JP2024066614A - Solar Cell Module - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a solar cell module that is light-transmitting and can increase the power generating area per solar cell compared to conventional solar cells.
[Solution] A plurality of solar cells are provided between two light-transmitting substrates, each solar cell having a first collecting electrode on a first main surface side and a second collecting electrode on a second main surface side, the plurality of solar cells include a first solar cell, a second solar cell and a third solar cell, the first solar cell and the second solar cell are spaced apart, the third solar cell has a first collecting electrode arranged to overlap across the second collecting electrode of the first solar cell and the second collecting electrode of the second solar cell, and is electrically connected to each of the second collecting electrode of the first solar cell and the second collecting electrode of the second solar cell, and has a light-transmitting region that can transmit light in the overlapping direction of the two light-transmitting substrates, and the light-transmitting region has a contour formed in part by the first solar cell, the second solar cell and the third solar cell.
[Selected Figure] Figure 6

Description

The present invention relates to a solar cell module, and in particular to a see-through solar cell module that allows light to pass through.

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, see-through solar cell modules capable of transmitting light in a thickness direction have become known for use as window glass and the like (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
For example, the see-through solar cell module of Patent Document 1 has a plurality of through openings, each of which has a circular cross-sectional shape, formed in each solar cell, allowing light to pass through the through openings.

JP 2011-171542 A

However, the see-through solar cell module of Patent Document 1 has a problem in that each solar cell has a through opening, which means that power cannot be generated in that area, reducing the power generation area of each solar cell.

Therefore, the present invention aims to provide a solar cell module that is light-transmitting and has a larger power generating area per solar cell than conventional solar cells.

One aspect of the present invention for solving the above-mentioned problems is a solar cell module having a plurality of solar cells between two translucent substrates, each solar cell having a first main surface and a second main surface, a first collector electrode provided on the first main surface side, and a second collector electrode provided on the second main surface side, the plurality of solar cells including a first solar cell, a second solar cell, and a third solar cell, the first solar cell and the second solar cell being arranged at a distance from each other, the third solar cell being provided with a first collector electrode overlapping the second collector electrode of the first solar cell and the second collector electrode of the second solar cell, and being electrically connected to each of the second collector electrode of the first solar cell and the second collector electrode of the second solar cell, and having a light-transmitting region capable of transmitting light in the overlapping direction of the two translucent substrates, the light-transmitting region being a solar cell module having a part of its outline formed by the first solar cell, the second solar cell, and the third solar cell when viewed from the overlapping direction of the two translucent substrates.

According to this aspect, since the light-transmitting region capable of transmitting light is provided in the overlapping direction of the light-transmitting base materials, the module can function as a see-through solar cell module.
According to this aspect, part of the outline of the light-transmitting area is formed by the first solar cell, the second solar cell, and the third solar cell, so that light can pass through without providing a through opening in the solar cell as in Patent Document 1, and therefore the area of the power generating area per solar cell can be made larger than in the conventional case.
In addition, according to this aspect, a part of the outline of the light-transmitting region is formed by the first solar cell, the second solar cell, and the third solar cell, so that an appearance with shading is formed between the first solar cell, the second solar cell, and the third solar cell and the light-transmitting region, and a pattern can be imparted by the shape of the light-transmitting region. As a result, the design can be improved compared to the conventional art.

In a preferred aspect, the plurality of solar cells includes a fourth solar cell, the second collector electrode of the fourth solar cell is arranged to overlap across the first collector electrode of the first solar cell and the first collector electrode of the second solar cell, and is electrically connected to the first collector electrode of the first solar cell and the first collector electrode of the second solar cell, respectively, and the light transmitting region is surrounded by the first solar cell, the second solar cell, the third solar cell, and the fourth solar cell when viewed from the overlapping direction of the two light-transmitting substrates.

According to this aspect, since the light transmitting region is surrounded by the first solar cell, the second solar cell, the third solar cell, and the fourth solar cell, the light transmitting region can form an isolated island pattern.
According to this aspect, the conductive path connecting the fourth solar cell and the third solar cell includes a conductive path connecting the fourth solar cell, the first solar cell, and the third solar cell, and a conductive path connecting the fourth solar cell, the second solar cell, and the third solar cell. That is, since there is a conductive path passing through the first solar cell and a conductive path bypassing the first solar cell, for example, even if the first solar cell becomes unable to generate power, electrical conduction is possible through the conductive path via the second solar cell. Therefore, power generation can be maintained even if the first solar cell becomes unable to generate power.

In a preferred embodiment, the shortest distance between the first solar cell and the second solar cell is at least 1/5 of the length of the third solar cell in the direction in which the first solar cell and the second solar cell are aligned.

In a preferred embodiment, the area of the light-transmitting region is at least 1/4 of the area of the third solar cell.

These features ensure that the light-transmitting area is sufficiently large, making it easy to let in light through the light-transmitting area.

In a preferred aspect, the first collector electrode of the third solar cell has a busbar electrode portion extending across the second collector electrode of the first solar cell and the second collector electrode of the second solar cell, and the overlapping area of the first collector electrode of the third solar cell and the second collector electrode of the first solar cell in the overlapping direction of the two translucent substrates is 5% to 40% of the area of the busbar electrode portion.

This aspect allows the light-transmitting area to be made sufficiently large while still ensuring a sufficient conductive area.

In a preferred aspect, the plurality of solar cells include a fifth solar cell and a sixth solar cell, and the third solar cell has a second collector electrode that overlaps the first collector electrode of the fifth solar cell and the first collector electrode of the sixth solar cell, and is electrically connected to each of the first collector electrode of the fifth solar cell and the first collector electrode of the sixth solar cell.

According to this aspect, the conductive path merges from the first solar cell and the second solar cell to the third solar cell, and branches from the third solar cell to the fifth solar cell and the sixth solar cell, so that the conductive path can be secured even if a malfunction occurs in any of the first solar cell, the second solar cell, the fifth solar cell, and the sixth solar cell.

In a preferred aspect, the third solar cell has adjacent first and second corners, and when viewed from the overlapping direction of the two light-transmitting substrates, the first corner of the third solar cell overlaps with the first solar cell, and the second corner of the third solar cell overlaps with the second solar cell.

According to this aspect, the first corner of the third solar cell overlaps with the first solar cell, and the second corner overlaps with the second solar cell, so the distance between the first solar cell and the second solar cell can be increased.

A preferred aspect is a first parallel connection group in which a plurality of solar cells including the first solar cell and the second solar cell are electrically connected in parallel, and a second parallel connection group in which a plurality of solar cells including the third solar cell are electrically connected in parallel, and each solar cell constituting the first parallel connection group is electrically connected in parallel by a solar cell constituting the second parallel connection group.

According to this aspect, each solar cell constituting the first parallel connection group is connected in parallel with the solar cell constituting the second parallel connection group, so there is no need to connect each solar cell using wiring or the like, and the power generation area can be increased.

In a preferred aspect, each solar cell has a power generation area capable of generating electricity by receiving light, and includes a first parallel connection group in which a plurality of solar cells including the first solar cell and the second solar cell are electrically connected in parallel, and a second parallel connection group in which a plurality of solar cells including the third solar cell are electrically connected in parallel, and the difference between the total area of the power generation areas of the solar cells belonging to the first parallel connection group and the total area of the power generation areas of the solar cells belonging to the second parallel connection group is 10% or less.

This aspect allows the load on each solar cell to be evenly distributed.

The solar cell module of the present invention is light-transmitting, and the power generation area per solar cell can be increased compared to conventional solar cells.

1 is a perspective view of a solar cell module according to a first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a plan view of the solar cell module of FIG. 1, with the first light-transmitting substrate and the first sealing material omitted for ease of understanding. 2A and 2B are cross-sectional views of the solar cell module of Fig. 1, where (a) is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A in Fig. 2, and (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B in Fig. 2. In both (a) and (b), hatching of the sealing material has been omitted for ease of understanding. 2 are end views of the solar cell module of Fig. 1, (a) is an end view of the CC cross section of Fig. 2, and (b) is an end view of the D-D cross section of Fig. 2. In both (a) and (b), hatching of the sealing material has been omitted for ease of understanding. 3A and 3B are explanatory views of the solar cell of FIG. 2, in which FIG. 3A is a perspective view seen from the first translucent substrate side, and FIG. 3B is a perspective view seen from the second translucent substrate side. 3 is a plan view of a main part of the solar cell unit in FIG. 2. FIG. 7 is an electrical circuit diagram of a main part of the solar cell unit in FIG. 6 . FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram of a solar cell module according to another embodiment of the present invention, and is a plan view of an embodiment in which each solar cell has a vertically elongated rectangular shape. 1A and 1B are explanatory diagrams of a solar cell module according to another embodiment of the present invention, in which (a) is a plan view of an embodiment in which the solar cell section is composed of all the same solar cells, and (b) is a plan view of an embodiment in which some solar cells are omitted.

The following describes an embodiment of the present invention in detail.

The solar cell module 1 of the first embodiment of the present invention is a see-through solar cell module that allows light to pass through in the thickness direction. In addition, the solar cell module 1 is a bifacial solar cell module that can convert light energy incident on both main surfaces into electrical energy.

As shown in Figure 1, the solar cell module 1 is primarily erected on a horizontal surface and is preferably attached to a window frame or the like in a vertical position in which the up-down direction is the vertical direction Y and the left-right direction is the horizontal direction X. Therefore, in the following explanation, unless otherwise specified, the position in Figure 1 will be used as the reference.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 , the solar cell module 1 includes light-transmitting base materials 2 and 3, a solar cell portion 5, a first output wiring 6, a second output wiring 7, a first sealing material 8, and a second sealing material 9.
In the solar cell module 1, a plurality of solar cells 5 and output wires 6, 7 are arranged between two light-transmitting base materials 2, 3, and the gap between the light-transmitting base materials 2, 3 is filled and sealed with sealing materials 8, 9.
In addition, when viewed from the overlapping direction (hereinafter also referred to as the thickness direction) of the two light-transmitting base materials 2, 3, the solar cell module 1 has a plurality of light-transmitting regions 10 formed therein, and the light-transmitting regions 10 are distributed vertically and horizontally at intervals.

(Light-transmitting substrates 2 and 3)
The light-transmitting base materials 2 and 3 each have a planar extent and are light-transmitting members capable of transmitting light in the thickness direction.
The light-transmitting substrates 2 and 3 of this embodiment are rectangular plate-like bodies extending in the horizontal direction X and the vertical direction Y, as shown in FIG.
The light-transmitting base materials 2 and 3 are members having light-transmitting properties, and for example, a light-transmitting substrate such as a glass substrate can be used.

(Solar cell unit 5)
As shown in FIG. 3( a ), the solar cell section 5 has a plurality of solar cells 20 and a conductive adhesive material 21 , and each solar cell 20 is connected to each other via the conductive adhesive material 21 .

(Solar cell 20)
As shown in Figure 5, the solar cell 20 is a plate-shaped cell having a first main surface 25 and a second main surface 26 as its two main surfaces, and is equipped with a photoelectric conversion substrate 30, a first collector electrode 31, and a second collector electrode 32, and has a power generation area.
As shown in FIG. 2, the solar cell 20 has a rectangular shape when viewed in plan, and includes horizontal sides 36, 37 extending in the horizontal direction X and vertical sides 38, 39 extending in the vertical direction Y, as shown in FIG.
The solar cell 20 of this embodiment has a horizontally elongated rectangular shape, with horizontal sides 36 and 37 parallel to each other and vertical sides 38 and 39 parallel to each other.

As shown in FIG. 5, the photoelectric conversion substrate 30 includes a first electrode layer 40, a photoelectric conversion section 41, and a second electrode layer 42.

The electrode layers 40 and 42 are paired with each other to extract electricity from the photoelectric conversion section 41 , and are base electrode layers that serve as bases for the collecting electrodes 31 and 32 .
The electrode layers 40 and 42 are not particularly limited as long as they are transparent conductive layers having transparency and conductivity, and are made of a transparent conductive oxide such as indium tin oxide (ITO), for example.

The photoelectric conversion section 41 is a section that converts light energy into electrical energy, and is formed by stacking semiconductor layers on a semiconductor substrate.
The solar cell 20 of this embodiment is a crystalline solar cell, and the photoelectric conversion section 41 is formed by laminating a semiconductor layer on a semiconductor substrate, with a PN junction being formed between the semiconductor substrate and the semiconductor layer.

As shown in FIG. 5A , the first collector electrode 31 is a conductive layer provided on the first main surface 25 side and partially laminated on the first electrode layer 40 .
The first collecting electrode 31 is composed of a first bus bar electrode portion 50 and a plurality of first finger electrode portions 51 .
The first collector electrode 31 is formed of a material having a higher conductivity than the first electrode layer 40, and in this embodiment, is made of a metal such as gold, silver, aluminum, copper, or palladium, or a metal alloy thereof.

The first busbar electrode portion 50 is provided at one end (the end on the horizontal side 37 side) in the vertical direction Y when viewed in a plane, and is a connection portion that connects the ends of each first finger electrode portion 51, and extends in the horizontal direction X.
The first bus bar electrode portion 50 is a portion that functions as a land to which the second bus bar electrode portion 60 of an adjacent solar cell 20 is connected via a conductive adhesive 21, and is also a connection wiring portion that connects adjacent solar cell cells 20, 20 in the lateral direction X.
The width of the first bus bar electrode portion 50 is not particularly limited, but is preferably 0.1 mm or more and 8 mm or less.

The first finger electrode portion 51 is a linear electrode portion extending parallel to the vertical sides 38, 39 from the middle portion in the extension direction (horizontal direction X) of the first bus bar electrode portion 50 toward the other end portion in the vertical direction Y (the end portion on the horizontal side 36 side).
The first finger electrode portions 51 are arranged side by side at intervals in the horizontal direction X, and each extends from the first bus bar electrode portion 50 located near one end (the end on the horizontal side 37 side) in the vertical direction Y to the other end (the end on the horizontal side 36 side). In other words, the first finger electrode portions 51 extend across the photoelectric conversion substrate 30 in the vertical direction Y when viewed in a plan view.
The width of the first finger electrode portion 51 is narrower than the width of the first bus bar electrode portion 50, and is preferably 20 μm or more and 70 μm or less.

As shown in FIG. 5B , the second collector electrode 32 is provided on the second main surface 26 side, and is a conductive layer partially laminated on the second electrode layer 42 .
The second collecting electrode 32 is composed of a second bus bar electrode portion 60 and a plurality of second finger electrode portions 61 .
The second collecting electrode 32 is formed of a material having a higher conductivity than the second electrode layer 42, and in this embodiment, is made of a metal such as gold, silver, aluminum, copper, or palladium, or a metal alloy thereof.

The second bus bar electrode portion 60 is provided on the other end side in the vertical direction Y (the end side on the horizontal side 36 side) and is a connection portion that connects the ends of each second finger electrode portion 61, and extends in the horizontal direction X.
The second busbar electrode portion 60 functions as a land to which the first busbar electrode portion 50 of an adjacent solar cell 20 is connected via a conductive adhesive 21, and is also a connection wiring portion that connects adjacent solar cell cells 20, 20 in the horizontal direction X.
The width of the second bus bar electrode portion 60 is not particularly limited, but is preferably 0.1 mm or more and 8 mm or less.

The second finger electrode portion 61 is a linear electrode portion extending parallel to the vertical sides 38, 39 from a middle portion in the horizontal direction X of the second bus bar electrode portion 60 toward one end portion (the end portion on the horizontal side 37 side) in the vertical direction Y. In other words, the second finger electrode portion 61 extends in the opposite direction to the first finger electrode portion 51 provided on the first main surface 25 side.
The second finger electrode portions 61 are arranged side by side at intervals in the horizontal direction X, and each extends from the second busbar electrode portion 60 near the other end in the vertical direction Y (the end on the horizontal side 36 side) to near one end (the end on the horizontal side 37 side).
That is, the second finger electrode portions 61 , like the first finger electrode portions 51 , extend across the photoelectric conversion substrate 30 in the vertical direction Y.
The width of the second finger electrode portion 61 is narrower than the width of the second bus bar electrode portion 60, and is preferably 20 μm or more and 70 μm or less.

The power generating region is a region capable of generating power by receiving light, and is a region in which the first electrode layer 40, the photoelectric conversion section 41, and the second electrode layer 42 are overlapped in the thickness direction.
That is, in the solar cell module 1, each solar cell 20 can generate electricity by receiving light in the power generation area of the solar cell 20.

(Conductive adhesive 21)
The conductive adhesive 21 is a conductive member having electrical conductivity, and is an adhesive that connects the bus bar electrode portions 50 , 60 of the solar cells 20 , 20 together.
The conductive adhesive 21 of this embodiment is a conductive adhesive film in which a conductive adhesive material is provided on both sides of a conductive film.

(Exit wiring 6, 7)
As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the output wirings 6 and 7 extend from between the light-transmitting base materials 2 and 3 to the inside and outside, and are wirings for outputting the electric power generated from each solar cell unit 5 to the outside.
The first output wiring 6 can be bonded to the first bus bar electrode portion 50 of each solar cell 20 located at one end in the vertical direction Y directly or via a conductive adhesive.
In other words, the first extracting wiring 6 is connected to the first busbar electrode portion 50 of each solar cell 20 located at one end in the vertical direction Y, thereby making it possible to make the first busbar electrode portion 50 of each solar cell 20 have the same potential.
The second output wiring 7 can be adhered to the second bus bar electrode portion 60 of each solar cell 20 located at the other end in the vertical direction Y directly or via a conductive adhesive.
In other words, the second output wiring 7 is connected to the second busbar electrode portion 60 of each solar cell 20 located at the other end in the vertical direction Y, making it possible to make the second busbar electrode portion 60 of each solar cell 20 have the same potential.

(Sealing materials 8, 9)
The sealing materials 8 and 9 have sealing properties and are members that seal the solar cell section 5 together with the light-transmitting base materials 2 and 3, and also serve as adhesives that bond the light-transmitting base materials 2 and 3 together.

(Light transmitting region 10)
The light transmitting region 10 is a region through which light passes in the thickness direction, and is a region in which no solar cell 20 exists.
As shown in FIG. 4( b ), the light transmitting region 10 is formed between the solar cells 20 , 20 adjacent to each other in the horizontal direction X, and is also formed between the solar cells 20 , 20 adjacent to each other in the vertical direction Y.
The light transmitting region 10 in this embodiment is an enclosed region surrounded by four solar cells 20 , and its outline is defined by the sides 36 to 39 of each solar cell 20 .

Next, we will explain the positional relationship of each part of the solar cell module 1 of this embodiment.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, in the solar cell module 1, the solar cell cells 20 are distributed at intervals in the horizontal direction X and the vertical direction Y, forming a pseudo checkerboard pattern.
As shown in FIG. 6 , the solar cell module 1 has a plurality of solar cell groups 15 (parallel-connected groups) formed by arranging a plurality of solar cell cells 20 at intervals in the horizontal direction X, and each solar cell group 15 is arranged in the vertical direction Y.
In each solar cell group 15 of this embodiment, solar cells 20, 20 adjacent to each other in the lateral direction X are arranged with an interval therebetween, as shown in FIG.

As shown in Figures 4 and 6, the second collector electrodes 32a, 32b of the solar cell 20a, 20b constituting the first solar cell group 15a (first parallel connection group) are connected by the collector electrode 31c of the solar cell 20c constituting the adjacent second solar cell group 15b (second parallel connection group) on one side in the vertical direction Y, and the first collector electrodes 31a, 31b are connected by the second collector electrode 32d of the solar cell 20d constituting the adjacent third solar cell group 15c on the other side in the vertical direction Y.
Therefore, in the solar cell module 1, as shown in FIG. 7, the solar cell cells 20 belonging to the first solar cell group 15a are electrically connected in parallel.

4 and 6, the third solar cell 20c constituting the second solar cell group 15b is provided such that the first bus bar electrode portion 50 of the first collector electrode 31c overlaps across the second bus bar electrode portion 60 of the second collector electrode 32a of the first solar cell 20a and the second bus bar electrode portion 60 of the second collector electrode 32b of the second solar cell 20b, and is electrically connected to each of the second collector electrode 32a of the first solar cell 20a and the second collector electrode 32b of the second solar cell 20b via the conductive adhesive 21. That is, the third solar cell 20c is shingling-connected to each of the first solar cell 20a and the second solar cell 20b.
As shown in Figure 6, the third solar cell 20c is arranged so that the second busbar electrode portion 60 of the second collector 32c overlaps across the first busbar electrode portion 50 of the first collector 31e of the fifth solar cell 20e and the first busbar electrode portion 50 of the first collector 31f of the sixth solar cell 20f, and is electrically connected to each of the first collector 31e of the fifth solar cell 20e and the first collector 31f of the sixth solar cell 20f.

As shown in FIG. 6, the third solar cell 20c has four corners overlapping with the solar cells 20a, 20b, 20e, and 20f.
Specifically, in the third solar cell 20c, the first solar cell 20a overlaps from the first main surface 25 side at a first corner 80 formed by the vertical side 38 and the horizontal side 37, and the second solar cell 20b overlaps from the first main surface 25 side at a second corner 81 formed by the horizontal side 37 and the vertical side 39. In addition, in the third solar cell 20c, the fifth solar cell 20e overlaps from the second main surface 26 side at a third corner 82 formed by the vertical side 38 and the horizontal side 36, and the sixth solar cell 20f overlaps from the second main surface 26 side at a fourth corner 83 formed by the horizontal side 36 and the vertical side 39.

As shown in Figures 3(a) and 6, the fourth solar cell 20d that constitutes the third solar cell group 15c is arranged so that the second busbar electrode portion 60 of the second collector 32d overlaps across the first busbar electrode portion 50 of the first collector 31a of the first solar cell 20a and the first busbar electrode portion 50 of the first collector 31b of the second solar cell 20b, and is electrically connected to each of the first collector 31a of the first solar cell 20a and the first collector 31b of the second solar cell 20b.
As shown in Figure 7, the fourth solar cell 20d is electrically connected in series with the third solar cell 20c via the first solar cell 20a, and is also electrically connected in series with the third solar cell 20c via the second solar cell 20b.

As shown in Figure 6, when viewed from the overlapping direction of the light-transmitting base materials 2, 3 (when the light-transmitting base materials 2, 3 are viewed in a planar view), the solar cell module 1 has a light-transmitting region 10 formed by the vertical side 39 of the first solar cell 20a, the vertical side 38 of the second solar cell 20b, the horizontal side 37 of the third solar cell 20c, and the horizontal side 36 of the fourth solar cell 20d.
The area (opening area) of the light-transmitting region 10 is preferably at least 1/4 and less than 1/2 the area of the third solar cell 20c that constitutes part of the light-transmitting region 10, in order to ensure a sufficient light-transmitting region 10 and facilitate light collection through the light-transmitting region 10.

The shortest distance D1 between adjacent solar cells 20a, 20b in the horizontal direction X shown in Figure 6 is preferably greater than or equal to 1/5 and less than 1/1 of the length of the third solar cell 20c in the horizontal direction X, from the viewpoint of ensuring a sufficient light-transmitting region 10 and facilitating light collection through the light-transmitting region 10.
It is preferable that the distance between the first solar cell 20a and the second solar cell 20b in the horizontal direction X is at least a distance that prevents the solar cells 20a, 20b from interfering with each other, and from the viewpoint of ensuring the light transmitting region 10, it is preferable that the shortest distance D1 between the solar cells 20a, 20b is at least 3 mm.

It is preferable that the overlapping area in the thickness direction between the first collector 31c of the third solar cell 20c and the second collector 32a of the first solar cell 20a is 5% or more and 40% or less of the area of the first bus bar electrode portion 50 of the third solar cell 20c.
In addition, from the viewpoint of ensuring a sufficient conductive area while also ensuring a sufficient light-transmitting region 10, it is preferable that the overlapping area of the first collector 31c of the third solar cell 20c and the second collector 32b of the second solar cell 20b be 5% or more and 40% or less of the area of the first busbar electrode portion 50 of the third solar cell 20c.
It is preferable that the exposed area of the first collector electrode 31c of the third solar cell 20c from the first solar cell 20a and the second solar cell 20b in the thickness direction is 20% or more and 90% or less of the area of the first bus bar electrode portion 50 of the third solar cell 20c.

The difference between the total area of the power generating regions of the solar cells 20 belonging to the first solar cell group 15a and the total area of the power generating regions of the solar cells 20 belonging to the second solar cell group 15b adjacent to the first solar cell group 15a in the vertical direction Y is preferably 10% or less, and more preferably 5% or less, from the viewpoint of equalizing the load applied to each solar cell 20.
As shown in FIG. 2, in the solar cell module 1 of this embodiment, the total area of the power generating area is adjusted by using, as the solar cell 20, normal solar cell 20A and adjustment solar cell 20B having an area different from that of the normal solar cell 20A, and the difference in the total area of the power generating area of the solar cell 20 belonging to each solar cell group 15 is 5% or less.

According to the solar cell module 1 of the present embodiment, since it has the light transmitting region 10 capable of transmitting light in the overlapping direction of the light-transmitting base materials 2 and 3, it can function as a see-through solar cell module.
According to the solar cell module 1 of this embodiment, the light-transmitting region 10 is formed not by processing the solar cell 20 but by the gap between adjacent solar cells 20, 20, so that the area of the power generation region of each solar cell 20 can be increased.
According to the solar cell module 1 of this embodiment, the outline of the light-transmitting region 10 is formed by each solar cell 20, so that an appearance with shading can be achieved due to the difference in light transmittance between the solar cell 20 and the light-transmitting region 10, and a checkerboard-like pattern can be imparted due to the relationship between the solar cell 20 and the light-transmitting region 10. As a result, the design can be improved compared to the conventional art.

According to the solar cell module 1 of this embodiment, the light transmitting region 10 is formed by being surrounded by four solar cells 20, so that the light transmitting region 10 can be formed in an isolated island-like pattern.
According to the solar cell module 1 of this embodiment, the conductive path connecting the fourth solar cell 20d and the third solar cell 20c includes a conductive path connecting the fourth solar cell 20d, the first solar cell 20a, and the third solar cell 20c, and a conductive path connecting the fourth solar cell 20d, the second solar cell 20b, and the third solar cell 20c. That is, since the conductive path passing through the first solar cell 20a and a conductive path bypassing the first solar cell 20a are provided, for example, even if the first solar cell 20a becomes unable to generate power, the conductive path via the second solar cell 20b is possible. Therefore, power generation can be maintained even if the first solar cell 20a becomes unable to generate power.

According to the solar cell module 1 of this embodiment, the conductive path merges from the first solar cell 20a and the second solar cell 20b to the third solar cell 20c, and branches from the third solar cell 20c to the fifth solar cell 50e and the sixth solar cell 20f, so that the conductive path is easily secured even if a malfunction occurs in any of the solar cells 20a, 20b, 20e, and 20f.

In the solar cell module 1 of this embodiment, the first corner 80 of the third solar cell 20c overlaps with the fourth corner 83 of the first solar cell 20a, and the second corner 81 overlaps with the third corner 82 of the second solar cell 20b, so the distance between the first solar cell 20a and the second solar cell 20b can be increased.

According to the solar cell module 1 of this embodiment, the solar cell cells 20a, 20b constituting the first solar cell group 15a, which is the first parallel connection group, are connected in parallel by the solar cell cells 20c constituting the second solar cell group 15b, which is the second parallel connection group. This eliminates the need to connect the solar cell cells 20 using separate members such as wiring, and allows for a large power generation area.

According to the solar cell module 1 of this embodiment, the area of the light-transmitting region 10 can be adjusted by adjusting the overlap width between adjacent solar cells 20, 20 in the horizontal direction X and/or the vertical direction Y, so the proportion of the light-transmitting region 10 can be designed to match the desired transmittance.

According to the solar cell module 1 of this embodiment, the shape of the light-transmitting region 10 can be changed to a horizontally long rectangle, a square, or a vertically long rectangle by adjusting the overlap width between adjacent solar cells 20, 20 in the horizontal direction X and/or the vertical direction Y, so that a checkerboard pattern of any shape can be formed.

In the above embodiment, a horizontally long rectangular solar cell 20 is used, but the present invention is not limited to this. As shown in FIG. 8, a vertically long rectangular solar cell 20 may be used. Also, a square solar cell 20 may be used.

In the above embodiment, a horizontally rectangular solar cell module 1 is formed using horizontally rectangular solar cell cells 20, but the present invention is not limited to this. A vertically rectangular or square solar cell module 1 may be formed using solar cell cells 20.

In the above embodiment, the solar cells 20 at both ends in the horizontal direction X are arranged in a straight line in the vertical direction Y, but the present invention is not limited to this. As shown in FIG. 9(a), some solar cells 20 may protrude in the horizontal direction X compared to the other solar cells 20. In this case, the solar cell section 5 may be composed of solar cells 20 all of the same shape, as shown in FIG. 9(a).

In the above embodiment, the solar cells 20 are evenly arranged in a checkerboard pattern, but the present invention is not limited to this. As shown in FIG. 9(b), some of the solar cells 20 may be omitted.

In the above embodiment, the solar cell 20 is a crystalline solar cell, but the present invention is not limited to this. The solar cell 20 may be another type of solar cell. For example, it may be a PERC type solar cell.

In the above embodiment, the solar cell module 1 is a bifacial solar cell module that receives light on both main surfaces and generates electricity, but the present invention is not limited to this. The solar cell module 1 may be a single-sided solar cell module that receives light on only one main surface and generates electricity. In this case, the collector electrode 31 or collector electrode 32 located on the main surface opposite the light receiving surface may be formed in a planar shape over the entire surface of the photoelectric conversion substrate 30.

In the above embodiment, the solar cell module 1 has the solar cell sections 5 arranged in the vertical direction Y (up-down direction), but the present invention is not limited to this. The solar cell sections 5 may be arranged in the horizontal direction X (left-right direction). In this case, it is preferable to rotate the solar cell module 1 by 90 degrees to reverse the vertical and horizontal orientation.

As long as the above-described embodiments fall within the technical scope of the present invention, the components may be freely substituted or added between the various embodiments.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Solar cell module 2, 3 Light-transmitting substrate 10 Light-transmitting region 15a First solar cell group (first parallel-connected group)
15b Second solar cell group (second parallel connection group)
20 Solar cell 20a First solar cell 20b Second solar cell 20c Third solar cell 20d Fourth solar cell 20e Fifth solar cell 20f Sixth solar cell 25 First main surface 26 Second main surface 31, 31a to 31f First collector electrode 32, 32a to 32d Second collector electrode 50 First bus bar electrode portion 60 Second bus bar electrode portion 80 First corner portion 81 Second corner portion

Claims (9)

A solar cell module having a plurality of solar cells between two light-transmitting substrates,
Each solar cell has a first main surface and a second main surface, a first collector electrode is provided on the first main surface side, and a second collector electrode is provided on the second main surface side,
The plurality of solar cells includes a first solar cell, a second solar cell, and a third solar cell,
The first solar cell and the second solar cell are disposed at a distance from each other,
the third solar cell has a first collector electrode that is provided to overlap across the second collector electrode of the first solar cell and the second collector electrode of the second solar cell, and is electrically connected to each of the second collector electrode of the first solar cell and the second collector electrode of the second solar cell;
a light transmitting region capable of transmitting light in the overlapping direction of the two light-transmitting substrates;
A solar cell module, wherein a portion of the outline of the light transmitting region is formed by the first solar cell, the second solar cell, and the third solar cell when viewed from the overlapping direction of the two light-transmitting substrates. the plurality of solar cells includes a fourth solar cell;
the fourth solar cell is provided so that a second collector electrode overlaps the first collector electrode of the first solar cell and the first collector electrode of the second solar cell, and is electrically connected to each of the first collector electrode of the first solar cell and the first collector electrode of the second solar cell;
2. The solar cell module according to claim 1, wherein the light transmitting region is surrounded by the first solar cell, the second solar cell, the third solar cell, and the fourth solar cell when viewed from the overlapping direction of the two light-transmitting substrates. The solar cell module according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the shortest distance between the first solar cell and the second solar cell is at least 1/5 of the length of the third solar cell in the direction in which the first solar cell and the second solar cell are arranged. The solar cell module according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the area of the light-transmitting region is at least 1/4 of the area of the third solar cell. a first collector electrode of the third solar cell has a bus bar electrode portion extending across the second collector electrode of the first solar cell and the second collector electrode of the second solar cell,
3. The solar cell module according to claim 1, wherein an overlapping area of the first collector electrode of the third solar cell and the second collector electrode of the first solar cell in an overlapping direction of the two light-transmitting base materials is 5% to 40% of an area of the bus bar electrode portion. The plurality of solar cells includes a fifth solar cell and a sixth solar cell,
3. The solar cell module according to claim 1, wherein the second collector electrode of the third solar cell is arranged to overlap across the first collector electrode of the fifth solar cell and the first collector electrode of the sixth solar cell, and is electrically connected to each of the first collector electrode of the fifth solar cell and the first collector electrode of the sixth solar cell. the third solar cell has a first corner portion and a second corner portion adjacent to each other;
3. The solar cell module according to claim 1, wherein, when viewed from the overlapping direction of the two translucent substrates, the first corner portion of the third solar cell overlaps with the first solar cell and the second corner portion of the third solar cell overlaps with the second solar cell. a first parallel connection group in which a plurality of solar cells including the first solar cell and the second solar cell are electrically connected in parallel, and a second parallel connection group in which a plurality of solar cells including the third solar cell are electrically connected in parallel,
3 . The solar cell module according to claim 1 , wherein each of the solar cells constituting the first parallel-connection group is electrically connected in parallel by a solar cell constituting the second parallel-connection group. Each solar cell has a power generation area capable of generating power by receiving light,
a first parallel connection group in which a plurality of solar cells including the first solar cell and the second solar cell are electrically connected in parallel, and a second parallel connection group in which a plurality of solar cells including the third solar cell are electrically connected in parallel,
3. The solar cell module according to claim 1, wherein a difference between a total area of the power generating regions of the solar cells belonging to the first parallel connection group and a total area of the power generating regions of the solar cells belonging to the second parallel connection group is 10% or less.

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