JPH0621500A - Solar cell module - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a solar cell module in which insulation of adjacent rectangular units of a solar cell element is obtained without necessity of insulating end faces of the units of the element when the elements each formed on conductive substrate are electrically connected in series in the module, the fabrication work is simplified and the number of steps can be reduced. CONSTITUTION:A solar cell module has a plurality of rectangular units 4 of an amorphous silicon solar cell using a conductive substrate disposed on a flat platelike base 1, and comprises a plurality of protrusions 2 each having a space for containing ends of the units, having insulation at least on a front surface and provided continuously or intermittently linearly in such a manner that the ends of the units are inserted into the spaces of the protrusions 2 and supported.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a solar cell module installed and used outdoors.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, as serious energy problems have been exclaimed, solar energy does not deplete like fossil energy and does not cause air pollution or carbon dioxide gas, that is, clean energy that does not destroy the environment. It is attracting attention as one.

Above all, solar cell power generation is expected as an alternative energy source to replace conventional power generation methods such as thermal power, nuclear power, or diesel power generation in the future.

There are various materials for the semiconductor layers that make up this solar cell, and in particular, many materials using silicon are commercially available. These are roughly classified into crystalline silicon solar cells using single crystal silicon and polycrystalline silicon, and amorphous silicon solar cells.

Crystalline silicon solar cells use light (sunlight)
The conversion efficiency, which represents the ability to convert energy into electric energy, is higher than that of amorphous silicon solar cells, but on the other hand, the element itself is weak against stress and easily cracks, so a strong sealing structure and a strong frame are required. To do. Further, there is a problem that the cost per unit amount of electric power is high at present.

On the other hand, although amorphous silicon solar cells have lower conversion efficiency than crystalline silicon solar cells at present, solar cells can be formed by depositing a thin film having high light absorption and relatively thin thickness. Moreover, it is characterized in that various materials such as glass, stainless steel, and polyimide sheet can be selected as the substrate by utilizing the amorphous property, and that the area can be easily increased. It is said that the manufacturing cost may be lower than that of the crystal system, and it is expected to spread widely in the future from general household level to large-scale power plant level.

Except for those used as parts for calculators, the solar cell modules currently on the market are roughly classified into relatively small ones having an outer shape of about 10 cm square and larger ones having a larger size.

The small ones are for outdoor and indoor use, while the large ones are mainly intended for outdoor use.
It is often used on the ground or on the roof or wall of a building.

By the way, in the solar cell module, the units of the solar cell elements are electrically connected in series in order to set the output voltage to a desired value. These electrical connection methods differ depending on whether a transparent insulating substrate is used or a conductive substrate, and can be roughly divided into the following two. When a transparent insulating substrate is used, in the process of depositing a silicon semiconductor thin film on the substrate, the elements are often separated by using a method called laser scribing, and the elements are connected in series in many cases. On the other hand, when a conductive substrate is used, the conductive substrate itself is often used as an anode or a cathode. Therefore, in order to electrically connect the elements in series, the solar cell element is once cut together with the conductive substrate. It is customary to electrically connect the positive electrode and the negative electrode of the adjacent solar cell elements by using metal wiring.

[0010]

Further demands are made especially when the solar cell elements using a conductive substrate are electrically connected in series. That is, in order to secure the light receiving area per module as wide as possible, while ensuring the insulation between the conductive substrates of the rectangular unit of the adjacent solar cell element, the rectangular unit of the adjacent solar cell element The requirement is that the spacing between the facing end faces should be as small as possible. In order to meet this requirement, solutions such as applying an insulating resin to the opposing end faces of each rectangular unit and the vicinity thereof or applying an insulating tape to perform an insulating treatment can be considered.

However, the above-mentioned method complicates the working process, and further, due to the structure of the solar cell module,
There is a production problem that it is necessary to insulate as many as one side or both sides of opposite end faces of all rectangular units for each module, which requires a lot of time.

In view of the above-mentioned present situation, the present invention provides an insulating treatment for the end faces of individual rectangular units of solar cell elements when the solar cell elements using a conductive substrate are electrically connected in series inside the solar cell module. It is an object of the present invention to provide a solar cell module that does not need to be provided, and that the insulation of adjacent rectangular units can be secured, the work can be simplified, and the number of steps can be reduced.

[0013]

In order to achieve the above object, the solar cell module of the present invention comprises a plurality of rectangular units of an amorphous silicon solar cell using a conductive substrate on a flat substrate. In the arranged solar cell module,
The flat substrate has a space for accommodating the end portion of the rectangular unit, and a plurality of projections having at least an insulating surface are provided in a continuous or intermittent linear form, and the end portion of the rectangular unit is the projection. It is inserted into the storage space of and is supported.

[0014]

In a solar cell module in which a plurality of rectangular units of an amorphous silicon solar cell using a conductive substrate are arranged on a flat substrate, the flat plate in which end faces of adjacent rectangular units are located The space of the rectangular base has a space for accommodating the end of the rectangular unit, and at least the plurality of protrusions having an insulating surface are provided in a continuous or intermittent linear shape, so that the interval between the rectangular units is reduced. Even if it is made small, the insulation between the individual conductive substrates can be ensured, and it becomes possible to prevent a short circuit between the connection wiring for connecting the rectangular units in series and the end face of the rectangular unit. Moreover, since the protrusions can be formed and the insulating process can be performed for each base, the insulating process of the end portion of each of the rectangular units is not required, and the work can be simplified and the number of work steps can be reduced.

A configuration example of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to FIG.

However, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the following manufacturing method, structure, outer shape, process or procedure of a solar cell element.

Rectangular unit 4 of the solar cell element used in the present invention
For example, an amorphous silicon thin film is formed on a stainless steel substrate from the substrate side by using the RF glow discharge method.
i, p, n, i, p are deposited in this order, indium oxide is further vacuum-deposited as a transparent electrode, and then cut into a rectangle.

The dimensions of these rectangular units are selected depending on the design of the solar cell module, and for example, 100 m in length.
m, width 300 mm. Next, the linear collector electrodes 5 parallel to the short sides of these rectangular units are screen-printed with a screen plate prepared in advance using a commercially available silver paste or the like. The current collecting electrode has a width of, for example, about 0.3 mm, and the distance between the current collecting electrode and an adjacent current collecting electrode is about 6.0 mm. Further, as the bus bar 6, for example, a tin-plated copper tape with a width of about 3.0 mm is used, and the tape is placed at a position where the center line of the tape is about 3.0 mm from the end of the long side of the rectangular unit, and the current is collected. The same silver paste as that used for the collecting electrode at the contact point with the electrode is used to adhere to the collecting electrode 5.

Next, the flat plate-shaped substrate 1 which supports these rectangular units will be described. The outer dimensions of the flat plate-shaped substrate are, for example, 1500 mm in length and 320 mm in width.
The material of the substrate may be either insulating or conductive. As the insulating material, for example, a hard insulating resin is used, and when a conductive material is used, the outer surface of the base is used after being insulated with an insulating resin or the like. As the conductive material, a material that has sufficient stress resistance and insulation properties and that is easy to integrally mold the protrusion of the present invention or to install the protrusion of the present invention as a separate component, and further to have a rectangular shape Any material may be used as long as it is a material that is not deformed or decomposed by heat treatment of the conductive paste used for electrical series connection of the units or heat during vacuum lamination,
In particular, iron, stainless steel, galvanized steel plate, etc. are preferable. Protrusions, which will be described below, are formed or installed on the flat substrate 1, and the rectangular units 4 of the solar cell elements are aligned and installed.

Next, a plurality of protrusions 2 on the flat plate-shaped substrate 1 described above.
Will be described. These protrusions 2 are arranged between the opposing long sides of two adjacent rectangular units on the contact surface on which the rectangular unit 4 on the outer surface of the base plate is placed. The installation method may be integral molding with the base 1, or the projection 2 may be installed on the base 1 as a separate component.

In any case, the flat substrate 1 and the protrusions 2
It is necessary that all outer surfaces of the insulating material have insulating properties. The shape of the protrusion 2 is a continuous or intermittent linear shape extending over the entire length of the long side of the rectangular unit 4. For example, as shown in FIG. 3 or 6, a plurality of rectangular units are arranged so that their long sides face each other. In this case, the shape is provided with a slit-shaped portion (hereinafter, referred to as an end insertion portion 8) into which any one of the long ends of each rectangular unit can be inserted.
However, these end insertion portions 8 are installed or formed so as to be aligned in one direction without facing each other when aligning the rectangular units 4, as shown in FIGS. 2, 4 and 5.

When the projections 2 are formed intermittently, the long end of the rectangular unit 4 which is not inserted into the end insertion portion 8 is cut or cut in accordance with the shape of the projection-free portion. As a result, the distance between the portion in which the rectangular unit is not inserted and the adjacent rectangular unit is increased, and more reliable insulation between the adjacent conductive substrates is realized, but it is not always necessary to cut out.

On the other hand, on the side opposite to the end insertion portion of the protrusion,
As shown in FIG. 3, it is desirable to incline in the short side direction of the rectangular unit 4, for example. This is because the conductive substrate of one of the adjacent rectangular units 4 and the bus bar 6 of the other are connected to the conductive short-circuiting material 3.
As an example, when electrically connecting using the conductive tape 3, there is an effect that the conductive tape is not easily broken even if it receives bending stress. However, the shape on the opposite side of the end insertion portion 8 is not limited to this.

Further, as an example of the case where these protrusions 2 are integrally molded with the base 1, as shown in FIG. 5, for example, a "U" shape is provided in the vicinity of the portion of the base 1 where the protrusion 2 is required. There is a method of making a notch and bending the part to the side where the rectangular unit is installed. However, when the material of the substrate 1 is a conductive substance, after forming the protrusions 2, all outer surfaces of the substrate 1 and the protrusions 2 are coated with an insulating resin or the like as shown in FIG.
It is necessary to insulate like.

Next, a procedure for electrically connecting the rectangular units 4 in series by using the rectangular unit 4 of the solar cell element prepared as described above, the substrate 1 having the protrusions 2 and the conductive tape 3 will be described. . First, the conductive tape 3 is attached on the protrusions 2 of the substrate 1 in parallel with the lateral direction of the substrate 1. At that time, the conductive tape 3 protrudes about 2 mm from the end insertion portion of the projection, and the opposite side of the end insertion portion 8 overlaps the back side of the end of the rectangular unit 4 to be installed later by about 5.0 mm. Paste it on. Next, the silver paste 7 is applied to a portion of the conductive tape which is attached to the side opposite to the end insertion portion 8, and then the end portion provided with the bus bar 6 of the rectangular unit 4 prepared in advance is attached to the end of the protrusion 2. It is inserted into the part insertion portion 8. Further, the conductive tape 3 protruding to the end insertion portion 8 side is attached onto the bus bar 6 of the rectangular unit 4 located therebelow. Finally, the silver paste 7 is used to form the conductive tape 3 on the bus bar 6 described above.
And short-circuit the bus bar 6. This procedure is repeated for all the rectangular units 4.

Subsequently, these are placed in a commercially available oven for about 1 hour.
After the silver paste 7 is hardened by heat treatment at 00 ° C. for 1 hour, a rectangular unit 4 of the solar cell element is formed by a vacuum sealing method using, for example, a surface protection material, a back surface protection material, and an adhesive material (not shown).
And the base 1 is sealed.

As the front surface protective resin and the rear surface protective material, for example, a sheet-like fluororesin film having a thickness of about 100 μm, whose surface is preliminarily subjected to plasma treatment, or a fluororesin having a thickness of about 100 μm, which is laminated with aluminum from both sides, Sheet-shaped EVA (ethylene-vinyl acetate copoly), for example, is used as the adhesive on the front surface side and the back surface side, and vacuum laminated at about 100 ° C. in a commercially available oven to form one solar cell module. .

[0028]

The present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the following examples, but it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to these examples.

Example 1 The solar cell element used in this example was manufactured as follows.

An amorphous silicon thin film was deposited on a stainless steel substrate having a thickness of 8 MIL in the order of n, i, p, n, i, p from the substrate side by using an RF glow discharge method, and then oxidized as a transparent electrode. Indium was vacuum deposited. Next, a silver paste was screen-printed to provide 0.3 mm wide collector electrodes at 6 mm intervals. Further, a copper tape having a width of 3 mm, the surface of which is tin-plated, is attached from the long end of the substrate to a position where the center line of the tape is 3 mm to form a bus bar,
Further, a silver paste was used to short-circuit the bus bar and the collecting electrode, and 130 rectangular units of 100 mm long and 300 mm wide solar cell rectangular units were produced.

FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram of the flat plate-shaped substrate 1 and the protrusions 2 used in this embodiment. The outer dimensions of the substrate used in this example are 1500 mm in length, 320 mm in width, and 4.0 mm in thickness.
The material was ABS resin.

The protrusions 2 are formed integrally with the flat plate-shaped substrate 1 so as to be located between the long sides of the rectangular units on the contact surface on which the rectangular units are placed on the outer surface of the substrate 1. The shape of the protrusion is a linear shape that is continuous over the entire length of the long side of the rectangular unit, and when a plurality of rectangular units are aligned so that their long sides face each other as shown in FIG. The slit-shaped space for inserting either one of the long ends has a height of 0.5 mm and a width of 0.5 mm. However, these end insertion portions 8 were formed so as to be aligned in one direction without facing each other when aligning the rectangular units.

On the other hand, on the side opposite to the end insertion portion 8 of the protrusion,
The rectangular unit 4 was tilted about 60 degrees in a direction parallel to the short side.
This is true even when the conductive tape is subjected to bending stress when electrically connecting the conductive board on the other side of the rectangular unit and the bus bar on the other side using the conductive tape as described above. This is to prevent disconnection.

The rectangular unit of the solar cell element was installed on the flat substrate 1 as follows. The rectangular unit of the prepared solar cell element, the substrate 1 provided with the protrusion 2 and the conductive tape having adhesiveness on only one surface were used to electrically connect the rectangular units in series. First, a conductive tape was attached to the protrusion 2 in parallel with the lateral direction of the substrate 1 with the adhesive surface of the conductive tape on the protrusion side. At that time, the conductive tape protrudes about 2 mm from the end insertion portion 8 of the protrusion 2, and the opposite side of the end insertion portion 8 is about 5. 5 mm behind the end of the rectangular unit to be installed thereafter.
It was attached so that it overlaps with 0 mm.

Next, a silver paste is applied to the surface of the conductive tape on the side opposite to the end insertion portion 8, and the long end side provided with the bus bar in a rectangular unit is set to the end insertion portion 8. The rectangular unit 4 was inserted and placed so as to be in close contact with the surface of the substrate 1. Further, the conductive tape protruding to the end insertion portion 8 side was attached to the rectangular unit bus bar located below the conductive tape. Finally, the silver paste was used to short-circuit the conductive tape and the bus bar. This procedure was repeated for all 13 rectangular units. However, the conductive substrate of one of the 13 rectangular units of Ryuzu was left as it was.

These were heat-treated in a commercially available oven at about 100 ° C. for 1 hour to cure the silver paste 7.

Next, the rectangular unit of the solar cell elements and the flat plate-shaped substrate 1 connected in series were vacuum-sealed by using a surface protection material, a back surface protection material, and an adhesive material. The surface protection resin and the back surface protection material each have a thickness of 100, the surface of which has been plasma treated in advance.
Fluorine resin film (trade name: DUPONT, manufactured by DUPONT) having a thickness of 100 μm, and fluorinated resin having a thickness of 100 μm, which has been laminated with aluminum from both sides
T company's trade name: white Tedlar) was used. Also, as the adhesive on the front side and the back side, length 1500 mm, width 320 mm
Using EVA in the shape of a sheet shaped into a rectangle, vacuum laminate at about 100 ° C in a commercially available oven.
A solar cell panel 1 was prepared.

Finally, holes were formed in the back surface and the front surface of the end portion in the longitudinal direction of the base body, respectively, which lead to the conductive substrate and the bus bar portion, and were taken out as a minus terminal and a plus terminal, respectively. The output cable has a cross-sectional area of 1.25 mm
2. A copper cable with a length of 50 cm was used to solder to each of the plus and minus output terminals, and the solder portion was insulated and waterproofed using silicon rubber. At the other end of the output cable, a male male connector for the plus and a female female connector of 100V, 15A 2P were attached to the negative side as an output connecting member. Thus, the solar cell module of this example is completed. Ten solar cell modules described above were produced.

In addition to the above, as a conventional example, as shown in FIG. 7, a flat plate made of ABS resin and having no protrusion according to the present invention is used as the substrate 10, and the insulation treatment of the long end of each rectangular unit 4 is performed. After the tape 11 made of polyester is used, one conductive substrate of the adjacent rectangular units 4 and the bus bar 6 of the other are electrically connected in series by using the same conductive tape 3 as in this embodiment, and then laminated. Ten processed solar cell modules were produced and the number of working steps was compared with that of the solar cell module of the present invention.

The electrical performances of all the solar cell modules produced were measured by a commercially available pseudo-sunlight generator (trade name 250A manufactured by SPIRE), and the current of each solar cell was measured.
From the voltage curve, it was examined whether or not there was a significant decrease in output due to insulation failure between rectangular units. As a result, in the solar cell module of this example, no remarkable decrease in output was observed.

From the above results, in the solar cell module of this embodiment, when the rectangular units are aligned so that the long ends face each other and are connected in series, the long ends of the individual rectangular units are connected as in the conventional case. By integrally molding the plate-shaped substrate and the protrusion without requiring a step of insulation treatment, it is possible to reliably insulate the long end of the rectangular unit, and the object of the present invention to reduce the number of working steps is achieved. It was confirmed to be done.

(Example 2) As the solar cell element used in this example, the same solar cell element as in Example 1 was used, and 130 rectangular units of these solar cell elements were prepared.

Next, the flat plate-shaped substrate 1 that supports these rectangular units will be described. In this embodiment, the outer shape and the cross-sectional shape of the protrusion are the same as those in the first embodiment, but the protrusion is not continuous to the entire length of the long side of the rectangular unit as shown in FIG. With a length of 1.0 cm, 1.0
It differs from Example 1 in that it is formed with an interval of cm. The material of the flat substrate 1 was ABS resin. Also,
The flat plate-shaped substrate 1 and the protrusions 2 were produced by integral molding as in Example 1. The dimensions of the end insertion portion 8 are the same as those in the first embodiment.
Same as.

Next, the rectangular units of the solar cell element prepared as described above, the flat substrate and the conductive tape having an adhesive property on only one side were used to electrically connect the rectangular units in series.

First, a conductive tape was attached onto the protrusions 2 of the flat plate-shaped substrate 1 in parallel with the lateral direction of the flat plate-shaped substrate 1. However, unlike the first embodiment, since the protrusions 2 of this embodiment are arranged intermittently, the conductive tape is prepared by cutting into a length of 1.0 cm in advance, and the portion where the protrusions 2 are present is prepared. The same procedure as in Example 1 was applied to only the above. Next, silver paste is applied to the surface of the conductive tape on the side opposite to the end insertion portion 8, and then, in the same procedure as in Example 1, the side having the bus bar at the long end of the rectangular unit is the end. Insert into the insertion part 8,
Then, the rectangular unit was placed on the surface of the flat substrate 1 so that the rectangular unit was in close contact with the surface. Further, the conductive tape protruding to the end insertion portion 8 side was attached to the rectangular unit bus bar located below the conductive tape. Finally, a silver paste was used to short-circuit the conductive tape located on the bus bar and the bus bar.
This procedure was repeated for all 13 rectangular units.
However, one of the 13 rectangular units at both ends was left as it was as a conductive substrate.

These were heat-treated in a commercially available oven at about 100 ° C. for 1 hour to cure the silver paste.

Next, the rectangular units of the solar cell elements connected in series and the plate-shaped substrate 1 were vacuum-sealed by using a front surface protective material, a rear surface protective material, and an adhesive material. The surface protection resin and the back surface protection material, and the materials and dimensions of the front and back side adhesives were the same as in Example 1, and vacuum laminated at about 100 ° C. in a commercially available oven to obtain one solar cell module. did.

Finally, holes were formed in the back surface and the front surface of the end portion of the plate-shaped substrate 1 in the longitudinal direction, respectively, which lead to the conductive substrate and the bus bar portion, and were taken out as a minus terminal and a plus terminal, respectively. The output cable has a cross-sectional area of 1.2.
A copper cable of 5 mm 2 and a length of 50 cm was used for soldering to each of the plus and minus output terminals, and the solder portion was insulated and waterproofed with silicon rubber. At the other end of the output cable, a male type 100V, 15A 2P waterproof connector was attached to the positive side and an female type 2P waterproof connector to the negative side as an output connecting member. Thus, the solar cell module of this example is completed.

Ten solar cell modules described above were produced. Separately, the number of working steps of the solar cell module as a conventional example manufactured in Example 1 and the solar cell module of the present invention was compared.

As a result of visual inspection, it was found that all the modules in which the EVA as the adhesive was sufficiently filled in the portions between the long end portions of the adjacent rectangular units where the protrusions of the present invention did not exist. I was able to confirm about.

The electrical performances of all the solar cell modules produced were measured with a commercially available pseudo-sunlight generator (trade name: 250A, manufactured by SPIRE Co.), and a rectangular shape was obtained from the current-voltage curves of the individual solar cells. It was examined whether there was a significant decrease in output due to poor insulation between units. As a result, in the solar cell module of this example, no remarkable decrease in output was observed.

From the above results, also in the solar cell module of this embodiment, when the rectangular units are aligned in series so that the long ends face each other and are connected in series, the long end portions of the individual rectangular units are arranged as in the conventional case. It is possible to reliably insulate the long end of the rectangular unit by integrally forming the plate-shaped substrate and the protrusion without requiring the step of insulating treatment, and the original goal of reducing the number of working steps is achieved. It was confirmed to be done.

(Example 3) The rectangular unit of the solar cell element used in this example was the same as in Examples 1 and 2, and 130 rectangular units of these solar cell elements were prepared.

The flat plate-shaped substrate that supports these rectangular units has the shape shown in FIG. 5, and has outer dimensions of 1500 mm in length, 320 mm in width, 0.27 mm in thickness, and is made of a galvanized steel sheet.

Next, a plurality of protrusions 2 on the flat plate-shaped substrate 1 described above.
Will be described. These protrusions 2 were located between the long sides of the rectangular unit on the outer surface of the flat substrate 1 on which the rectangular unit was placed. Bending was used as the installation method. As shown in FIG. 6, the protrusions 2 of the plate-shaped substrate 1
Make a "U" -shaped notch of 1.0 cm in length and 2.0 mm in width in the vicinity of the part that needs to be, and make the end 0.5 mm in height on the side where the rectangular unit is installed. Bent to form the protrusion 2. After that, the outer surfaces of all of the flat substrate 1 and the protrusions 2 were dipped in a container filled with an insulating resin (trade name: Lumiflon manufactured by Asahi Glass Co., Ltd.) to apply and insulate them.

Next, using a rectangular unit of the solar cell element, a plate-shaped substrate and a conductive tape having adhesiveness on only one side,
Electrical series connection in rectangular units was performed in the same procedure as in Examples 1 and 2.

Next, the rectangular unit and the flat plate-shaped substrate of the solar cell elements connected in series were sealed in the same procedure as in Examples 1 and 2. In this embodiment, the materials and dimensions of the surface protection material, the back surface protection material, the adhesive material, and the vacuum laminating method were the same as those in the first and second embodiments.

Finally, holes were formed in the back surface and the front surface of the end portion of the plate-shaped substrate 1 in the longitudinal direction, respectively, which lead to the conductive substrate and the bus bar portion, and were taken out as a minus terminal and a plus terminal, respectively. The output cable has a cross-sectional area of 1.2.
A copper cable of 5 mm 2 and a length of 50 cm was used for soldering to each of the plus and minus output terminals, and the solder portion was insulated and waterproofed with silicon rubber. At the other end of the output cable, a male type 100V, 15A 2P waterproof connector was attached to the positive side and an female type 2P waterproof connector to the negative side as an output connecting member. Thus, the solar cell module of this example is completed. Ten solar cell modules described above were produced.

Separately from this, the number of working steps of the solar cell module as a conventional example produced in Example 1 and the solar cell module of the present invention was compared.

As a result of visual inspection, it was found that all the modules in which the EVA as the adhesive was sufficiently filled in the portion between the long end portions of the adjacent rectangular units where the protrusion of the present invention does not exist. I was able to confirm about.

The electrical performances of all the solar cell modules produced were measured with a commercially available pseudo-sunlight generator (trade name 250A manufactured by SPIRE), and the rectangular shape was obtained from the current / voltage curves of the individual solar cells. It was checked whether the output was significantly reduced due to insulation failure between the units. As a result, in the solar cell module of this example, no remarkable decrease in output was observed.

From the above results, also in the solar cell module of this embodiment, when the rectangular units are aligned in series so that the long ends face each other and connected in series, the long end portions of the individual rectangular units are arranged as in the conventional case. It is possible to surely insulate the long end portion of the rectangular unit tile by integrally molding the flat plate-shaped substrate and the projection without requiring a step of insulating treatment, and it is an object of the present invention to reduce the working steps. Was confirmed to be achieved.

[0063]

As described above, the flat substrate supporting the rectangular unit of a plurality of amorphous silicon solar cells using a conductive substrate has an outer surface which is a contact surface with the rectangular unit of the solar cell. Of these, there is a space for inserting one of the opposite ends of the adjacent rectangular units in a continuous or intermittent linear shape in a portion located between the end faces of the adjacent rectangular units, and at least the surface has an insulating property. By providing the protrusion having the above, the insulating property of the adjacent conductive substrate can be ensured, and the presence of the protrusion can prevent a short circuit at the end face of the rectangular unit in series. Further, since it is not necessary to insulate the end of each rectangular unit, the work can be simplified and the number of work steps can be reduced.

[0064]

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a conceptual cross-sectional view showing a solar cell module of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram showing the characteristics of the flat substrate 1 of Example 1.

FIG. 3 is a structural conceptual cross-sectional view showing the features of the flat plate-shaped substrate 1 and the protrusions 2 of Examples 1 and 2.

FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram showing the characteristics of the flat substrate 1 of Example 2.

FIG. 5 is a conceptual diagram showing the characteristics of a flat plate-shaped substrate l of Example 3.

FIG. 6 is a conceptual cross-sectional view showing the relationship between a flat plate-shaped substrate 1 and projections 2 of Example 3 and a rectangular unit 4 of a solar cell element.

FIG. 7 is a conceptual cross-sectional view showing the features of a serial connection portion of a conventional solar cell module.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Flat substrate 2 Protrusion 3 Conductive short-circuiting material 4 Rectangular unit of solar cell element 5 Current collecting electrode 6 Bus bar 7 Conductive paste 8 Edge insertion part 9 Insulating resin 10 Flat substrate (insulating) 11 Insulating tape

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A solar cell module in which a plurality of rectangular units of an amorphous silicon solar cell using a conductive substrate are arranged on a flat substrate, and the flat substrate has an end portion of the rectangular unit. A plurality of protrusions having a space for accommodating at least the surface of which is insulative are provided in a continuous or intermittent linear shape, and the end portion of the rectangular unit is inserted into and supported by the accommodating space of the protrusions. A solar cell module.