated on the roofs of such dwellings H1, H2, H3 in order to complete the photovoltaic modules 1 and also produce hot water for the use of each dwelling, in particular for heating, association with a reversible heat pump supplying an air-conditioned floor integrated in the DS floor tiles and/or DP ceiling tiles. Cold water can be supplied by recovery of rainwater and treatment in an underground tank H1, H2, H3 and towards which the roof water recovery systems flow.

The invention thus provides residential buildings H1, H2, H3 that are energy self-sufficient, the average electrical energy production of which is greater than the consumption, for a family of 2 adults and 2 children. These dwellings can also then be connected in a network to create energetically autonomous sets of dwellings s H1, H2, H3 in which the available energy produced by the dwellings is pooled, according to a prioritization principle. It is thus possible to greatly reduce the ecological and financial costs of each dwelling for their owners. The energy produced by each dwelling is used as a priority for its particular consumption, then if a surplus is available, this surplus is made available to the other dwellings of the whole in the network, or to the local supply network on which the surplus electricity can be resold directly.

The present invention thus proposes a global, autonomous and sustainable solution for the construction of energy-efficient and autonomous dwellings.

Claims (12)

1. Prefabricated photovoltaic module (1), comprising a plurality of photovoltaic cells (2) electrically connected together and arranged in a regular network between a first and a second optically transparent panels to solar light radiation, said first and second panels being secured l to the other edge to edge by an intermediate layer to encapsulate said cells between said panels in a sealed manner, characterized in that said module has a rectangular shape, with dimensions between 650 and 700 mm in width (11) and between 1100 and 1500 mm in length (L1), the number of photovoltaic cells (2) being between 28 and 36 cells per module. 2. Prefabricated photovoltaic module according to claim 1, characterized in that the cells (2) are arranged linearly over the length (L1) and the width (11) of said module, and according to an even number of rows of cells over the width of said module. 3. Prefabricated photovoltaic module according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the optically transparent panels consist of tempered or toughened glass. 4. Prefabricated photovoltaic module according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the photovoltaic cells (2) are cells based on mano- or polycrystalline silicon and/or amorphous silicon and/or perovskites. 5. Prefabricated photovoltaic module according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises electrical connection means between the cell networks of two identical modules. 6. Prefabricated facade element (1) characterized in that it comprises at least one photovoltaic module according to one of claims 1 to 5. 7. Prefabricated facade element according to claim 6, characterized in that it comprises a parallelepipedic facing block (11) composed of an insulating structural multilayer and a fixing frame, said at least one photovoltaic module (1) being fixed by holding means on said armature. 8. prefabricated facade element according to claim 7, characterized in that it comprises a support frame arranged around the facing block (11). 9. Element (1) according to one of claims 7 and 8, characterized in that it comprises at most eight photovoltaic modules juxtaposed over an entire main surface of the facing block. 10. Building (H) comprising at least one level of occupation delimited by a floor slab (DS) and a ceiling slab (DP) separated and interconnected by walls forming a facade envelope of the building, characterized in that that said facade envelope is formed from an edge-to-edge assembly of prefabricated facade elements (10) according to one of claims 6 to 9. 11. Building according to claim 10, comprising a device for storing and distributing electrical energy produced by the photovoltaic modules (1) of each said prefabricated facade element (10). 12. Assembly comprising at least two buildings (H1, H2, H3) according to one of claims 10 and 11, characterized in that their electrical energy storage and distribution devices are connected in a network and configured to communicate with each other. so as to distribute on demand between said buildings the electrical energy produced and, if necessary, stored according to their respective consumption needs.