FR3040716A1 - ROOF STRUCTURE COMPRISING A SEMI-RIGID PHOTOVOLTAIC MODULE, METHOD OF MAKING SAME, AND POSITIONING JIG FOR SAID METHOD - Google Patents

Abstract

Roof structure (1) comprising a roof element (2) and a photovoltaic module (3), the photovoltaic module (3) having a support part and a photovoltaic active part, supported by the support part, the roof structure being characterized in that the photovoltaic module (3) is a semi-rigid type module having two main faces (8, 9), at least one of which, said fixing, is flat, that the roof element (2) is formed of a sheet (5) having a plurality of ribs (6), said main, parallel, of the same height and spaced at a regular pitch, and that the photovoltaic module (3) is fixed by its fixing face (8 , 9) on the tops (7) of main ribs (6) of the roof element (2), by means of fixing means (4).

Description

ROOF STRUCTURE COMPRISING A SEMI-RIGID PHOTOVOLTAIC MODULE, METHOD OF MAKING SAME, AND POSITIONING JIG FOR SAID METHOD

The present invention relates to the field of photovoltaic elements and relates, in particular, to a roof structure comprising a semi-rigid photovoltaic module, to a method of producing said roof structure and to a laying template used in said process.

The conventional solar panels are generally in the form of a rigid panel assembly, and are either of the type framed, namely formed by a flexible laminate carrying the photovoltaic cells and covered with a glass plate ensuring the rigidity of the assembly panel, the latter and the glass plate being framed by a metal frame through which the panel assembly is attached to the roof, or of the unframed type, namely formed by a flexible laminate carrying the photovoltaic cells and covered with sides by two glass plates, again ensuring the rigidity of the panel assembly, and directly attached to the roof.

Conventional solar panels have the disadvantages of being heavy, fragile, and therefore difficult to handle.

In order to solve these problems, semi-rigid photovoltaic modules have been proposed.

A semi-rigid photovoltaic module is a photovoltaic module whose rigidity allows it to be bent, at least slightly, by hand, but without being able to be wound on itself, unlike so-called flexible photovoltaic modules. A semi-rigid photovoltaic module is formed, in the most common example, by a substrate which is itself semi-rigid and on which the photovoltaic cells are placed, with generally at least one encapsulating layer. This substrate consists for example of a semi-rigid polymer sheet.

Such semi-rigid photovoltaic modules are lighter and therefore more easily manipulated.

However, at present fixing such semi-rigid photovoltaic modules on a roof involves the use of special supports, having reinforcements to ensure the final rigidity of the photovoltaic module and avoid deformation of the latter under the action of wind, temperature cycles, etc., generally according to weather conditions.

The photovoltaic module must not undergo excessive deformation if we want its conversion efficiency to be optimal and prevent damage to the photovoltaic cells. The use of such supports has the disadvantages of an additional cost and make complex installation on a roof.

The present invention aims to solve the problems encountered with the semi-rigid photovoltaic modules described above by providing a roof structure in which the final rigidity of the semi-rigid photovoltaic module is provided by the roof element on which the module is fixed, without using fixing brackets, a method of producing such a roof structure, and a template facilitating the installation of a semi-rigid photovoltaic module, and therefore facilitating said embodiment.

The subject of the present invention is therefore a roof structure comprising a roof element and a photovoltaic module, the photovoltaic module having a support part and a photovoltaic active part, supported by the support part, the roof structure being characterized by the fact that the photovoltaic module is a module of semi-rigid type having two main faces, at least one of which, said fixing, is flat, that the roofing element is formed of a sheet having a plurality of ribs, said main, parallel, of the same height and spaced at a regular pitch, and that the photovoltaic module is fixed, by its attachment face, on the tops of the main ribs of the roof element, with the aid of fixing means.

It has in fact been found that, surprisingly, the photovoltaic module thus laid on the ribs of the roof element is thus sufficiently supported, thanks to the regular distribution of the support provided by the ribs, to impart rigidity. sufficient for the photovoltaic module without using other stiffening elements, such as frames, etc.

It is emphasized here that the present invention is not limited to the structure example described above for the photovoltaic module of semi-rigid type, namely a module whose support part consists of a semi-rigid substrate and whose photovoltaically active part is formed by the photovoltaic cells, and optionally the encapsulant or layers, placed on said substrate.

The photovoltaic module of the semi-rigid type according to the present invention could thus be of the unframed type described above, and whose two glass plates are chosen, in terms of Young's modulus and thickness, to satisfy the definition of semi-rigidity given above.

The present invention therefore applies to any photovoltaic module of semi-rigid type having a support part and a photovoltaic part active.

The term "support part" the part of the photovoltaic module which carries the photovoltaic active part, and more generally is integral with the latter, and which gives the module its semi-rigid character, the photovoltaic part active not influencing, or very little, the rigidity of the photovoltaic module as a whole. The support portion may be formed in one piece, such as a polymer sheet on which is placed the photovoltaically active part, or by several parts, such as for example by two glass plates sandwiching the photovoltaically active part.

The support part is advantageously the part of the photovoltaic module which has said fixing face.

The term "photovoltaically active part" means that part of the photovoltaic module that allows the transformation of the solar radiation received by the photovoltaic module into electrical energy.

The top of said main ribs may for example be flat or rounded. The roof element may be a corrugated sheet, but will advantageously be of the steel ribbed type. The height of the ribs will be, for example, between 8 mm and 60 mm.

The fixing means may advantageously be adhesive, preferably a bead of adhesive, disposed on the top of each main rib to which is fixed the fixing face of the photovoltaic module.

Preferably, the support portion of the photovoltaic module: has a Young's modulus of between 10 GPa and 40 GPa and a thickness of between 1 and 4 mm; or has a Young's modulus of between 41 GPa and 75 GPa and a thickness of between 0.5 mm and 3 mm; or - has a Young's modulus of between 76 GPa and 100 GPA and has a thickness of between 0.2 mm and 2.5 mm.

In the case where the support part is formed by a substrate, on which is placed the photovoltaically active part, the thickness mentioned above will be the thickness of the substrate. In the case where the support part is formed by two plates, in particular glass, sandwiching the photovoltaically active part, the thickness mentioned above will be equal to the sum of the thicknesses of each plate and the Young's modulus will be the one material used for the plates.

Preferably, the pitch between two main ribs of the roof element is equal to or less than 333 mm, preferably equal to or less than 250 mm, and even more preferably is between 75 mm and 250 mm. The pitch will usually be measured between the middle of each vertex of the ribs.

Preferably, two edges of the photovoltaic module are parallel to the main ribs and the photovoltaic module is, at at least one of said two edges, cantilevered with respect to a main rib, the length of the carrier overhang being less than 170 mm, and preferably less than 80 mm.

The above configurations of the Young's modulus and the thickness of the support portion of the semi-rigid photovoltaic module, the pitch of the ribs of the roof element and the length of cantilever are advantageous in this respect. that they make it possible to guarantee that the deflection of the module between two ribs and the deflection of the module in its cantilever, deflection and deflection region resulting from the pressures that the module undergoes during its life of use, do not will not affect the conversion efficiency of the module and will not damage its cells.

The present invention also relates to a method for producing the roof structure as defined above, characterized in that it comprises the installation of a photovoltaic module of semi-rigid type, having two main faces , at least one of which, said fixing, is flat, on a roofing element of the steel tray type, formed of a sheet having a plurality of ribs, said main, parallel, of the same height and spaced at a regular pitch by applying said fixing face to the peaks of the main ribs and fixing the photovoltaic module to the roof element.

According to a particular embodiment, the fixing of the photovoltaic module on the roof element comprises the provision, before the introduction of the photovoltaic module on the roofing element, of adhesive, preferably a bead of glue, on the top of each main rib to which will be fixed the fixing face of the photovoltaic module.

Preferably, the installation of the photovoltaic module on the main ribs of the roofing element is performed using a laying template comprising a flat base, intended to be placed on the tops of the main ribs of the roof element and held in position thereon by means of magnets integral with the template, and a stop wall substantially at right angles to the base and formed on an edge thereof, the positioning of the module photovoltaic system comprising the steps of placing the template on the roof element, with the stop wall substantially perpendicular to the direction of the main ribs, the jig being held in position with the aid of said magnets, and then placing an edge, said lower, of the photovoltaic module on the main ribs and against the stop wall, with the photovoltaic module substantially vertically, and finally to bring down the opposite edge to the inferior edge by pivoting the photovoltaic module around said lower edge, until the fixing face of the photovoltaic module is applied to the peaks of main ribs, the stop wall notably making it possible to prevent the photovoltaic module from slipping during the pivoting .

The present invention also relates to a template for laying a photovoltaic module of semi-rigid type on a roof element, for the implementation of the method of producing the roof structure as defined above, characterized by the fact that it comprises a flat base, intended to be placed on the tops of the main ribs of the roof element and held in position thereon by means of magnets secured to the jig, and a wall of stopping substantially at right angles to the base and formed on an edge thereof.

Preferably, the laying template comprises: first lateral locking fins configured to form stops in translation of the laying template with respect to the roof element, in the direction perpendicular to the direction of the main ribs, the first fins of lateral blocking extending from the base, on the side of the latter opposite to that from which the stop wall extends, each first fin having a face, said contact, configured to come into contact with a side wall of a main rib, and two second lateral locking fins configured to form stops in translation of the photovoltaic module relative to the laying jig, in the longitudinal direction of the stop wall, the second lateral locking fins extending the stop wall at each of the two ends of the latter, each second lateral locking fin being at right angles to the with a stop wall and directed on the opposite side to the base, the distance between each second lateral locking fin and the first lateral locking vane closest to the latter being less than 170 mm, and preferably less than 80 mm, said distance being measured in the longitudinal direction of the stop wall.

Such a configuration makes it possible to position the template with respect to the main ribs in a position allowing the installation of the photovoltaic module in a position in which the two edges of the photovoltaic module parallel to the main ribs are each cantilevered with respect to the main ribs. a main rib over a length of less than 170 mm, and preferably less than 80 mm. As indicated above, this ensures that the photovoltaic module will not be damaged by the arrow that it can undergo during its lifetime of use.

To better illustrate the object of the present invention, will be described below, for information only and not limited to, a particular embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawing.

In this drawing: - Figure 1 is a perspective view of a roof structure according to the present invention; - Figure 2 is a side view of a roof structure according to the present invention; - Figure 3 is a perspective view of a laying template according to the present invention, in the ready position for the establishment of a photovoltaic module; - Figures 4 to 6 are schematic views of the steps of the method of producing a roof structure according to the present invention.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2, it can be seen that a roof structure 1 according to a particular embodiment of the present invention comprises a roof element 2 and a semi-rigid photovoltaic module 3 fixed to the roof element 2 by glue beads 4.

In the example shown, the roof element 2 is of the steel pan type, and is thus formed of a sheet 5 having main ribs 6, and may comprise secondary ribs (not shown), the main ribs 6 being the higher among the plurality of ribs.

The top 7 of the main ribs 6 is flat, and the adhesive beads 4 are arranged on these tops 7, at the locations where the photovoltaic module 3 must be fixed to the roof element 2.

The term "steel pan type" means a roof element composed mainly of steel and which can thus be made of steel coated with thin layers of corrosion-resistant materials, the raw steel not being adapted to the Roof covering.

The photovoltaic module 3 is, as indicated above, of the semi-rigid type and comprises two main faces 8 and 9, hereinafter referred to as the lower face 8, or the fixing face, and the upper face 9.

The photovoltaic module 3 here comprises a support portion formed by a composite polymer sheet forming the lower face 8 intended to be fixed to the main ribs 6, on which are stacked in order a first encapsulant layer, a layer of photovoltaic cells, a second encapsulant layer and a transparent polymer sheet forming the upper face 9, the first and second encapsulant layers and the transparent polymer sheet forming the photovoltaic active part of the module 3.

In such a photovoltaic module 3, the composite polymer sheet may have a thickness between 500 μm and 3.5 mm, preferably 1.5 mm, the transparent polymer sheet is made of PET or fluoropolymer, such as ETFE or FEP, and has a thickness between 10 and 500 μπι, and preferably greater than 50 pm, and the encapsulant layer comprises a type of encapsulant EVA or PVB.

The composite polymer sheet has a Young's modulus of 25 GPa.

The photovoltaic module 3 also comprises a control box 10 disposed on the lower face 8. The control unit 10 could alternatively be arranged on the upper face.

The pitch between two main ribs 6 of the roof element 2 is here 250 mm.

The maximum value of the pitch is a function of the thickness and Young's modulus of the support portion of the photovoltaic module 3, the objective being to limit the deflection of the photovoltaic module 3 between two adjacent main ribs 6. For the calculation, we can use, for example, the model of a beam on two simple supports.

For example, here, with a support portion of the photovoltaic module 3 having a thickness of 1.5 mm and a Young's modulus of 25 GPa, the maximum pitch between two main ribs 6 may advantageously be 250 mm.

As shown in FIG. 2, the photovoltaic module 3 can be fixed on the roof element 2 with at least one of its ends cantilevered with respect to a main rib 6, the length of the door-to-door -faux being less than 170 mm, always in order to limit the maximum deflection of the photovoltaic module 3.

For example, here, with the photovoltaic module having the thickness and Young's modulus indicated above, the maximum cantilever may advantageously be 70 mm.

With reference to FIG. 3, it can be seen that a laying template 11 of a photovoltaic module 3 on a roof element 2 to form a roof structure 1 according to the particular embodiment of the present invention. comprises a flat base 12 intended to be placed on the vertices 7 of the main ribs 6 of the roof element 2.

The base 12 is held on the main ribs 6 by means of magnets (not shown) integral with the jig 11.

These magnets may for example be glued to the base 12, but they may also be formed, for example, by the base 12 itself, made of hard ferromagnetic material.

The jig 11 also comprises a stop wall 13 substantially at right angles to the base 12 and formed on an edge thereof, first lateral locking fins 14 extending the base 12, and two second lateral locking fins 15.

As will be explained below, during the production of the roof structure according to the present invention, the stop wall 13 forms a stop preventing the photovoltaic module 3 from sliding, while the first lateral locking fins 14 make it possible to position correctly, the laying template 11 on the roof element 2 and the second lateral locking fins 15 make it possible to correctly position the photovoltaic module 3 with respect to the main ribs 6.

The pair of first fins 14 / second fins 15 ensures that the photovoltaic module 3 has a cantilever leading to a maximum deflection of the module 3 which is not likely to affect its conversion efficiency or damage the cells PV.

In the example shown, the base 2 is divided into three plate portions and the first fins 14 are obtained by folding down each of the edges of said plate portions. Each first fin 14 thus has a contact face intended to come into contact with the lateral wall of a main rib 6.

In order to ensure the lateral blocking of the laying template 11 with respect to the roof element 2, at least two first fins 14 come into contact with two lateral faces of two main ribs 6 which are oppositely oriented. Thus, if we look at FIG. 3, a first fin 14 comes into contact with a lateral face of a rib 6 which is turned towards the left when we look at FIG. 3, and another first fin 14 comes into contact with FIG. contact with a side face of another rib 6 which is turned to the right.

To do this, it will be provided that a spacing between at least two first fins 14 is equal to a multiple of the pitch of the ribs 6 to which the width of a rib 6 has been added. In the example shown in FIG. wherein the pitch of the ribs 6 is 250 mm, the spacing between the two first fins 14 on the left and the two first fins 14 is equal to 250 mm + width of the ribs 6, while the spacing between the first two fins 14 in the center is equal to 2 x 250 mm + width of the ribs 6.

In the example shown, the main ribs 6 have an isosceles trapezoidal section, and the first fins 14 thus form an angle with respect to the base 12 identical to the angle formed between the vertex 7 and one side of the rib. The width of the rib 6 to be taken into account when defining the spacing between the first fins 14 also depends on the geometry of the main ribs 6, and may thus be variable.

It is therefore emphasized here that certain characteristics of the laying template 11 will be defined according to the roof element 2 with which it will be used, so that the first fins 14 can come to espouse the shape of the main ribs 6 of the roof element 2.

The two second fins 15 are substantially vertical, extend the two ends of the stop wall 13 and at right angles thereof, and are directed on the opposite side to the base 12.

These second fins 15 serve to correctly position the photovoltaic module 3 with respect to the ribs 6, forming translational stops for module 3. The spacing between the two second fins 15 is therefore advantageously equal to the distance between the two edges of the module 3 which will be, once it is laid, parallel to the longitudinal direction of the main ribs 6.

With reference to FIGS. 4 to 6, it can be seen that various steps have been shown for producing a roof structure 1 according to the particular embodiment of the present invention, which makes it possible to fix the module photovoltaic 3 on the roof element 2 using the installation template 11.

On the roof element 2 of the steel pan type, pre-installed on a roof or not, the installation template 11 is first placed on the main ribs 6 of the roof element 2.

The jig 11 is held in position on the roof element 2 by means of the magnets and with the aid of the first fins 14 which come against the main ribs 6.

Next, adhesive is applied in the form of adhesive beads 4 on each of the vertices 7 of the main ribs 6 on which the photovoltaic module 3 is to be installed, the stop wall 13 delimiting the future position of the lower edge of the photovoltaic module 3 .

The length of the adhesive beads 4 is preferably equal to that of the photovoltaic module 3. The operator, designated by the reference numeral 16, then transports the photovoltaic module 3 above the roof element 2, as shown on FIG. Figure 4. It then places the photovoltaic module 3 with its upper face 9 against the stop wall 13 and with its lower edge 3a placed on the main ribs 6, as shown in Figure 5.

As indicated above, the secondary fins 15 make it possible to avoid a lateral displacement of the photovoltaic module 3. The operator 16 then makes the upper edge of the photovoltaic module 3 swing downwards, as shown in FIG. 6, so that its lower face 8 comes into contact with the vertices 7 of the main ribs 6.

The photovoltaic module 3 is then held in position on the roof element 2 until the adhesive 4 dries, which forms the roof structure 1 according to the present invention.

It is understood that the above embodiment of the present invention has been given as an indication and not limitation and that modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Claims (12)

1 - Roof structure (1) comprising a roof element (2) and a photovoltaic module (3), the photovoltaic module (3) having a support part and a photovoltaic active part, supported by the support part, the roof structure (1) being characterized by the fact that the photovoltaic module (3) is a semi-rigid type module having two main faces (8, 9) of which at least one, so-called fixing, is plane, that the element roof (2) is formed of a sheet (5) having a plurality of ribs (6), said principal, parallel, of equal height and spaced at a regular pitch, and that the photovoltaic module (3) is fixed, by its fastening face (8, 9) on the tops (7) of main ribs (6) of the roof element (2), by means of fixing means (4). 2 - roof structure (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the fixing means are adhesive, preferably a bead of adhesive (4), disposed on the top (7) of each main rib ( 6) to which is fixed the fixing face (8, 9) of the photovoltaic module (3). 3 - roof structure (1) according to one of claims 1 and 2, characterized in that the support portion of the photovoltaic module (3) has a Young's modulus between 10 GPa and 40 GPa and a thickness between 1 and 4 mm. 4 - Roof structure (1) according to one of claims 1 and 2, characterized in that the support portion of the photovoltaic module (3) has a Young's modulus between 41 GPa and 75 GPa and a thickness between 0.5 mm and 3 mm. 5 - Roof structure (1) according to one of claims 1 and 2, characterized in that the support portion of the photovoltaic module (3) has a Young's modulus between 76 GPa and 100 GPa and a thickness between 0.2 mm and 2.5 mm. 6 - Roof structure (1) according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the pitch between two main ribs (6) of the roof element (2) is equal to or less than 333 mm, preferably equal to or less than 250 mm, and even more preferably is between 75 mm and 250 mm. 7 - Roof structure (1) according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that two edges of the photovoltaic module (3) are parallel to the main ribs (6) and the photovoltaic module (3) is, at the level of at least one of said two edges, cantilevered with respect to a main rib (6), the length of the cantilever being less than 170 mm, preferably less than 80 mm. 8 - Method for producing the roof structure (1) as defined in one of claims 1 to 7, characterized by the fact that it comprises the installation of a photovoltaic module (3) of semi-automatic type. rigid, having two main faces (8, 9), at least one of which, said fixing is flat, on a roof element (2) of the steel tray type, formed of a sheet (5) having a plurality ribs (6), said main, parallel, of the same height and spaced at a regular pitch, by application of said fixing face (8, 9) on the vertices (7) of main ribs (6), and the fixing of the photovoltaic module (3) on the roof element (2). 9 - Process according to claim 8, characterized in that the fixing of the photovoltaic module (3) on the roof element (2) comprises the arrangement, before the introduction of the photovoltaic module (3) on the element of roof (2), adhesive, preferably a bead of adhesive (4), on the top (7) of each main rib (6) to which will be fixed the fixing face (8, 9) of the photovoltaic module (3). ). 10 - Method according to one of claims 8 or 9, characterized in that the implementation of the photovoltaic module (3) on the main ribs (6) of the roof element (2) is carried out using a laying jig (11) comprising a planar base (12), intended to be placed on the peaks (7) of the main ribs (6) of the roof element (2) and held in position thereon using magnets secured to the template (11), and a stop wall (13) substantially at right angles to the base (12) and formed on an edge thereof, the installation of the photovoltaic module ( 3) comprising the steps of placing the template (11) on the roof element (2), with the stop wall (13) substantially perpendicular to the direction of the main ribs (6), the template (11) being held in position with the aid of said magnets, and then placing an edge, said lower, of the photovoltaic module (3) on the main ribs (6 ) and against the stop wall (13), with the photovoltaic module (3) substantially vertically, and finally to lower the opposite edge to the lower edge by pivoting the photovoltaic module (3) around said lower edge, until the fixing face (8, 9) of the photovoltaic module (3) is applied to the vertices (7) of the main ribs (6), the stop wall (13) notably making it possible to prevent the photovoltaic module ( 3) to slide during the pivoting. 11 - Template (11) for laying a semi-rigid photovoltaic module (3) on a roof element (2), for implementing the method for producing the roof structure (1) as defined in claim 10, characterized in that it comprises a planar base (12), intended to be placed on the tops (7) of the main ribs (6) of the roof element (2) and held in position on the latter using magnets secured to the template (11), and a stop wall (13) substantially at right angles to the base (12) and formed on an edge thereof. 12 - laying template (11) according to claim 11, characterized in that it comprises: first lateral locking fins (14) configured to form stops in translation of the laying template (11) relative to the roof element (2), in the direction perpendicular to the direction of the main ribs (6), the first lateral locking fins (14) extending from the base (12), on the side of the latter opposite to the one from which the stop wall (13) extends, each first fin (14) having a so-called contact face (14a) configured to engage a side wall of a main rib (6); ), and two second lateral locking fins (15) configured to form stops in translation of the photovoltaic module (3) relative to the laying template (1), in the longitudinal direction of the stop wall (13), the seconds lateral locking fins (15) extending the stop wall At each of the two ends of the latter, each second lateral locking fin (15) being at right angles to the stop wall (13) and directed on the opposite side to the base (12), the distance between each second lateral locking wing (15) and the nearest lateral locking wing (14) being less than 170 mm, preferably less than 80 mm, said distance being measured in the longitudinal direction of the wall of the wall; stop (13).