JP2012089663A - Solar cell module and manufacturing method of the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a solar cell module which has excellent waterproofness and prevents characteristic deterioration, which is caused by degradation of an electrode due to moisture, over a long period, and to provide a manufacturing method of the solar cell module.SOLUTION: A solar cell 12 is sealed by a sealing material 18 with a water vapor barrier film 14 disposed so as to cover an entire light incident surface, an entire side surface, and part of a rear surface of the solar cell 12.

Description

  The present invention relates to a solar cell module disposed outdoors on a pedestal, a rooftop, or the like, and more particularly, to a solar cell module in which deterioration in characteristics due to moisture is greatly reduced, and a method for manufacturing the solar cell module.

A solar cell is formed by connecting a number of solar cells in a stacked structure in which a semiconductor photoelectric conversion layer that generates current by light absorption is sandwiched between a lower electrode (back electrode) and an upper electrode (transparent electrode). It is configured and formed on a substrate.
A solar cell having such a configuration is attracting attention as clean energy. Therefore, research on solar cells has been actively conducted, and improvements have been attempted from various viewpoints.

As an example, solar cells are weak in moisture, and when moisture enters, characteristics such as conversion efficiency deteriorate.
In particular, CIS (CuInSe ₂ ) having a chalcopyrite structure composed of Ib group, IIIb group, and VIb element, CIGS (Cu (In, Ga) Se ₂ ) obtained by further dissolving Ga in CIS, and the like, absorb light. Since the chalcopyrite solar cell used as a layer uses a ZnO film or the like as a transparent electrode, the transparent electrode is altered by the ingress of moisture, the resistance value is increased, and the conversion efficiency is greatly reduced. End up.

  However, as is well known, solar cells are often installed outdoors, such as mounts installed outdoors, roofs, and rooftops. Therefore, various proposals for improving the waterproofness of the solar cell module have been made.

For example, in Patent Document 1, in a solar battery module in which solar cells are sealed with a sealing material, an organic polymer or an organic polymer and a sealing material are disposed on the outer periphery of the sealing material at the peripheral edge of the solar battery module. There is disclosed a solar cell module having a weatherproof protective layer made of a mixture of the above and having the outer peripheral portions of the protective layer, the surface protective material, and the back surface protective material in the same plane.
By having such a configuration, this solar cell module prevents moisture from entering from the outer peripheral portion and suppresses the production of corrosive acetic acid and the like. Moreover, as an organic polymer, a fluororesin, an acrylic resin, etc. are illustrated.

Patent Document 2 discloses a solar panel in which a solar cell panel formed by sandwiching a protective material sealing solar cells with a transparent first cover member and a flexible second cover member is supported by a frame. In the battery module, the first seal member made of a material having low water vapor permeability disposed between the cover members and surrounding the side surface of the protective member, and the impact resistance provided in the recess of the frame into which the solar cell panel is inserted. The solar cell module which has a 2nd sealing material which consists of a material strong against is disclosed.
Since this solar cell module has such a configuration, both waterproofness and impact resistance are improved. Further, as the first sealing material, polyisobutylene rubber is exemplified, and as the second sealing material, butyl rubber is exemplified.

Further, Patent Document 3 discloses a solar battery in which a solar battery cell is sealed between a support and a protective film with a sealing material, and the protective film covers a cross-section of the support. A module is disclosed.
This solar cell module is not intended to directly improve the waterproof property to the solar cells, but by having the above configuration, peeling due to the ingress of moisture into the adhesive interface between the support and the sealing material In addition, the occurrence of rust due to the ingress of moisture into the end face of the support is prevented. Moreover, as a protective film, the metal film etc. which laminated | stacked the fluororesin, the silicone resin, and resin are illustrated.

JP 2003-209273 A JP 2008-147382 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-233521

If it is a solar cell module with such a waterproof measure, it is possible to suppress the deterioration of the characteristics of the solar cell due to moisture and to extend its life.
However, as described above, solar cell modules are often installed outdoors in a rainy state. Therefore, even if waterproof measures are taken, the conventional solar cell module still does not achieve sufficient waterproofness depending on the usage environment, etc., and due to the entry of moisture, the generation of corrosive products Deterioration of the sealing material and reduction in conversion efficiency due to alteration of the transparent electrode cannot be suppressed over a long period of time.
Under such circumstances, it is desired to realize a solar cell module that is more waterproof and that exhibits stable performance over a long period of time.

  The object of the present invention is to solve the problems of the prior art described above, to prevent the intrusion of moisture from the peripheral portion of the solar cell module, and to suppress the production of acetic acid and the like due to the reaction between the moisture and the sealing material. In addition, the solar cell module that suppresses the decrease in conversion efficiency of the solar cell due to the resistance improvement due to the deterioration of the transparent electrode of the solar cell, exhibits predetermined performance over a long period of time, and can be used stably. And it is providing the manufacturing method of this solar cell module.

  In order to achieve the object, the solar cell module of the present invention seals a solar cell or a solar cell submodule with a sealing material, covers a light incident surface side with a surface protective film, Is a solar cell module in which the back surface side of the reverse surface is covered with a back surface protective film, the entire light incident surface, the entire end surface, and the entire peripheral edge of the reverse surface of the light incident surface of the solar cell or solar cell submodule. Provided is a solar cell module provided with a water vapor barrier film so as to cover at least a part including a circumference.

In such a solar cell module of the present invention, it is preferable that the water vapor transmission rate of the water vapor barrier film is 1 × 10 ⁻⁴ [g / (m ² · day)] or less.
Further, as the water vapor barrier film, it is preferable to use a surface protective barrier film in which a surface protective film and a water vapor barrier film are integrated. In this case, the solar battery cell or the solar battery submodule is sealed with a sealing material. The surface protective barrier film is preferably provided so as to cover the sealing material, and the surface protective barrier film is formed by forming a layer having a water vapor barrier property on the surface protective film. The surface protective barrier film is preferably provided so as to cover the solar battery cell or the solar battery submodule with the surface on which the layer having a water vapor barrier property is formed inside. Alternatively, the solar battery cell or the solar battery submodule is provided by covering the solar battery cell or the solar battery submodule, and sealing with the sealing material so as to cover the steam barrier film. It is preferable to seal.
Moreover, it is preferable to provide the water vapor barrier film so as to cover 60% or more of the light incident surface of the solar battery cell or solar battery submodule, and the solar battery cell or solar battery submodule has The water vapor barrier is preferably a chalcopyrite solar cell or solar cell sub-module, and further covers the entire surface of the solar cell or solar cell sub-module except for the portion that cannot be covered due to its configuration. It is preferable to provide a film.

  Moreover, the 1st aspect of the manufacturing method of the solar cell module of this invention produces the package body which wraps a photovoltaic cell or a solar cell submodule with a water vapor | steam barrier film, and seals on both surfaces of this package body. Further, on the outside of the sealing material, to produce a laminate comprising a surface protective film on the light incident surface side of the solar cell or solar cell submodule, and a back surface protective film on the opposite side, Provided is a method for manufacturing a solar cell module, wherein the laminate is heat-pressed in a vacuum.

  Furthermore, in the second aspect of the method for producing a solar cell module of the present invention, a sealing material is disposed on both surfaces of the solar cell or the solar cell submodule, and the laminate is integrated with a surface protective film and a water vapor barrier film. A package encased with the surface protective barrier film is prepared, a sealing material is disposed on the back side of the light incident surface of the solar cell or solar cell submodule of the packaging, and further, There is provided a method for producing a solar cell module, comprising producing a laminated body having a back surface protective film disposed on the outside, and thermocompression bonding the laminated body in a vacuum.

The solar cell film of the present invention having the above configuration is not a protective film made of a resin film such as a fluorine resin or an acrylic resin, or a sealing material such as polyisobutylene rubber or butyl rubber. A water vapor barrier film formed by forming a layer (thin film) that exhibits water vapor barrier properties such as the water vapor barrier film is applied to the entire light incident surface, the entire end surface, and the back surface of the solar cell or solar cell submodule. It arrange | positions so that the area | region including at least one part may be wrapped.
According to the present invention, the prevention of moisture from not only the surface of the solar cell module but also the end surface (peripheral portion) can be more reliably suppressed, and if moisture enters from the back surface. Moreover, it can prevent reaching transparent electrodes, such as a photovoltaic cell.

Therefore, according to the present invention, the intrusion of moisture into the solar cell module or the like is prevented, the generation of the corrosive substance generated by the reaction between the moisture and the sealing material is suppressed, and due to the alteration of the transparent electrode of the solar cell. It is possible to realize a solar cell module that suppresses a decrease in conversion efficiency of the solar cell due to resistance improvement, exhibits stable performance over a long period of time, and can be used stably.
Moreover, according to the manufacturing method of the solar cell module of this invention, the solar cell module which has such an outstanding characteristic can be manufactured suitably.

It is a figure which shows notionally an example of the solar cell module of this invention. It is a figure which shows notionally another example of the solar cell module of this invention. It is a figure which shows notionally another example of the solar cell module of this invention. It is a figure which shows notionally another example of the solar cell module of this invention. It is a figure which shows notionally the solar cell module of the comparative example of this invention. It is a figure which shows notionally the solar cell module of another comparative example of this invention.

  Hereinafter, the solar cell module and the method for manufacturing the solar cell module of the present invention will be described in detail based on preferred embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 conceptually shows an example of the solar cell module of the present invention.
A solar cell module 10 shown in FIG. 1 includes a solar cell 12, a water vapor barrier film 14, a sealing material 18, a surface protective film 20, a back surface protective film 24, and a contact box 26. Is done. Further, the solar battery cell 12 and the contact box 26 are connected by two lead wires 28.

The solar battery cell 12 is a known solar battery cell (solar battery / solar battery element / solar battery device) that generates power by receiving light.
In the example of illustration, the photovoltaic cell 12 is arrange | positioned with the light-receiving surface (light incident surface) facing the surface protection film 20 side.

In the present invention, the solar battery cell 12 is not particularly limited. Therefore, there are various known solar cells such as Si-based solar cells using bulk single-crystal Si or polycrystalline Si, or thin-film amorphous Si, and compound semiconductor-based solar cells independent of Si, Is available.
In particular, CIS (CuInSe ₂ ) and CIGS (Cu (In, Ga) Se ₂ ) in which gallium is further dissolved in CIS, a compound semiconductor having a chalcopyrite structure composed of Ib group, IIIb group, and VIb element. A chalcopyrite solar cell that uses as a light absorption layer (photoelectric conversion layer) is preferably used.

As an example, a chalcopyrite solar cell has a lower electrode made of molybdenum, chromium, tungsten or the like formed on a glass substrate or a metal substrate formed with an insulating oxide layer on the surface. A light absorption layer made of CiS, CIGS or the like is formed on the electrode, a buffer layer made of cadmium sulfide or zinc sulfide is formed on the light absorption layer, and a transparent electrode layer is formed on the buffer layer. (Substrate structure).
Alternatively, a transparent electrode layer is formed on a glass substrate, a buffer layer is formed on the transparent electrode layer, a light absorption layer is formed on the buffer layer, and the lower electrode layer is formed on the light absorption layer. A chalcopyrite solar cell having a super straight structure in which light is incident from the substrate side, in which a similar upper electrode layer is formed, is also known.

In such chalcopyrite solar cells, ZnO doped with ZnO or Al, ITO (indium tin oxide), etc. are used as the transparent electrode, but these compounds are vulnerable to moisture and moisture is present. Then, the quality is changed and the resistance value is improved. Naturally, when the resistance value of the transparent electrode layer for taking out the electric power generated by the light absorption layer is improved, the conversion efficiency is lowered.
Here, as will be described in detail later, the solar cell module of the present invention is very waterproof (moisture-proof) and can very well prevent moisture from reaching the inside of the solar cell, It can suppress suitably that a water | moisture content reaches | attains to a transparent electrode.
That is, in the present invention, by using a chalcopyrite solar cell as a solar cell (solar cell submodule), the effect of the present invention that is excellent in waterproofing can be more suitably expressed. Get favorable results.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to the structure which uses the photovoltaic cell 12, The solar cell submodule formed by connecting several photovoltaic cells may be used.

In the solar cell module 10 shown in FIG. 1, the entire surface of such a solar battery cell 12 is covered with a water vapor barrier film 14 having a high water vapor barrier property (water vapor shielding property), and the sealing material 18 described later is provided thereon. It has the structure formed by sealing.
In other words, the solar cell module 10 has a configuration in which the solar cells 12 are wrapped with the water vapor barrier film 14 and this package is enclosed / sealed in the sealing material 18.

  Specifically, in the solar cell module 10 of the illustrated example, the light incident surface (hereinafter also referred to as the surface), the end surface, and the light incident surface, except for a portion that cannot be stopped in order to insert the lead wire 28. The solar battery cell 12 is wrapped with the water vapor barrier film 14 so as to cover the entire surface of the solar battery cell such as the reverse surface (hereinafter referred to as the back surface). That is, as a preferable configuration, the solar cell module 10 in the illustrated example covers the entire surface of the solar cell 12 with the water vapor barrier film 14 except for a portion that cannot be covered with the water vapor barrier film 14 due to the configuration of the apparatus.

As described above, in the solar cell module, in order to ensure waterproofness, the end face is sealed with a weather-resistant protective layer made of an organic polymer, and the end face is made of a material having low water vapor permeability such as polyisobutylene rubber. A configuration for sealing with a sealing material or the like is known.
However, in such a configuration, it is impossible to prevent the deterioration of the characteristics of the solar battery cell such as the alteration of the transparent electrode due to the moisture that permeates through the surface protective film. In addition, depending on the installation environment of the solar cell module, the water vapor barrier property due to these protective layers and sealing materials is insufficient.

On the other hand, as a method for shielding moisture that permeates through the surface protective film 20, as shown in FIG. 5, a water vapor barrier film 14 b is provided on the surface side of the solar battery cell 12 sealed with the sealing material 18. A solar cell module 50 having a configuration in which a layer of the sealing material 18b is provided thereon and sandwiched between the surface protective film 20 and the back surface protective film 24 is conceivable. However, in this configuration, the transparent electrode of the solar battery cell is deteriorated by moisture entering from the end face of the solar battery module.
In order to prevent such inconvenience, it is conceivable to seal the end surface with an end surface sealing material 54 such as butyl rubber as in the solar cell module 52 shown in FIG. As in the example, the end-face sealing material 54 made of butyl rubber has a high moisture permeability, and the transparent electrode of the solar battery cell 12 is altered for a long time due to moisture entering from the end face of the solar battery module. Cannot be prevented.

On the other hand, the solar cell module of the present invention exhibits a water vapor barrier property such as a silicon nitride film on the surface of the resin film, for example, instead of a normal protective resin film or a sealing material made of organic polymer, rubber, or the like. A water vapor barrier film (gas barrier film) having a very low moisture permeability, such as a film formed with a layer (thin film) to be used, and the entire light incident surface, the entire end surface, and at least the peripheral portion of the solar cell 10 The water vapor barrier film is disposed so as to cover a part of the back surface including the water vapor.
According to such this invention, prevention of the water | moisture content from not only the surface of a solar cell module but an end surface (periphery part) can be suppressed more reliably. In addition, even if moisture enters from the back side of the solar battery cell, the periphery of the back side is also covered with the water vapor barrier film, so the distance for the moisture to reach the transparent electrode can be made sufficiently long. Thus, it is possible to suitably prevent the moisture from reaching the transparent electrode and deteriorating.
Therefore, according to the present invention as described above, it is possible to sufficiently suppress a reduction in conversion efficiency of the solar cell due to an improvement in resistance due to alteration of the transparent electrode of the solar cell, and to exhibit stable performance over a long period of time, stably. A solar cell module that can be used can be realized.

In the present invention, the water vapor barrier film 14 is not particularly limited, and various known water vapor barrier films can be used.
In particular, a water vapor barrier film 14 having a water vapor transmission rate of 1 × 10 ⁻⁴ [g / (m ² · day)] or less is preferably used. By using such a water vapor barrier film, deterioration of the solar cell module due to moisture can be prevented more reliably over a long period of time.

As a suitable example of the water vapor barrier film 14 used in the present invention, various resin films (plastic films) such as a PET (polyethylene terephthalate) film and a PEN (polyethylene naphthalate) film having a thickness of about 50 to 100 μm are used as substrates. As an example, a water vapor barrier film formed by forming a layer of an inorganic compound (hereinafter also referred to as an inorganic layer) that exhibits water vapor barrier properties (gas barrier properties) is exemplified.
Note that one or more layers exhibiting various functions such as an adhesion layer, a planarization layer, and an antireflection layer may be formed on the surface of the substrate as long as necessary transparency can be secured.

Examples of inorganic compounds that exhibit water vapor barrier properties include diamond-like compounds, metal oxides, metal nitrides, metal carbides, metal oxynitrides or metal oxycarbides, diamond-like carbon, diamond-like carbon containing silicon, Examples thereof include oxides, nitrides, carbides, oxynitrides, and oxycarbides containing one or more metals selected from Si, Al, In, Sn, Zn, Ti, Cu, Ce, and Ta.
Among these, a metal oxide, nitride, or oxynitride selected from Si, Al, In, Sn, Zn, and Ti is preferable, and a metal oxide, nitride, or oxynitride of Si or Al is particularly preferable.

  These inorganic layers are formed by, for example, plasma CVD or sputtering. The thickness of the inorganic layer is preferably 5 to 500 nm, particularly 10 to 200 nm.

As a more preferable example of the water vapor barrier film 14, a similar resin film is used as a substrate, an organic compound layer (hereinafter also referred to as an organic layer) is used as a base layer, and the inorganic layer is formed on the organic layer. The water vapor | steam barrier film formed into a film is illustrated suitably. According to such a water vapor barrier film, higher water vapor barrier properties can be obtained.
As the organic compound to be the underlayer, acrylic resin, methacrylic resin, epoxy resin, polyester, methacrylic acid-maleic acid copolymer, polystyrene, transparent fluororesin, polyimide, fluorinated polyimide, polyamide, polyamideimide, polyetherimide, Examples include cellulose acylate, polyurethane, polyetherketone, polycarbonate, fluorene ring-modified polycarbonate, alicyclic ring-modified polycarbonate, and fluorene ring-modified polyester. In particular, an acrylic resin and a methacrylic resin are preferable.

Such an organic layer is formed by, for example, a coating method using a known coating means such as roll coating or spray coating, flash vapor deposition, or the like.
The film thickness of the organic layer is preferably 50 nm to 2000 nm, particularly 200 nm to 1500 nm.

According to the water vapor barrier film having such an inorganic layer or further an organic layer, the water vapor transmission rate is 1 × 10 ⁻⁴ [g / (m ² · day)] or less stably and relatively easily. A certain water vapor barrier film 14 can be obtained.

In addition, this invention is not limited to the structure which covers the photovoltaic cell 12 with the sheet | seat of the water vapor | steam barrier film 14, Light of the photovoltaic cell 12 is formed with the water vapor | steam barrier film 14 of which the edge part was laminated | stacked / adhered. You may make it cover an entrance plane, an end surface, and a back surface.
However, in such a configuration, there is a high possibility that moisture will enter from the connection portion of the water vapor barrier film. Accordingly, it is preferable that the solar battery cell 12 is covered with a single water vapor barrier film so that the end surface is passed from the front surface, and is further folded and wrapped up to the back surface.

In the solar cell module 10, the solar cells 12 covered with the water vapor barrier film 14 are further encapsulated and sealed by the sealing material 18 from above the water vapor barrier film 14.
In the illustrated example, the sealing material 18 also functions as an adhesive. However, you may adhere | attach the water vapor | steam barrier film 14, the sealing material 18, the surface protection film 20, and the back surface protection film 24 separately using an adhesive agent as needed.

  In the present invention, the sealing material 18 is not particularly limited, and is used as a sealing material in known solar cell modules such as EVA (ethylene vinyl acetate), PVB (polyvinyl butyral), PE (polyethylene), and the like. Various things are available.

  In the solar cell module 10 of the present invention, the thickness (entire area) of the sealing material 18 is not particularly limited, but is preferably 300 to 800 μm.

A surface protective film 20 is attached to the light emitting surface side (front surface side) of the sealing material 18.
In the present invention, the surface protective film (surface protective plate) 20 is not particularly limited, and various types of glass, ETFE (a copolymer of tetrafluoroethylene and ethylene), PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene), PFA (tetra In a known solar cell module, such as a fluorine-based transparent resin film such as a copolymer of fluoroethylene and perfluoroalkoxyethylene), various types can be used.

A back surface protective film 24 is attached to the back surface side of the sealing material 18.
In the present invention, the back surface protection film (back surface protection plate / back surface support plate) 24 is not particularly limited, and in the known solar cell module such as a metal plate such as a galvalume steel plate, a stainless steel plate, and an aluminum-stainless clad steel plate, It can be used as a protective film or in various ways.

The solar cell module of the present invention has a configuration in which a water vapor barrier film is provided so as to cover the entire surface of the solar cell 12 excluding a portion that cannot be covered due to the configuration, like the solar cell module 10 shown in FIG. There is no limitation.
That is, the solar cell module of the present invention can be obtained by providing a water vapor barrier film so as to wrap the solar cell 12 so as to cover the entire surface of the light incident surface, the entire surface of the end surface, and the entire peripheral portion of the back surface. The central region on the back surface of the battery cell 12 is not necessarily covered with the water vapor barrier film 14.

An example is shown in FIG.
In addition, since the photovoltaic cell 32 shown in FIG. 2 has the same structure as the photovoltaic cell 32 shown in FIG. 1 except the area | region covered with the water vapor | steam barrier film 14, it attaches | subjects the same code | symbol to the same member, The explanation is mainly given for different parts.

  The solar battery cell 32 shown in FIG. 2 does not cover the entire solar battery cell 12 with the water vapor barrier film 14, but leads the solar battery cell 12 and the electrical connection box 26 on the back side of the solar battery cell 12. It has the structure which covers the photovoltaic cell 12 with the water vapor | steam barrier film 14 so that the periphery of the part which the line | wire 28 penetrates may open.

Here, according to the study by the present inventors, in the configuration in which the water vapor barrier film 14 does not cover (open) the center of the back surface of the solar battery cell 12 as in the example shown in FIG. It is preferable to provide the water vapor barrier film 14 so as to cover 60% or more of the back surface of 12. It should be noted that the opening area of the water vapor barrier film 14 is as central as possible on the back surface of the solar battery cell 12 according to the configuration of the apparatus, depending on the insertion position of the lead wire 28, the arrangement position of the connection box 26, and the like. Is preferred.
Moreover, according to the size etc. of the photovoltaic cell 12, if possible, the back side covers the photovoltaic cell 12 with the water vapor barrier film 14 from the end of the photovoltaic cell 12 to the inside by 5 cm or more. Is preferred.

By having such a configuration, even if there is a portion that is not covered with the water vapor barrier film 14 at the center of the back surface, the moisture that has entered from the portion without the water vapor barrier film 14 is particularly transparent in the solar battery cell 12. The distance to the electrode can be made sufficiently long.
As a result, it is possible to more suitably suppress moisture from reaching the transparent electrode. Stable use over a long period of time by suppressing deterioration of characteristics such as a decrease in conversion efficiency due to the deterioration of the transparent electrode. Possible solar cells can be realized.

FIG. 3 conceptually shows another example of the solar cell module of the present invention.
In the solar cell module shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the water vapor barrier film 14 basically expresses only the water vapor barrier property, but the solar cell module 36 shown in FIG. A surface protective barrier film 38 obtained by integrating a surface protective film and a water vapor barrier film is used.
In addition, since the solar cell module 36 shown in FIG. 3 (and FIG. 4) has the same members as the solar cell module shown in FIG. 1, the same reference numerals are given to the same members, and the following description is different. Do it mainly.

In the solar cell module 36 shown in FIG. 3, first, the solar cells 12 are encapsulated and sealed with the sealing material 18, and the entire sealing material 18 is covered with the surface protective barrier film 38 as described above. By wrapping (wrapping), the solar cell 12 has a configuration in which the entire surface, the entire end surface, and the entire back surface (excluding the passage portion of the lead wire 26) are covered with a water vapor barrier film.
The solar cell module 36 further has a configuration in which a sealing material 18a is attached to the back surface side of the surface protection barrier film 38, and the back surface protection film 24 is attached to the sealing material 18a.

  As described above, the surface protective barrier film 38 is a film formed by integrating the surface protective film and the water vapor barrier film. In other words, the surface protective barrier film 38 is a surface protective film having a water vapor barrier property (a water vapor barrier film having a surface protective function).

  As such a surface protection barrier film 38, a film formed by forming a layer having a water vapor barrier property on the surface of the surface protection film 20 such as ETFE (using the surface protection film 20 as a substrate) is exemplified. .

Here, as a preferable surface protective barrier film 38, a film obtained by forming the inorganic layer in the water vapor barrier film 14 on the surface of the same surface protective film 20 is exemplified.
Further, as a more preferable surface protective barrier film 38, a film obtained by forming an organic layer serving as a base layer and an inorganic layer thereon in the water vapor barrier film 14 on the surface of the same surface protective film 20 described above. Is exemplified. According to the surface protective barrier film 38, higher water vapor barrier properties can be obtained.

In the present invention, in the case of using the surface protective barrier film 38 in which a layer having a water vapor barrier property is formed on the surface protective film 20, the surface protective film 20 is outside (the layer that expresses the water vapor barrier property is inside). Thus, it is preferable to encapsulate the sealing material 18 (solar cell 12).
Thereby, deterioration and damage to the formed inorganic layer or the like can be prevented, and deterioration of the water vapor barrier property can be prevented over a long period of time.

By the way, the solar cell module 36 shown in FIG. 3 has a configuration in which a surface protection barrier film 38 is provided outside the sealing material 18 including the end face side. Therefore, functions that should depend on the sealing material 18 such as the protection of the solar battery cell 12 can also be expressed in the surface protective barrier film 38.
Therefore, according to this configuration, sufficient strength and waterproofness can be obtained even when the solar battery cell 12 is positioned up to the vicinity of the end face of the sealing material 18. That is, according to the configuration shown in FIG. 3, the area of the light receiving surface of the solar battery cell 12 can be made larger than the surface area of the solar cell module 36 (the area on the light receiving surface side). The conversion efficiency with respect to the surface area can be improved.

In the present invention, even in such a configuration using the surface protective barrier film 38, the entire surface of the solar battery cell 12 is covered with the surface protective barrier film 38 except for a portion where the opening of the surface protective barrier film 38 is indispensable. The covering configuration is not limited.
That is, in the configuration using the surface protection barrier film 38 as in the example shown in FIG. 2, the central region on the back surface side of the solar battery cell 12 is a surface protection barrier as in the solar battery module 40 shown in FIG. An area that is not covered with the film 38 may be provided. In this case, a preferable arrangement region of the surface protective barrier film 38 on the back surface of the solar battery cell 12 is the same as that of the solar battery module 32 shown in FIG.

  Such a solar cell module of the present invention may be produced by using a vacuum laminate as an example, similarly to a known solar cell module.

  The solar cell module 10 shown in FIG. 1 will be described as an example. First, the solar cells 12 are wrapped with a water vapor barrier film 14 so as to cover the entire surface. Next, two plate-like sealing materials 18 such as EVA are disposed so as to enclose the package and sandwich it from the front and back surfaces, and further, the surface protection film 20 is provided on the front surface side, and the back surface protection film is provided on the back surface side. The laminated body used as the solar cell module 10 which arranges 22 is produced.

Next, this laminate is placed at a predetermined position in the vacuum chamber.
As an example, the vacuum chamber includes an elevating means, a shock-absorbing plate (pressing plate) that is disposed facing the elevating means and has good heat conductivity, and a heating that abuts the surface opposite to the elevating means of the buffer plate. Means.
The laminated body which becomes the said solar cell module 10 is mounted in the raising / lowering means. In this state, the laminate and the buffer plate are separated from each other.

When the stacked body is placed on the lifting means of the vacuum chamber, the vacuum chamber is closed and the vacuum chamber is evacuated to create a vacuum. By this exhaust, air in the stacked body that becomes the solar cell module 10 is removed.
Next, the elevating / lowering means is raised, and the laminated body is brought into contact with the buffer plate so as to be clamped / crimped, and further, the heating means is driven to heat-press the laminated body. Thereby, a laminated body is laminated.

  When the lamination is completed, the elevating means is lowered, the laminated body is separated from the buffer plate, and the inside of the vacuum chamber is returned to the atmospheric pressure. The solar cell module 10 is obtained by opening the vacuum chamber and taking out the laminate, and removing unnecessary portions as necessary.

Further, when the solar cell module 36 using the surface protection barrier film 38 shown in FIG. 3 is manufactured, first, two plate-shaped seals are provided so as to enclose the solar cells 12 and sandwich them between the front and back surfaces. A material 18 is arranged to form a laminate.
Next, the laminate is wrapped with the surface protective barrier film 38 so as to cover the entire laminate.
Furthermore, a plate-shaped sealing material 18 is disposed on the back surface side of the package, and further, a back surface protective film 24 is disposed on the back surface side of the sealing material 18 to produce a laminated body that becomes the solar cell module 36. And the laminated body used as this solar cell module 36 should just be laminated by thermocompression-bonding in a vacuum like the above.

  As mentioned above, although the solar cell module of this invention and the manufacturing method of the solar cell module were demonstrated in detail, this invention is not limited to the above-mentioned example, In the range which does not deviate from the summary of this invention, various improvement and Of course, changes may be made.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to specific examples of the present invention.

[Example 1]
A solar cell module 10 shown in FIG. 1 was manufactured using a general chalcopyrite solar cell 12 having a substrate structure.
As the water vapor barrier film 14, a water vapor barrier film obtained by laminating an organic layer (underlying layer) and an inorganic layer using a PET film as a base material was used. With this water vapor barrier film 14, the entire surface of the solar cell 12 was covered by passing the end surface from the surface of the solar cell, folding it back to cover the back surface, except where it was impossible to structure.
As the sealing material 18, Solar Eva (EVA) manufactured by Mitsui Chemicals Fabro Co., Ltd. was used.
As the surface protective film 20, Fluon (ETFE) manufactured by Asahi Glass Co., Ltd. was used.
Further, PET / AL / PET manufactured by MA Packaging Co., Ltd. was used for the back surface protective film 24.

Using such a material, the solar cell module 10 was produced by lamination by thermocompression bonding in a vacuum as described above, using the vacuum chamber having the lifting means, the buffer plate, and the heating means.
The solar battery cell 12 used in the solar battery module 10 has a light receiving surface size of 200 × 200 mm. Moreover, the size of the front surface (back surface) of the solar cell module 10 was 300 × 300 mm. That is, the distance from the end part of the solar cell module 36 to the end part of the solar battery cell 12 is 50 mm.

[Example 2]
The solar cell module shown in FIG. 2 is the same as in Example 1 except that the 20 × 20 mm region at the center of the back surface where the lead wires 28 of the solar cells 12 are arranged is not covered with the water vapor barrier film 14. 32 was produced.

[Example 3]
Except for using the surface protective barrier film 38 without using the water vapor barrier film 14, the same material as in Example 1 was used, and lamination was performed by thermocompression bonding in vacuum as in Example 1 (same conditions). A solar cell module 36 shown in FIG. 3 was produced. The size of the front and back surfaces of the solar cell module 36 was the same as that in Example 1.
As the surface protective barrier film 38, a surface protective barrier film in which an ETFE film was used as a base material and an organic layer (underlying layer) and an inorganic layer were laminated was used. With this surface protective barrier film 38, the solar cell 12 (encapsulated) is formed so as to pass the end surface from the surface of the encapsulant 18 encapsulating the solar battery cell 12 and fold it back to cover the back surface, except for structurally inevitable locations. Covered the whole body).

[Example 4]
The solar cell shown in FIG. 4 is exactly the same as in Example 3 except that the 20 × 20 mm region at the center of the back surface where the lead wires 28 of the solar cells 12 are arranged is not covered with the surface protective barrier film 38. A module 40 was produced.

[Comparative Example 1]
Using the same material as in Example 1, the solar cell module 36 shown in FIG. 5 was produced.
That is, the solar battery cell 12 is sandwiched between the sealing materials 18, the water vapor barrier film 14b is disposed on the front surface side, the sealing material 18b and the surface protection film 20 are disposed thereon, and the back surface protection film is disposed on the back surface side. The stacked laminate was produced, and the solar cell module 36 shown in FIG. 5 was produced by laminating by thermocompression bonding in a vacuum similar to Example 1 (same conditions).
In this example, the area of the front and back surfaces was increased, and the distance from the end of the solar cell module 36 to the end of the solar cell 12 was set to 70 mm. Therefore, the waterproof function by the sealing material 18 is higher than this by the solar cell modules of Examples 1 to 4.

[Comparative Example 2]
The solar cell module 52 shown in FIG. 6 has the same configuration as that of Comparative Example 1 except that the entire end portion of the solar cell module is sealed with an end surface sealing material 54 made of butyl rubber having a thickness of 1 mm. It was prepared.
In addition, the end surface sealing material 54 was stuck with thermoplastic butyl rubber.

About the produced six solar cell modules, the deterioration of the conversion efficiency by the dump heat test (it was left for 1000 hours in the environment of temperature 85 degreeC and humidity 85% RH) was measured.
A conversion efficiency of 90% or more of the initial value is retained.
A conversion efficiency of 80% or more and less than 90% of the initial value;
A conversion efficiency of 60% or more and less than 80% of the initial value;
A conversion efficiency of less than the initial value of 60 was evaluated as x;

as a result,
Example 1 is ◎; Example 2 is; Example 3 is ◎; Example 4 is ○;
Comparative Example 1 was x; Comparative Example 2 was x;
That is, in Comparative Examples 1 and 2, it is considered that the transparent electrode of the solar cell module is deteriorated due to the ingress of moisture from the end face of the solar cell module, and the conversion efficiency is lowered. On the other hand, the present invention in which the end face is passed from the surface of the solar battery cell and covered with the water vapor barrier film to the back face, since the transparent electrode of the solar battery module due to such moisture ingress can be prevented from deteriorating. It is thought that the decrease in the conversion efficiency was significantly suppressed.
From the above results, the effects of the present invention are clear.

  The present invention can be used in various fields in which solar cells such as power generators are used.

10, 32, 36, 40, 50, 52 Solar cell module 12 Solar cell 14 Water vapor barrier film 18 Sealing material 20 Surface protective film 24 Back surface protective film 26 Electrical contact box 28 Lead wire 38 Surface protective barrier film 54 End surface sealing Material

Claims (11)

A solar cell in which a solar cell or a solar cell submodule is sealed with a sealing material, the light incident surface side is covered with a surface protective film, and the back surface side opposite to the light incident surface is covered with a back surface protective film. In the module
A water vapor barrier film is provided so as to cover at least a part of the entire light incident surface, the entire end surface, and the entire circumference of the opposite end of the light incident surface of the solar cell or solar cell submodule. A featured solar cell module. ^2. The solar cell module according to claim 1, wherein a water vapor permeability of the water vapor barrier film is 1 × 10 ⁻⁴ [g / (m ² · day)] or less.   The solar cell module according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a surface protective barrier film in which a surface protective film and a water vapor barrier film are integrated is used as the water vapor barrier film.   The solar cell module according to claim 3, wherein a solar cell or a solar cell submodule is sealed with a sealing material, and the surface protection barrier film is provided so as to cover the sealing material.   The surface protective barrier film is formed by forming a layer having a water vapor barrier property on the surface protective film, and the surface protective barrier film has a surface on which the layer having a water vapor barrier property is formed on the inside. The solar cell module according to claim 3 or 4, which is provided so as to cover the solar cell or the solar cell submodule.   Covering the solar cell or solar cell submodule, the water vapor barrier film is provided, and the solar cell or solar cell submodule is sealed by sealing with the sealing material so as to cover the water vapor barrier film. The solar cell module according to claim 1 or 2.   The solar cell module according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the water vapor barrier film is provided so as to cover 60% or more of the light incident surface of the solar cell or solar cell submodule.   The solar cell module according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the solar cell or solar cell submodule is a chalcopyrite solar cell or solar cell submodule.   The solar cell module according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the water vapor barrier film is provided so as to cover the entire surface of the solar cell or the solar cell submodule except for a portion that cannot be covered.   A package formed by wrapping a solar battery cell or a solar battery sub-module with a water vapor barrier film is prepared, and a sealing material is disposed on both sides of the package, and further, outside the sealing material, the solar battery cell or A solar cell comprising a solar cell submodule having a surface protective film disposed on the light incident surface side and a back surface protective film disposed on the opposite side, and the solar cell sub-module being heat-pressed in vacuum. Module manufacturing method.   A sealing material is disposed on both sides of a solar battery cell or a solar battery sub-module, and a package is produced by enclosing the laminate with a surface protective barrier film in which a surface protective film and a water vapor barrier film are integrated. A laminate is prepared by arranging a sealing material on the back side of the light incident surface of the solar cell or solar cell submodule, and further arranging a back surface protective film on the outside of the sealing material. A method for producing a solar cell module, wherein the body is thermocompression-bonded in a vacuum.

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