JP2010021013A - Photoelectric transfer element module - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a photoelectric transfer element module that is easily installed without using a dedicated installation fixture or the like based on an installation place, even when there is no plane of a wide area in the installation place. <P>SOLUTION: The photoelectric transfer element module 100 includes a plurality of substrates 1 and photoelectric transfer elements 100a, 100b installed respectively on the plurality of substrates 1, and the photoelectric transfer elements 100a, 100b are electrically connected by a cable 9 of flat shape with flexibility. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a photoelectric conversion element module in which a plurality of photoelectric conversion elements are electrically connected.

  In recent years, solar cells that convert light energy into electrical energy have attracted attention from the viewpoint of effective use of energy resources. As a solar cell, a silicon crystal type solar cell and a dye-sensitized solar cell are known. Among these, dye-sensitized solar cells are attracting attention because they can be manufactured at a lower cost than silicon crystal solar cells, and various developments have been made with the aim of further improving photoelectric conversion efficiency.

A photoelectric conversion element used in a dye-sensitized solar cell is generally provided on a transparent substrate, and includes a transparent conductive layer that is a transparent electrode, a counter electrode that is disposed to face the transparent conductive layer, and a transparent A photoelectric conversion portion provided between the conductive layer and the counter electrode is a main component. This photoelectric conversion part mainly includes a semiconductor electrode layer provided on the counter electrode side of the transparent conductive layer, a photosensitizing dye carried on the semiconductor electrode layer, and an electrolyte part filled around the semiconductor electrode layer. As a component. The electrolyte part is composed of, for example, an electrolytic solution including a redox system (redox couple) such as I ⁻ / I ₃ ^— .

In such a dye-sensitized photoelectric conversion element, electrons in the photosensitizing dye are excited by incident visible light, and electrons are injected from the excited photosensitizing dye into the conduction band of the semiconductor electrode. It flows out into the circuit. Electrons returning from the external circuit reduce triiodide ions (I ₃ ⁻ ) at the counter electrode, and the lost photosensitized dye is re-reduced by iodide ions (I ⁻ ), thus generating power. Done.

Patent Document 1 below discloses a dye-sensitized solar cell module in which a plurality of such dye-sensitized photoelectric conversion elements are provided on one transparent substrate, and the elements are electrically connected to each other. It is disclosed.
JP 2007-220606 A

  In recent years, the solar cell module is required to be easily installed in various places as the use application spreads.

  However, in the solar cell module described in Patent Document 1, a plurality of dye-sensitized solar cell elements constituting the solar cell module are provided on one substrate. For this reason, when it is going to take out a large electric current from a solar cell module, the number of solar cell elements will increase and the area of a board | substrate will become large. When installing such a solar cell module with a large substrate area, a plane having a larger area than the substrate area of the solar cell module is required at the installation location. However, the roof of a house, the outer wall of a building, and the like do not necessarily have a large plane. For example, as an installation place, there is a step-like place in which a plurality of planes having a small area are arranged with steps. When installing the solar cell module in such a place, a member having a wide plane on which the solar cell module can be arranged, and a member on which the height is adjusted according to the level difference of the installation place and the solar cell module is arranged A dedicated installation tool according to the installation location, which has a pedestal for supporting the device, was used.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above, and photoelectric conversion that can be easily installed without using a dedicated installation tool or the like according to the installation location even when the installation location does not have a plane with a large area. An object is to provide an element module.

  A photoelectric conversion element module according to the present invention includes a plurality of substrates and photoelectric conversion elements provided on each of the plurality of substrates, and the photoelectric conversion elements are electrically connected by a flat cable having flexibility. It is characterized by being connected to.

  In the photoelectric conversion element module having such a configuration, a photoelectric conversion element is provided on each of a plurality of substrates, and the photoelectric conversion elements are connected to each other by a flat cable having flexibility. For this reason, for example, when a photoelectric conversion element module is installed in an installation place where a plurality of planes are lined up with each other through a step, the flexibility of the flat cable having flexibility increases the level of the step between the planes. A substrate provided with a photoelectric conversion element on each plane can be disposed. Therefore, it is possible to easily install the photoelectric conversion element module without using a dedicated installation tool according to the installation location.

  In the present invention, the photoelectric conversion element includes a pair of electrodes, a photoelectric conversion unit provided between the pair of electrodes and in contact with each electrode, and a seal that contacts the pair of electrodes and surrounds the photoelectric conversion unit. And at least one of the photoelectric conversion elements has a non-contact region outside the region where the surface of the photoelectric conversion unit side of at least one of the pair of electrodes is in contact with the sealing material. It is preferable that one end of the cable is electrically connected to the non-contact region of the photoelectric conversion element.

  In the photoelectric conversion element module having such a configuration, at least one of the photoelectric conversion elements has a non-contact region outside the region in contact with the sealing material on the surface of the photoelectric conversion unit side in at least one of the pair of electrodes. The one end of the cable is electrically connected to the non-contact region of the photoelectric conversion element. For this reason, a sufficient connection area between the cable and the electrode can be secured in the non-contact region. Therefore, the electrical resistance due to the connection between the photoelectric conversion element and the cable is small, the internal resistance of the photoelectric conversion element module can be reduced, and the photoelectric conversion efficiency of the photoelectric conversion element module can be improved.

  Alternatively, in the present invention, the photoelectric conversion element is provided between a pair of electrodes, the pair of electrodes, a photoelectric conversion unit in contact with each electrode, and a contact with the pair of electrodes to surround the photoelectric conversion unit. One end of the cable is electrically connected to the photoelectric conversion element on a surface opposite to the photoelectric conversion part in one of the pair of electrodes in at least one of the photoelectric conversion elements. If it is, it is suitable.

  In the photoelectric conversion element module having such a configuration, one end of the cable is connected to the surface on the opposite side of the photoelectric conversion unit in one of the pair of electrodes. As long as it surrounds, the size of the electrode can be freely configured. For example, the electrode to which the cable is connected can be provided only in the region immediately above the region surrounded by the outer edge of the sealing material. In this case, it is possible to reduce the size of the electrode connected to the cable, and thus the size of the photoelectric conversion element module can be reduced.

  According to the photoelectric conversion element module according to the present invention, the photoelectric conversion element module can be easily installed without using a dedicated installation tool or the like according to the installation place even when the installation place does not have a wide area plane. can do.

  Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings, taking a photoelectric conversion element module using a dye-sensitized photoelectric conversion element as an example.

  (First embodiment)

  FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing a photoelectric conversion element module according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  In FIG. 1, a photoelectric conversion element module 100 includes photoelectric conversion elements 100a and 100b provided on two substrates 1, respectively, and a flat cable 9 having flexibility, and the photoelectric conversion element 100a The photoelectric conversion element 100b is electrically connected by a cable 9.

  First, although the board | substrate 1 and the photoelectric conversion elements 100a and 100b are demonstrated, since the photoelectric conversion element 100a and the photoelectric conversion element 100b are the same structures, only the photoelectric conversion element 100a is demonstrated.

  In the present embodiment, the substrate 1 is made of a transparent material. Moreover, it is preferable that the material which comprises the board | substrate 1 is excellent in the tolerance with respect to electrolyte solution, and the gas barrier property with respect to water vapor | steam, oxygen, etc. Examples of such a transparent material include glass as a non-plastic material, and examples of the plastic material include polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyethylene naphthalate (PEN), polycarbonate (PC), and polyether sulfone (PES). ) And the like. Moreover, the board | substrate 1 can also be comprised using the laminated body of glass and the said resin.

  The photoelectric conversion element 100 a is provided between the transparent conductive layer 2 that is a transparent electrode provided on the substrate 1, the counter electrode 5 that faces the transparent conductive layer 2, and the transparent conductive layer 2 and the counter electrode 5. A photoelectric conversion unit 3 that contacts the transparent conductive layer 2 and the counter substrate 5, and a sealing material 6 that contacts the transparent electrode layer 2 and the counter substrate 5 and surrounds the photoelectric conversion unit 3. As a main component.

  The transparent conductive layer 2 is provided so as to cover the entire surface of the substrate 1 on the side where the photoelectric conversion unit 3 is provided. The surface of the transparent conductive layer 2 on the photoelectric conversion unit 3 side is in contact with the photoelectric conversion unit 3 and the sealing material 6 and a non-contact area that does not contact the photoelectric conversion unit 3 and the sealing material 6 outside the region. And a region 25.

Since the transparent conductive layer 2 has a function of collecting and transmitting charges generated in the photoelectric conversion unit 3 and also has a function of transmitting light incident on the photoelectric conversion unit 3, the transparent conductive layer 2 has high conductivity and light transmittance. Made of material. Examples of the material constituting the transparent conductive layer 2 include tin-added indium oxide (Indium-Tin-Oxide: ITO), tin oxide (SnO ₂ ), fluorine-added tin oxide (Fluorine-Tin-Oxide: FTO), Examples thereof include conductive metal oxides such as antimony-added tin oxide (ATO). The transparent conductive layer 2 may be composed of a single layer or a laminate of a plurality of layers composed of different conductive metal oxides. When a laminate composed of a plurality of layers is used, the characteristics of each layer are improved. This is preferable because it can be reflected. Among these, it is preferable to use a laminate of a layer made of ITO and a layer made of FTO. In this case, the transparent conductive layer 2 having high conductivity, heat resistance and chemical resistance can be realized.

  Examples of the method for forming the transparent conductive layer 2 include sputtering, vapor deposition, spray pyrolysis (SPD), and CVD. Among them, the spray pyrolysis method is preferable because the transparent conductive layer 2 can be easily formed in a short time. The thickness of the transparent conductive layer 2 may be in the range of 0.001 μm to 10 μm, for example.

  The counter electrode 5 includes a counter electrode layer 52 and a counter electrode substrate 51 provided on the opposite side of the counter electrode layer 52 from the photoelectric conversion unit 3. Further, the surface of the counter electrode 5 on the photoelectric conversion unit 3 side is a region in contact with the photoelectric conversion unit 3 and the sealing material 6 and a non-contact region that is not in contact with the photoelectric conversion unit 3 and the sealing material 6 outside this region. 55. Specifically, the counter electrode layer 52 extends from a region immediately above the region surrounded by the outer edge of the sealing material 6 to the outside of the region immediately above the region surrounded by the outer edge of the sealing material 6.

  The counter electrode layer 52 can be made of a material such as platinum, titanium, a carbon-based material, a conductive polymer, or a conductive oxide such as ITO, FTO, or ATO.

  Further, when the counter electrode substrate 51 is made conductive, the counter electrode substrate 51 is made of a metal material such as titanium, nickel, or gold, a conductive oxide such as ITO or FTO, or a conductive polymer. If the counter electrode substrate 51 does not need to have conductivity, it can be made of glass, PC, PET, or the like.

  Furthermore, if a transparent material is used for both the counter electrode layer 52 and the counter electrode substrate 51, the counter electrode 5 can be made transparent. In this case, light can also be taken in from the counter electrode 5 side.

  If the counter electrode layer 52 can maintain a sufficient strength, the counter electrode plate 51 can be omitted. In this case, the counter electrode 5 is composed only of the counter electrode layer 52. In this case, titanium or platinum is used as the material of the counter electrode layer 52.

  The photoelectric conversion unit 3 includes a semiconductor layer 31, a photosensitizing dye (not shown) carried on the semiconductor layer 31, and an electrolyte unit 32 provided around the semiconductor layer 31.

The semiconductor layer 31 is provided on the transparent conductive layer 2 and is made of, for example, an oxide semiconductor porous film made of oxide semiconductor particles. Examples of the oxide semiconductor material include titanium oxide (TiO ₂ ), zinc oxide (ZnO), tungsten oxide (WO ₃ ), niobium oxide (Nb ₂ O ₅ ), strontium titanate (SrTiO ₃ ), and tin oxide (SnO). ₂ ), indium oxide (In ₃ O ₃ ), zirconium oxide (ZrO ₂ ), thallium oxide (Ta ₂ O ₅ ), lanthanum oxide (La ₂ O ₃ ), yttrium oxide (Y ₂ O ₃ ), phosphonium oxide (Ho) ₂ O ₃ ), bismuth oxide (Bi ₂ O ₃ ), cerium oxide (CeO ₂ ), and alumina (Al ₂ O ₃ ). One of these materials may be used, or two or more thereof may be used. Things can be used. When two or more types are used, the particles may have a core-shell structure.

  Although it does not necessarily limit as an average particle diameter of particle | grains, it is preferable from the reason of ensuring the specific surface area which needs to be 1-1000 nm, for example. Moreover, the thickness of the semiconductor layer 31 should just be 0.5-50 micrometers, for example.

  In order to form the oxide semiconductor porous film, for example, the oxide semiconductor particles can be applied and sintered.

  Examples of the photosensitizing dye include a ruthenium complex having a ligand containing a bipyridine structure, a terpyridine structure, and the like, and organic dyes such as eosin, rhodamine, and merocyanine.

  In order to carry the photosensitizing dye on the semiconductor layer 31, for example, by immersing a solution containing the photosensitizing dye in the semiconductor layer 31 to adsorb the photosensitizing dye to the oxide semiconductor porous film. Good.

The electrolyte part 32 is, for example, an electrolytic solution, and the electrolytic solution includes an oxidation-reduction pair such as I ⁻ / I ₃ ^— and an organic solvent. As the organic solvent, acetonitrile, methoxyacetonitrile, methoxypropionitrile, ethylene carbonate, propylene carbonate, diethyl carbonate, γ-butyrolactone, and the like can be used. As the redox pair, for example, in addition to I ⁻ / I ₃ ⁻ , a bromine / bromide ion pair may be used.

As the electrolyte part 32, a nanocomposite ion gel electrolyte which is a pseudo-solid electrolyte obtained by kneading nanoparticles such as SiO ₂ , TiO ₂ , and carbon nanotubes in an ionic liquid electrolyte may be used. Examples of the ionic liquid electrolyte include 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium bis (trifluoromethylsulfonyl) imide, 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium iodide, LiI, I ₂ , and 4-t-butylpyridine. What melt | dissolved the predetermined amount is mentioned.

  As a method of providing the electrolyte part 32 around the semiconductor layer 31, when the electrolyte part 32 is an electrolytic solution, the counter electrode 5 is disposed so as to face the semiconductor layer 31 and the periphery of the counter electrode 5 is sealed. After sealing with the material 6, the method of inject | pouring electrolyte solution through the injection port for inject | pouring the electrolyte solution formed in the sealing material 6 is mentioned. Moreover, when the electrolyte part 13 is the said nanocomposite ion gel electrolyte, the method of preparing the paste containing the said nanocomposite ion gel electrolyte and apply | coating this by a screen printing method etc. is mentioned, for example.

  The thickness of the electrolyte layer is not particularly limited. For example, a thickness of 50 μm or less is preferable because the electrical resistance of the electrolytic solution can be suppressed.

  Since the sealing material 6 needs to have resistance to the electrolyte portion 32, it is excellent in chemical resistance and is preferably a material excellent in gas barrier properties against water vapor, oxygen and the like. As such a material of the sealing material 6, for example, an acrylic resin sealing material, a fluorine resin sealing material, a silicone resin sealing material, an epoxy resin sealing material, an olefin resin sealing material, A silane-modified resin-containing sealing material, a hot-melt sealing material, or the like can be used.

  A terminal 7 is provided in the non-contact region 25 on the surface of the transparent conductive layer 2 on the photoelectric conversion unit 3 side. The terminal 7 is composed of a conductive layer 71 and a solder layer 72. The conductive layer 71 can be configured using a metal such as gold, silver, copper, platinum, or aluminum. The conductive layer 71 may be formed, for example, by applying a silver paste by printing, heating and reacting. The solder layer 72 is, for example, a eutectic type such as Sn—Pb, or a non-lead type low melting point such as Sn—Ag, Sn—Cu, An—Ag—Cu, An—Zn, or Sn—Zn—B. It can be configured using solder.

  A terminal 8 is provided in the non-contact region 55 on the surface of the counter electrode layer 52 on the photoelectric conversion unit 3 side. The terminal 8 includes a conductive layer 81 and a solder layer 82, the conductive layer 81 is provided on the counter electrode layer 52, and the solder layer 82 is formed on the conductive layer 81. The material of the conductive layer 81 differs depending on the material of the counter electrode layer 52, but when the counter electrode layer 52 is platinum or titanium, a high melting point solder is used. When the counter electrode layer 52 is a conductive oxide such as ITO, FTO, or ATO, the same material as the conductive layer 71 is used. The solder layer 82 is formed of a low melting point solder.

  Next, the photoelectric conversion element module 100 will be described.

  In the photoelectric conversion element module 100, the photoelectric conversion element 100a and the photoelectric conversion element 100b are electrically connected in series by the cable 9 so that a current flows from the photoelectric conversion element 100b to the photoelectric conversion element 100a. Specifically, one end of the cable 9 is connected to the terminal 7 of the photoelectric conversion element 100a, and the other end of the cable 9 is connected to the terminal 8 of the photoelectric conversion element 100b.

  The cable 9 may be an FPC (Flexible Printed Circuit) in which a conductor foil such as copper is sandwiched between laminate materials, a flat cable assembly in which ultrafine cables are bundled in a plurality of planes, or the like.

  Note that the terminal 8 of the photoelectric conversion element 100a and the terminal 7 of the photoelectric conversion element 100b are connected to a load (not shown).

  According to the photoelectric conversion element module 100 of the present embodiment, the two photoelectric conversion elements 100a and 100b of the photoelectric conversion element module 100 are respectively provided on the two substrates 1, and the flexible flat cable 9 having flexibility. Are electrically connected. For this reason, for example, when the photoelectric conversion element module 100 is arranged in a step-like installation place where a plurality of planes are lined up through steps, the cable 9 bends according to the steps in the installation place, and each plane of the installation place Each substrate 1 provided with photoelectric conversion elements 100a and 100b can be disposed. Therefore, the photoelectric conversion element module 100 can be easily installed at the installation location without using a dedicated installation tool or the like according to the installation location.

  This effect will be specifically described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which the photoelectric conversion element module 100 is installed on the member S. FIG. The member S is a part of a roof, for example, and has a stepped shape. The member S has two planes S1 and S2 arranged with a step St. And the photoelectric conversion element 100a is arrange | positioned on the plane S1, and the photoelectric conversion element 100b is arrange | positioned on the plane S2.

  At this time, each photoelectric conversion element 100a, 100b takes in light from the substrate 1 side and performs photoelectric conversion by the photoelectric conversion unit 3, so that the substrate 1 is placed facing the opposite side to the planes S1, S2.

  Since the photoelectric conversion elements 100a and 100b are connected by a flat cable 9 having flexibility, the photoelectric conversion elements 100a and 100b are in a state where the cable 9 is bent according to the height of the step St. Are arranged on the planes S1 and S2, respectively. Thus, the bending of the cable 9 absorbs the difference in height between the plane S1 and the plane S2 due to the step St. For this reason, the photoelectric conversion element module 100 can be installed on the member S without using a dedicated installation tool or the like according to the height of the step St.

  Moreover, since each photoelectric conversion element 100a, 100b is connected by the flat cable 9, compared with the case where it connects using a normal cable, the terminal provided in the cable 9 and the photoelectric conversion elements 100a, 100b The connection width with 7 and 8 is large. Further, the photoelectric conversion elements 100a and 100b have non-contact areas 25 and 55, and the cable 9 is electrically connected to the non-contact areas 25 and 55. A sufficient connection area can be secured. Therefore, the electrical resistance due to the connection between the photoelectric conversion elements 100a and 100b and the cable 9 is small, the internal resistance of the photoelectric conversion element module 100 can be reduced, and the photoelectric conversion efficiency of the photoelectric conversion element module 100 can be improved. Moreover, the electrical connection work of the cable 9 and each photoelectric conversion element 100a, 100b is easy.

In the photoelectric conversion element 100 a, the terminal 7 provided in the non-contact region 25 on the photoelectric conversion unit 3 side of the transparent electrode layer 2 and the cable 9 are electrically connected, and the photoelectric conversion element 100 b is connected to the counter electrode 5. The terminal 8 provided in the non-contact region 55 on the photoelectric conversion unit 3 side and the cable 9 are electrically connected. For this reason, when installing the photoelectric conversion element module 100 in the member S, the cable 9 does not enter between the photoelectric conversion element module 100 and the member S and become an obstacle.
Therefore, the photoelectric conversion element module 100 can be easily installed on the member S.

  Moreover, since each photoelectric conversion element 100a, 100b is connected by the flat cable 9, the electronic component etc. which control a photoelectric conversion element module can be arrange | positioned on the cable 9. FIG.

  (Second Embodiment)

  FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a photoelectric conversion element module according to the second embodiment of the present invention. In the description of the present embodiment, the same or equivalent components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the photoelectric conversion element module 101 of this embodiment includes photoelectric conversion elements 100 c and 100 d and a cable 9 provided on two substrates 1. Note that since the photoelectric conversion element 100c and the photoelectric conversion element 100d have the same configuration, only the photoelectric conversion element 100c will be described.

  The counter electrode 58 of the photoelectric conversion element 100 c includes a counter electrode layer 54 and a counter electrode substrate 53 provided on the opposite side of the counter electrode layer 54 from the photoelectric conversion unit 3. The surface on the photoelectric conversion unit 3 side of the counter electrode 58 does not have a region outside the region in contact with the photoelectric conversion unit 3 and the sealing material 6, and the counter electrode 58 is surrounded by the outer periphery of the sealing material 6. It is provided only in the area immediately above the area to be recorded. Further, the terminal 8 is provided on the opposite side of the counter electrode 58 from the photoelectric conversion unit 3, that is, on the upper side of the photoelectric conversion element 100 c. For this reason, the counter electrode substrate 53 of the counter electrode 58 is configured using a conductive material. Examples of the conductive material include metal materials such as titanium, nickel, and gold, and conductive oxides such as ITO and FTO.

  According to the photoelectric conversion element module 101 of the present embodiment, since the cable 9 is electrically connected to the photoelectric conversion element 100d on the surface of the counter electrode 58 on the side opposite to the photoelectric conversion unit, the sealing material 6 is transparent. As long as it contacts the conductive layer 2 and the counter electrode 58 and surrounds the photoelectric conversion unit 3, the size of the counter electrode 58 can be freely configured. Therefore, the counter electrode 58 can be provided only in the region immediately above the region surrounded by the sealing material 6. For this reason, the counter electrode 58 can be miniaturized, and therefore the photoelectric conversion element module 101 can be miniaturized.

  (Third embodiment)

  FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a photoelectric conversion element module according to the third embodiment of the present invention. In the description of the present embodiment, the same or equivalent components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted.

  In FIG. 4, in the photoelectric conversion element module 102, the photoelectric conversion elements 100a and 100b are electrically connected with a flexible flat cable 94 so that a current flows from the photoelectric conversion element 100b to the photoelectric conversion element 100a. Has been. As the cable 94, for example, an FPC is used.

  In the present embodiment, a diode 95 is disposed as an electronic component substantially at the center on the cable 94. In FIG. 3, the conductors 9a and 9b of the cable 94 are indicated by wavy lines, the conductor 9a is connected to the photoelectric conversion element 100a, and the conductor 9b is connected to the photoelectric conversion element 100b. In addition, since the width of the diode 95 is smaller than the width of the cable 94, the width of the conductors 9a and 9b is narrower on the diode 95 side and wider on the photoelectric conversion elements 100a and 100b side. Further, since current flows from the photoelectric conversion element 100b to the photoelectric conversion element 100a, the diode 95 has an anode connected to the conductor 9b and a cathode connected to the conductor 9a.

  By providing the diode 95, current can be prevented from flowing backward from the photoelectric conversion element 100a to the photoelectric conversion element 100b even when the potential of the photoelectric conversion element 100a becomes higher than the potential of the photoelectric conversion element 100b.

  According to the photoelectric conversion element module 102 of the present embodiment, since the electronic components for controlling the current and the like are arranged on the cable, in addition to the photoelectric conversion element module 102, a printed wiring board or the like is arranged to arrange the electronic components. There is no need to provide it.

  As mentioned above, although preferred embodiment of this invention was described using 1st, 2nd, 3rd embodiment, this invention is not restricted to this, A various deformation | transformation is possible.

  For example, in the first and second embodiments, the example in which the photoelectric conversion elements are electrically connected in series has been described. However, in the first and second embodiments, the photoelectric conversion elements are electrically connected in parallel. A connected configuration may be used.

  FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a photoelectric conversion element module in which photoelectric conversion elements are electrically connected in parallel. In FIG. 5, the photoelectric conversion elements 100c and 100d described in the second embodiment of the present invention are electrically connected in parallel.

  As shown in FIG. 5, in the photoelectric conversion element module 103 of the present embodiment, the terminal 8 of the photoelectric conversion element 100c and the terminal 8 of the photoelectric conversion element 100d are connected by a flat cable 91 having flexibility, The terminal 7 of the photoelectric conversion element 100c and the terminal 7 of the photoelectric conversion element 100d are connected by a flat cable 92 having flexibility.

  When connecting the photoelectric conversion element module 103 and a load, for example, the terminal 8 of the photoelectric conversion element 100c and the terminal 7 of the photoelectric conversion element 100d may be connected to the load.

  Moreover, in each embodiment, although the example to which two photoelectric conversion elements were connected was shown, this invention is not restricted to this, You may connect three or more photoelectric conversion elements.

  Moreover, in each embodiment, although the photoelectric conversion element module demonstrated the photoelectric conversion element module using the dye-sensitized photoelectric conversion element as an example, this invention is not limited to this, For example, a silicon type photoelectric conversion element A photoelectric conversion element module using a conversion element or a thin film photoelectric conversion element may be used.

  In addition, the materials, configurations, and the like of the substrate 1, the transparent conductive layer 2, the photoelectric conversion unit 3, the counter electrode 5, the cable 9, and the like can be variously changed within the scope of solving the problems of the present invention.

It is sectional drawing which shows the photoelectric conversion element module which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the state which installs the photoelectric conversion element module of FIG. 1 on a member. It is sectional drawing which shows the photoelectric conversion element module which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the photoelectric conversion element module which concerns on the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the photoelectric conversion element module in which photoelectric conversion elements were electrically connected in parallel.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100,101,102,103 ... Photoelectric conversion element module, 100a, 100b, 100c, 100d ... Photoelectric conversion element, 1 ... Substrate, 2 ... Transparent conductive layer, 3 ... Photoelectric conversion part 31 ... Semiconductor layer, 32 ... Electrolyte part, 5, 58 ... Counter electrode, 51, 53 ... Counter electrode substrate, 52, 54 ... Counter electrode layer, 6 ... Sealing Material, 7, 8 ... Terminal, 9, 91, 92, 94 ... Cable, 95 ... Diode

Claims (3)

Multiple substrates;
A photoelectric conversion element provided on each of the plurality of substrates,
The photoelectric conversion elements are electrically connected to each other by a flat cable having flexibility. The photoelectric conversion element includes a pair of electrodes, a photoelectric conversion unit provided between the pair of electrodes and in contact with each electrode, and a sealing material that contacts the pair of electrodes and surrounds the photoelectric conversion unit. ,
At least one of the photoelectric conversion elements has a non-contact region outside the region in which the surface on the photoelectric conversion unit side in at least one of the pair of electrodes is in contact with the sealing material,
The photoelectric conversion element module according to claim 1, wherein one end of the cable is electrically connected to the non-contact region of the photoelectric conversion element. The photoelectric conversion element includes a pair of electrodes, a photoelectric conversion unit provided between the pair of electrodes and in contact with each electrode, and a sealing material that contacts the pair of electrodes and surrounds the photoelectric conversion unit. ,
One end of the cable is electrically connected to the photoelectric conversion element on a surface opposite to the photoelectric conversion unit in one of the pair of electrodes in at least one of the photoelectric conversion elements. Item 2. The photoelectric conversion element module according to Item 1.

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