WO2004006342A1 - Appareil de production d'energie solaire et procede de fabrication - Google Patents

Appareil de production d'energie solaire et procede de fabrication Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2004006342A1
WO2004006342A1 PCT/JP2003/008659 JP0308659W WO2004006342A1 WO 2004006342 A1 WO2004006342 A1 WO 2004006342A1 JP 0308659 W JP0308659 W JP 0308659W WO 2004006342 A1 WO2004006342 A1 WO 2004006342A1
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WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
solar
solar cells
solar cell
power generation
substrate
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/JP2003/008659
Other languages
English (en)
Inventor
Fumitaka Toyomura
Nobuyoshi Takehara
Original Assignee
Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Canon Kabushiki Kaisha filed Critical Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
Priority to AU2003281409A priority Critical patent/AU2003281409A1/en
Publication of WO2004006342A1 publication Critical patent/WO2004006342A1/fr
Priority to US10/991,450 priority patent/US7612283B2/en

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Classifications

    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H02—GENERATION; CONVERSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRIC POWER
    • H02S—GENERATION OF ELECTRIC POWER BY CONVERSION OF INFRARED RADIATION, VISIBLE LIGHT OR ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT, e.g. USING PHOTOVOLTAIC [PV] MODULES
    • H02S40/00—Components or accessories in combination with PV modules, not provided for in groups H02S10/00 - H02S30/00
    • H02S40/30—Electrical components
    • H02S40/32—Electrical components comprising DC/AC inverter means associated with the PV module itself, e.g. AC modules
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
    • H01L31/00—Semiconductor devices sensitive to infrared radiation, light, electromagnetic radiation of shorter wavelength or corpuscular radiation and specially adapted either for the conversion of the energy of such radiation into electrical energy or for the control of electrical energy by such radiation; Processes or apparatus specially adapted for the manufacture or treatment thereof or of parts thereof; Details thereof
    • H01L31/04—Semiconductor devices sensitive to infrared radiation, light, electromagnetic radiation of shorter wavelength or corpuscular radiation and specially adapted either for the conversion of the energy of such radiation into electrical energy or for the control of electrical energy by such radiation; Processes or apparatus specially adapted for the manufacture or treatment thereof or of parts thereof; Details thereof adapted as photovoltaic [PV] conversion devices
    • H01L31/042—PV modules or arrays of single PV cells
    • H01L31/0445—PV modules or arrays of single PV cells including thin film solar cells, e.g. single thin film a-Si, CIS or CdTe solar cells
    • H01L31/046—PV modules composed of a plurality of thin film solar cells deposited on the same substrate
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H02—GENERATION; CONVERSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRIC POWER
    • H02S—GENERATION OF ELECTRIC POWER BY CONVERSION OF INFRARED RADIATION, VISIBLE LIGHT OR ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT, e.g. USING PHOTOVOLTAIC [PV] MODULES
    • H02S40/00—Components or accessories in combination with PV modules, not provided for in groups H02S10/00 - H02S30/00
    • H02S40/30—Electrical components
    • H02S40/34—Electrical components comprising specially adapted electrical connection means to be structurally associated with the PV module, e.g. junction boxes
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H02—GENERATION; CONVERSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRIC POWER
    • H02S—GENERATION OF ELECTRIC POWER BY CONVERSION OF INFRARED RADIATION, VISIBLE LIGHT OR ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT, e.g. USING PHOTOVOLTAIC [PV] MODULES
    • H02S40/00—Components or accessories in combination with PV modules, not provided for in groups H02S10/00 - H02S30/00
    • H02S40/30—Electrical components
    • H02S40/36—Electrical components characterised by special electrical interconnection means between two or more PV modules, e.g. electrical module-to-module connection
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H02—GENERATION; CONVERSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRIC POWER
    • H02M—APPARATUS FOR CONVERSION BETWEEN AC AND AC, BETWEEN AC AND DC, OR BETWEEN DC AND DC, AND FOR USE WITH MAINS OR SIMILAR POWER SUPPLY SYSTEMS; CONVERSION OF DC OR AC INPUT POWER INTO SURGE OUTPUT POWER; CONTROL OR REGULATION THEREOF
    • H02M1/00—Details of apparatus for conversion
    • H02M1/0067—Converter structures employing plural converter units, other than for parallel operation of the units on a single load
    • H02M1/007—Plural converter units in cascade
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H02—GENERATION; CONVERSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRIC POWER
    • H02M—APPARATUS FOR CONVERSION BETWEEN AC AND AC, BETWEEN AC AND DC, OR BETWEEN DC AND DC, AND FOR USE WITH MAINS OR SIMILAR POWER SUPPLY SYSTEMS; CONVERSION OF DC OR AC INPUT POWER INTO SURGE OUTPUT POWER; CONTROL OR REGULATION THEREOF
    • H02M3/00—Conversion of dc power input into dc power output
    • H02M3/22—Conversion of dc power input into dc power output with intermediate conversion into ac
    • H02M3/24—Conversion of dc power input into dc power output with intermediate conversion into ac by static converters
    • H02M3/28—Conversion of dc power input into dc power output with intermediate conversion into ac by static converters using discharge tubes with control electrode or semiconductor devices with control electrode to produce the intermediate ac
    • H02M3/285—Single converters with a plurality of output stages connected in parallel
    • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
    • Y02E—REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
    • Y02E10/00—Energy generation through renewable energy sources
    • Y02E10/50—Photovoltaic [PV] energy

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a solar power generation apparatus, a solar power generation system, and a method of manufacturing the solar power generation apparatus and, moreparticularly, to a solarpowergeneration apparatus and solar power generation system, which have a plurality of solar cells formed on a common substrate and a method of manufacturing the solar power generation apparatus .
  • Fig. 2 is a view showing the schematic arrangement of a conventional general solar power generation system.
  • a general solarpower generation system 8 a plurality of solar cells are connected in series to form a solar battery module 6 as a unit .
  • a plurality of solar battery modules 6 are further connected in series to construct a solar battery string 7 (also called a solar battery array) .
  • a plurality of solar battery strings 7 are connected in parallel to form a solar battery array.
  • a DC power from the solar battery array is collected by a collection box 9. The collected power is converted into an AC power by an inverter 3 and connected to a load 4 or system 5.
  • Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-112545 discloses a solar power generation system in which a DC/DC converter is connected to each solar battery array through a connection box, and all DC output powers are input to an inverter at once and converted into an AC power. According to this arrangement , each DC/DC converter executes maximum power point tracking control for a corresponding solar battery array. Hence, the accuracy of maximum power point tracking control of the solar power generation system increases .
  • Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 8-70533 discloses a technique in which an inverter is connected to each solar battery array, each solar batterymodule, or each solar cell to reduce the output variation between the solar battery modules or solar cells or the power efficiency difference due to partial shade.
  • This arrangement that attaches an inverter to each solar battery module or solar cell can also cope with an increase or decrease in power generation amount by solar batteries at a low cost.
  • thesepriorarts have the followingproblems .
  • a solar battery module must be formed by connecting a plurality of solar cells in series .
  • a bypass diode To reduce the influence of partial shade, a bypass diode must be connected in parallel with each of the series-connected solar cells. However, even when this method is used, the influence of partial shade on the remaining power generating cells cannot be completely eliminated.
  • U.S. Patent No. 4,773,944 discloses a solar battery modulewhichisformedbyparallel-connectingall solarcells formed on one substrate. This structure should solve the above-described problems such as the cumbersomeness of the series connection step, the increase in cost, the influence of partial shade, and the difficulty in installation.
  • a bus bar for current collection is connected to the current collection electrodes of the solar cells so that the outputs from the plurality of cells are collected and output .
  • the current that flows through the current collection bus bar has a value corresponding to the sum of outputs currents of the plurality of cells.
  • the sectional area of the current collection bus bar is increased.
  • the weight and volume of the current collection bus bar become very large, resulting in difficulty in manufacture and transportation.
  • a solar power generation apparatus comprising, a plurality of solar cells formed on a common substrate, and a plurality of converters which are connected to the solar cells, respectively, to convert outputs from the connected solar cells.
  • a solar power generation system comprising, a plurality of solar cells formed on a common substrate, a plurality of DC/DC converters which are connected to said solar cells, respectively, to convert outputs from the connected solar cells, and an inverter which converts an AC power output from said plurality of DC/DC converters into an AC power.
  • a method of manufacturing a solar power generation apparatus comprising steps of, forming a solar cell on a conductive substrate by a semiconductor manufacturing process, etching the solar cell at a predetermined interval to divide the solar cell into a plurality of solar cells, and connecting a DC/DC converter to each of the plurality of solar cells . That is , in the present invention, a plurality of solar cells are formed on a common substrate, and a converter which converts the output from the solar cell is connected to each solar cell to constitute a solar power generation apparatus . The plurality of solar cells are formed on one substrate.
  • the cutting step, end portion etching step, series connection step, and bypass diode connection step which are necessary for manufacturing a conventional general solar batterymodule, can be omitted. Accordingly, the manufacture and material cost decreases, and the area power generation efficiency of the solar power generation apparatus largely increases .
  • the work for installing the solar cells at a predetermined interval can be executed for each solar powergenerationapparatus , the time requiredforinstalling the solarpowergenerationapparatus cangreatlybe shortened, and the cost of installation can be reduced.
  • Partial shade affects only the solar cell with the partial shade and not the remaining solar cells. Furthermore, since the plurality of solar cells are formed on the common substrate, the variation in characteristic between the solar cells is small. Hence, as compared to the conventional systemhaving series-connected solarcells. the influence of partial shade or a variation in characteristic can be greatly reduced.
  • the converter may comprise a DC/DC converter, which boosts a DC voltage output from the solar cell.
  • each of the DC/DC converters may be attached to a corresponding one of the solar cells .
  • the plurality of solar cells may be arrayed in a line on the substrate.
  • the plurality of solar cells may be formed on the substratebya semiconductormanufacturingprocess, andeach solar cell may be separated from the remaining solar cells by etched portions .
  • the solar cell maycomprise aphotoelectric conversion layer, and a collection electrode, a surface wiring member, and a transparent thin-film resin layer, which are arranged on a light-receiving surface side of said photoelectric conversion layer, andone of the current collectionelectrode and the surface wiring member may have, at least at a part, an exposed portion which is not covered with the transparent thin-film resin layer.
  • the photoelectric conversion layer may comprise a thin-film silicon layer.
  • the substrate may comprise a conductive substrate, and the photoelectric conversion layer may have a positive pole on a side of the substrate.
  • the substrate may comprise a conductive substrate, and one of the outputs from the solar cells and one of the outputs from the DC/DC converters may be electrically connected to the substrate.
  • both of one of the outputs from the solar cells and one of the outputs from the DC/DC converters may be on a low voltage side, or on a high voltage side.
  • the substrate has portions having no solar cells on two of peripheral sides .
  • the apparatus may be fixed to a support through the portions having no solar cells.
  • the solar cells may be sealed with a resin.
  • Fig. 1 is a schematic view showing the arrangement of a solar power generation system according to the first embodiment of the present invention
  • Fig. 2 is a view showing the schematic arrangement of a conventional general solar power generation system
  • Fig. 3 is a sectional view showing the structure of a solar cell assembly shown in Fig. 1;
  • Fig. 4 is a sectional view showing the structure of each solar cell shown in Fig. 1;
  • Fig. 5 is an explanatory view of a step of manufacturing the solar cell assembly shown in Fig. 1
  • Fig. 6 is an explanatory view of the step of manufacturing the solar cell assembly shown in Fig. 1;
  • Fig. 7 is a schematicviewshowing the outer appearance of the solar power generation system according to the first embodiment ;
  • Fig. 8 is a circuit diagram showing an example of a DC/DC converter;
  • Fig. 9 is a circuit diagram showing an example of an inverter
  • Fig. 10 is a schematic view showing the outer appearance of a solar power generation system according to the second embodiment
  • Fig. 11 is a circuit diagram showing the schematic arrangement of the solar power generation system shown in Fig. 10;
  • Fig. 12 is a partially enlarged view showing a solar cell shown in Fig. 10;
  • Fig. 13 is a circuit diagram showing connection between the main circuit and the conductive substrate of a DC/DC converter shown in Fig. 10;
  • Fig. 14 is a view showing a method of installing the solar power generation system shown in Fig. 10;
  • Fig. 15 is a view showing the schematic arrangement of a high-frequency transformer insulating inverter used in the solar power generation system shown in Fig. 10;
  • Fig. 16 is a view showing the potential-PH diagram of copper
  • Fig. 17 is a schematic view showing the outer appearance of a solar power generation system according to the third embodiment
  • Fig. 18 is a circuit diagram showing the schematic arrangement of the solar power generation system shown in Fig. 17;
  • Fig. 19 is a circuit diagram showing connection between the main circuit and the conductive substrate of a DC/DC converter shown in Fig. 17;
  • Fig. 20 is a schematic view showing the outer appearance of a solar power generation apparatus according to still another embodiment of the present invention.
  • Fig. 21 is aview for explaining the PWMcontrol scheme of the inverter in the present invention.
  • Fig. 22 is a schematic view showing the outer appearance of a solar power generation apparatus according to still another embodiment of the present invention.
  • Fig. 23 is a sectional view taken along a line X - X" in Fig. 22 .
  • Fig. 1 is a schematic view showing the arrangement of a solar power generation system according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
  • the solar power generation system comprises solar cell assemblies 101 each constructed by a plurality of solar cells formed on one conductive substrate, DC/DC converters 2, an inverter 3, a load 4, and a system 5.
  • a solar cell is a structure having a photovoltaic layer divided into a predetermined region.
  • a solar cell is a minimum unit having a function as a solar battery capable of extracting a power from its photovoltaic layer.
  • the plurality of solar cells in the solar cell assembly 101 are independent from each other. They are not connected in series .
  • a DC power output from each solar cell is input to a corresponding one of the DC/DC converters 2 that are arrangedinaone-to-one correspondencewiththe solarcells .
  • the DC powers are boosted at a predetermined boost ratio. All the outputs from the DC/DC converters 2 are input to the inverter 3 at once, converted into an AC power having a commercial frequency, and supplied to the load 4. An extra power is transmitted to the system 5.
  • a module 106 that comprises the solar cell assemblies 101 and the DC/DC converters 2 connected to the solar cells will be referred to as a solar power generation apparatus .
  • Fig. 3 is a sectional view of a solar cell assembly
  • the conductive substrate 10 will be described later in detail.
  • each solar cell 1 a structure obtained by forming a lower electrode layer 11, semiconductor layer 12, and upper electrode layer 13 on the conductive substrate 10 is used.
  • the lower electrode layer is formed by forming a lower electrode layer 11, semiconductor layer 12, and upper electrode layer 13 on the conductive substrate 10 .
  • the conductive substrate is preferably rolled up in advance. Continuous film formation such as a roll-to-roll method in which the layers are formed while sequentially feeding the substrate and rewinding it at the other end is preferably employed from the viewpoint of productivity. A case wherein this scheme is used will mainly be described here. A batch apparatus can also be used.
  • the lower electrode layer 11, semiconductor layer 12, andupperelectrode layer 13 usedhere are describedindetail in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-186572 filed by the present applicant .
  • the semiconductor layer 12 is preferably made of a thin silicon film and, more preferably, amorphous silicon.
  • amorphous silicon When amorphous silicon is used as the semiconductor layer, it normally uses a pin junction formed by sequentially forming an n-type semiconductor, i-type semiconductor, and p-type semiconductor from the side of the conductive substrate 10.
  • a double or triple structure having two or three pin junctions is also preferably used.
  • an nip junction formed by forming a p-type semiconductor, i-type semiconductor, and n-type semiconductor from the side of the conductive substrate 10 is also preferably be used in some cases.
  • each layer can be appropriately selected from various known methods such as deposition, sputtering, high-frequencyplasma CVD, microplasma CVD, ECR, thermal CVD, and LPCVD.
  • the thus formed solar cell is cut into a plurality of cells .
  • an etching paste containing FeCl 3 , A1C1 3 , or the like is applied to the upper electrode layer by screen printing.
  • the resultant structure is heated and cleaned to linearly remove part of the upper electrode layer of the solar cell, thereby forming the etching lines 115 as shown in Fig. 3.
  • a double-coated adhesive tape 25 which has insulation property is continuously bonded to one side of the light-receiving surface of the conductive substrate.
  • Current collection electrodes 14 are formed on the double-coated adhesive tape 25 and upper electrode at a predetermined interval.
  • Light-receiving surface terminal members 16 are attached to the upper portion of the double-coatedadhesive tape 25 bythermal contact bonding. The current collection electrode 14 used here will be described later in detail.
  • a solar cell assembly 501 with the current collection electrodes 14 and light-receiving surface terminal members 16, as shown in Fig. 5, is manufactured.
  • a transparent thin-film resin layer 23 is formed on the light-receiving surface of the solar cell assembly. The structure and formingmethod of the transparent thin-filmresin layerwill be described later in detail.
  • the transparent thin-film resin layer 23 is formed not on the entire light-receiving surface but on only part of it to form a solar cell assembly 601, as will be described later in detail. According to this structure, since no extra insulating material is required, the cost of the solarpower generation apparatus or the entire system can be reduced. More specifically, instead of forming the transparent thin-film resin layer on the entire surface of the solar cell assembly 501, the transparent thin-film resin layer is formed only at minimum necessary portions so that any adverse effect on the power generation performance under the outdoor environment can be prevented. That is, no transparent thin-film resin layer is formed on the light-receiving surface terminal members 16 and etching lines 115. Only portions (active areas) having a photoelectric conversion characteristic for at least incident light on the solar cells are covered.
  • the solar cell assembly 501 of the present invention may be protected from the outdoor environment by encapsulating the solar cell assembly with a weather-resistant film, a filler, or a back reinforcing member in the next step, like a conventional solar battery module .
  • This structure can also be used in the present invention.
  • the solarcell assembly 601 havingthe transparent thin-film resin layer 23 formed thereon is cut into a desired length along the etching lines, a solar power generation system with a desired output can easily be constituted.
  • the DC/DC converter 2 (to be described later in detail) is electrically connected to each of the plurality of solar cells, a solar power generation apparatus 701 can be constituted.
  • the conductive substrate used in the solar cell assembly is a member which mechanically supports the semiconductor layer for photoelectric conversion.
  • the conductive substrate can be used as an electrode on the non-light-receiving surface side of the solarcell.
  • the substrate preferablyhas aresistance to the temperature in forming the semiconductor layer.
  • the conductive substrate serves as a matching pair when the solar cell assembly is bonded onto the support.
  • the conductive substrate is preferably made of a material having good adhesion to the adhesive to be used.
  • the substrate When the conductive substrate is to be fixed on the support using a fixing member, the substrate preferably has a mechanical strength, weather resistance, and corrosion resistance to withstand fixing.
  • Examples of the material of the conductive substrate are metals such as Fe, Ni, Cr, Al, Mo, Au, Nb, Ta, V, Ti, Pt, and Pb and an alloy thereof, a thin plate of brass or stainless steel and a composite thereof, carbon sheet, and galvanized sheet .
  • the substrate maybemade of anelectricallyinsulating material.
  • films or sheets made of heat-resistant synthetic resins such as polyester, polyethylene, polycarbonate, cellulose acetate, polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, polyvinylidene chloride, polystylene, polyamide, polyimide, and epoxy; composites of thesematerials and glass fiber, carbon fiber, boron fiber, or metal fiber; and a thin plate of the metal or resin sheet having a surface with a deposited or formed metal thin film of a different material.
  • the current collection electrode is generally formed into a comb shape on the semiconductor layer or upper electrode layer of the solar cell.
  • the preferable width or pitch is determined for the sheet resistance value of the semiconductor layer or upper electrode layer.
  • the current collection electrode is also required to have a low resistivity and not to become a series resistance
  • the resistivity is preferably 10
  • a metal such as Ti, Cr, Mo, W, Al, Ag, Ni, Cu, Sn, or Pt or an alloy thereof, or a metal line having a surface coated with solder or a conductive adhesive is used.
  • a metal paste made of metal powder and polymer resin binder is used. However, the material is not limited to this .
  • the terminal member is electrically connected to the current collection electrode to form a positive or negative extraction electrode.
  • the terminal member is attached to the etching surface of the conductive substrate or solar cell, from which the upper electrode layer is removed, by using laser welding, a conductive adhesive, or brazing to havealowelectricalresistanceandhighmechanicalstrength.
  • the terminal member is attached onto the current collection electrode by pressing.
  • a "light-receiving surface terminal member” and “non-light-receiving surface terminal member” are discriminated in accordance with the position where the terminal member is attached to the solar cell.
  • the electrical performance required of the terminal member and its material are almost the same as those of the current collection electrode.
  • the terminal member preferably has a foil shape to maintain the flatness of the solar cell and ensure a low resistance.
  • the non-light-receiving surface terminal member may be formed into a comb or radial shape on the entire non-light-receiving surface to increase the current collection efficiency.
  • the terminal member When a terminal member to connect a DC/DC converter or inverter is necessary, the terminal member is connected to the light-receiving surface terminal member or non-light-receiving surface terminal member by using laser welding, a conductive adhesive, or brazing.
  • the transparent thin-film resin layer located on the light-receiving surface of the solar cell according to this embodiment is not particularly limited as long as it is a transparent film capable of covering and protecting the underlying current collection electrode, upper electrode layer, and the like.
  • the transparent thin-film resin layer preferably has excellent coating property, weather resistance, and adhesive property. Especially, a transparent thin-film resin layer having a good water resistance is required.
  • Typical materials are fluorocarbon resin, acrylate resin, polyester, and polycarbonate. More specifically, polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) resin, polyvinyl fluoride [PVF] resin, or tetrafluoroethylene-ethylene copolymer (ETFE) resin can be used.
  • PVDF polyvinylidene fluoride
  • PVF polyvinyl fluoride
  • ETFE tetrafluoroethylene-ethylene copolymer
  • Polyvinylidene fluoride resin is excellent in weather resistance. Tetrafluoroethylene-ethylene copolymer resin has both high weather resistance and high mechanical strength and also high transparency.
  • the transparent thin-film resin layer is formed by a coating method such as curtain coating to be normally used for coating.
  • the resin coating that can use curtain flow preferably has a lowviscosityof about 0.3 Pa * s or less .
  • spraycoating is preferablyused.
  • a resin coating having a viscosity of 0.05 Pa • s or less is preferable.
  • the lower limit value of the viscosity is not particularly limited and can appropriately be selected from desired film thicknesses. As the viscosity decreases, the number of times of coating necessary for obtaining the desired film thickness increases. Practically, the viscosity is preferably 0.001 Pa's or more.
  • the thickness after formation of the transparent thin-film resin layer is preferably 1 ⁇ m or more because this thickness allows coating without any pinhole.
  • the thickness is more preferably about 200 ⁇ m or more from the following viewpoints .
  • the transparent thin-film resin layer is preferably thicker. However, as the transparent thin-film resin layer becomes thicker, the transmission to sunlight decreases, and the power generation performance degrades. In addition, when a thick layer is formed, the flexibility of the resin layer maydegrade . When the layer is thick, the current collection electrode, upper electrode layer, or photovoltaic layer may break upon shrinkage in hardening.
  • the resin layer In outdoor use, if the thickness of the resin layer exceeds about 200 m, it cannot follow up the force in thermal expansion or in installation. Hence, the resin layer may receive stress to form cracks or peel off at the interface to the current collection electrode, upper electrode layer, or photovoltaic layer.
  • the transparent thin-film resin layer need not always be formed from one of material.
  • a transparent thin-film resin layer having a two-layered structure may be formed using two materials .
  • a layer immediately above the upper electrode layer of the solar cell may be formed from a material with a good adhesion to the upper electrode layer, and a layer on this layer may be made of a material having a high weather resistance.
  • the coating step may be executed twice.
  • a member that connects the DC/DC converters 2 is a parallel connection member.
  • this member is used for only the pole on one side. More specifically, this member is used to connect one output terminal of each DC/DC converter.
  • a general-purpose insulating electrical wire or insulating cable may be used.
  • a bare conductor without any insulating coating can also be used.
  • a copper wire, copper stranded wire, or copper band is preferably used.
  • connectionmemberbetween each DC/DC converter and the inverter is defined as an interdevice connection member.
  • the interdevice connection member can also use the same shape andmaterial as those of the parallel connection member.
  • the parallel connection member used to connect the DC/DC converters may be directly extended and connected to the inverter in place of the interdevice connection member.
  • the support is a member which fixes the solar cell assembly.
  • the support indicates a member which forms a frame or installation surface.
  • the means for fixing the solar cell assembly to the support is not particularly limited.
  • a method of fixing the solar cell assembly using an adhesive is preferably used because theareaofnon-power-generationregions in the solar cell assembly can be small.
  • a non-power-generation region for installation may be formed at part of the solar cell assembly, and that portion may be fixed with a fixing member such as a nail, screw, or bolt .
  • a concrete material is preferably used because the structure is simplified, and installation is facilitated. If the support is made of a heavy material such as concrete, installation of the support (frame) can be completed only placing it on the ground. In addition, concrete has a high outdoor durability and is inexpensive. Hence, it can conveniently be used as the frame of the solar battery.
  • the support is preferably separately constituted by, e.g., a plate-shaped fixing support (support) that fixes the solar battery and a back support on which the fixing support is installed. After the back support having, e.g. , a cubic shape is installed, the plate-shaped fixing support is leaned against the back support . This is convenient because the installation angle of the solar battery can be arbitrarily changed.
  • the DC/DC converter connected to the solar cell comprises a boost circuit which boosts a DC voltage to the input voltage of the inverter circuit, a control circuit whichcontrols activation/stop of power conversion, optimization of the operating point of the solar battery, and the operation mode, a system-connected protection circuit, a communication circuit, and input and output terminals.
  • the output from the DC/DC converter may be directly connected to the load.
  • outputs from a plurality of DC/DC converters are input to one inverter, and an AC power obtained by conversion is used by the load or interconnected to the system.
  • the control circuit comprises, e.g., a CPU, a PWM waveform control circuit, a maximum power point tracking control circuit, a control power supply generation circuit, a frequency/voltage reference generator, and a switching control circuit .
  • the control circuit may be externally operatedthroughacommunication line. Alternatively, some of the functions of the control circuit may be arranged outside the DC/DC converter to control a plurality of power converters at once.
  • the DC/DC converter preferably has a control circuit comprising at least a control power supply generation circuit, a switching reference waveform generation circuit which defines a switching frequency, and a switching element driving circuit capable of driving a switching element at a fixed duty.
  • the main circuit preferably has a switching element ON/OFF-controlled by the switching element driving circuit and a switching transformer having a predetermined turn ratio .
  • each DC/DC converter is formed as a chip and electrically connected to the surface wiring member and conductive substrate during the solar cell manufacturing step, the series of works for connecting the DC/DC converter to the solar cell can be simplified.
  • the DC/DC converter is preferably arranged near the solar cell to efficiently input the output from the solar cell.
  • the DC/DC converter is preferably directly attached to the solar cell.
  • the encapsulatingmaterial of the DC/DC converter must have characteristics such as a thermal resistance, humidity resistance, water resistance, electrical insulating property, low temperature resistance, oil resistance, weather resistance, shock resistance, and water resistance in accordance with the use conditions .
  • the encapsulating material preferably has a good adhesion to an adhesive to firmly fix the DC/DC converter to the solar cell or back reinforcing member.
  • Thermoplastic resins such as ABS resin, polypropylene, and polyvinyl chloride can also be used.
  • carbon black is preferably used as a pigment or a resin coating that absorbs UV rays is preferably applied to the surface to increase the UV light resistance.
  • the inverter used in the solar power generation system comprises a boost circuit which boosts an input DC voltage to the input voltage of the inverter circuit , an inverter circuit which converts a DC power into anACpower, acontrolcircuitwhichcontrols activation/stop of power conversion, optimization of the operating point of the solar battery, and the operation mode, a grid-connected protection circuit , a communication circuit , and input andoutput terminals .
  • the output fromthe inverter is used by the load or interconnected to the system.
  • the inverter circuit is preferably a voltage type inverter which uses an IGBT or MOSFET as a switching element. By driving the gate of the switching element by the control signal of the control circuit , anACpowerhavingdesiredfrequency, phase. and voltage can be obtained.
  • the control circuit comprises, e.g., a CPU, a PWM waveform control circuit, a frequency/voltage reference generator, a maximum power point tracking control circuit, a current reference generator, a mode switching device, and a switching control circuit .
  • the control circuit may be externally operated through a communication line.
  • control circuits themselves may be arranged at one point outside the inverters to control the plurality of inverters at once.
  • the inverter 3 is preferably arranged near the solar cell to efficiently input the output from the solar cell.
  • the inverter is preferably directly connected to the solar cell.
  • an inverterwith an isolating transformer or an inverter having no isolating transformer canbe used in accordancewiththe applicationpurpose.
  • an inverter with an isolating transformer is used.
  • the inverter must have characteristics such as a thermal resistance, humidity resistance, water resistance, electrical insulating property, low temperature resistance , oil resistance, weather resistance, shock resistance, and water resistance in accordancewith the use conditions .
  • the inverter is preferably made of a material that has a good adhesion to an adhesive to firmly fix the inverter to the solar cell.
  • plastic materials that can be used as the encapsulating material are resins such as polycarbonate, polyamide, polyacetal, modified PPO (PPE), polyester, polyallylate, unsaturated polyester, phenol resin, epoxy resin, polybutylene terephthalate, and nylon; and an engineering plastic.
  • Thermoplastic resins such as ABS resin, polypropylene, and polyvinyl chloride can also be used.
  • carbon black is preferably used as a pigment or a resin coating that absorbs UV rays is preferably applied to the surface to increase the UV light resistance.
  • Fig. 7 is a schematicviewshowingthe outerappearance of the solar power generation system according to this embodiment.
  • Reference numeral 702 denotes a solar cell assembly having the above-described structure; 2, a DC/DC converter; 3, an inverter; 4, a load; and 5, a system. More specifically, as a conductive substrate, a cleaned and rolled long stainless substrate having a thickness of 0.1 mm, a width of 250 mm, and a length of 300 m is transferred. First, an Al layer containing 1% Si is formed to a layer thickness of 5,000 A by sputtering as a lower electrode layer 11. Next, a p/i/n amorphous silicon semiconductor layer 12 is formed.
  • n-type semiconductor PH 3 , SiH 4 , and H 2 gases are used.
  • SiH 4 and H 2 gases are used.
  • B 2 H fi , SiH 4 , and H 2 gases are used.
  • a 300-A thick n-type semiconductor layer, 4000-A thick i-type semiconductor layer, and 100-A thick p-type semiconductor layer are sequentiallyformedbyplasma CVD in film formation apparatuses through which the stainless substrate passes.
  • a 800-A thick ITO layer is formed by resistive heating deposition as an upper electrode layer.
  • an etching paste containing FeCl 3 , A1C1 , or the like is applied to the upper electrode at desired division portions by screen printing.
  • the resultant structure is heated and cleaned to linearly remove part of the upper electrode and form 1-mm wide etching lines at an interval of 250 mm.
  • 10 photovoltaic layers separated by the etching lines are formed.
  • a 7.5-mm wide polyimide-substrate double-coated adhesive tape 25 as a double-coated adhesive tape is continuously bonded to one side of the light-receiving surface side of the conductive substrate (thickness: 200 ⁇ m (substrate: 100 ⁇ m) ) .
  • a carbon wire prepared by coating a copper wire having a diameter of 100 ⁇ with a carbon paste in advance is formed in the power generation regions of the photovoltaic layer and on the polyimide-substrate double-coated adhesive tape 25, thereby forming current collection electrodes 14.
  • Light-receiving surface terminal members 16 formed from a silver-plated copper foil having a width of 5 mm, a length of 245 mm, and a thickness of 100 ⁇ m are placed on the polyimide-substrate double-coated adhesive tape 25 and thermally contact-bonded together with the current collection electrodes 14 at 200°C and 3 kg/cm for 180 sec.
  • a fluorocarbon resin coating is applied to the light-receiving surface of a solar cell assembly 601 to a thickness of 100 ⁇ m by spray coating, thereby forming a transparent thin-film resin layer 23. In this case, only portions (active areas) having a photoelectric conversion characteristic for incident light on the solar cells are covered.
  • a solar cell assembly 702 in which 10 solar cells are formed on the same conductive substrate, and a transparent thin-film resin layer is formed thereon is obtained.
  • an extending member (not shown) is connected to the light-receiving surface terminal member 16 and conductive substrate 10.
  • the DC/DC converter 2 is bonded using a silicone adhesive to partially cover the light-receiving surface terminal member 16.
  • the extending member is connected to the input terminal of the DC/DC converter 2. Then, the cover of the DC/DC converter 2 is closed. In this way, a solar cell assembly (solar power generation apparatus 701) having the DC/DC converter, as shown in Fig. 7, is constructed.
  • the solar power generation apparatus 701 is bonded to a support 56 using an epoxy resin adhesive.
  • TheDC/DC converters 2 attachedto the respective solar cells are sequentially connected by a connection cable 24 to input the outputs fromthe DC/DC converters to the inverter
  • connection cable 24 contains two, positive and negative electrical cables.
  • the cables are electrically connected to the output terminal of the DC/DC converter and also electrically connected to a cable connected to each of the adjacent DC/DC converters.
  • the solar power generation apparatuses 701 are sequentially installed on 10 supports. The outputs from the solar power generation apparatuses are convertedinto anACpower throughthe inverter 3 and supplied to the load 4 or system 5.
  • the output power from the solar cell is stored in a capacitor 28 through an input terminal 27 of the DC/DC converter 2.
  • the power is converted into an AC power by alternately tuning on/off
  • MOSFETs 29 and 30 are MOSFETs 29 and 30.
  • the AC power input to a switching transformer 31 is converted into an AC power corresponding to a predetermined transformation ratio (1 : 175 in this embodiment) and rectified by a diode bridge 32.
  • the AC power passes through a filter capacitor 33 and is output from the DC/DC converter 2 to the inverter 3.
  • a filter coil may be inserted between the diode bridge 32 and the filter capacitor 33, although it is not used in this embodiment. Depending on the system configuration, both the filter capacitor and filter coil can be omitted.
  • the control circuit 34 comprises a control power supply generation circuit 35, a reference waveform generation circuit 36, and a MOSFET driver 37.
  • the input of the control power supply generation circuit 35 is connected to the both terminals of the capacitor 28.
  • the control signal output from the MOSFET driver 37 is connected to the gates of the MOSFETs
  • control circuit 34 When thevoltage of the solarcell 1 reaches the activationvoltage of the controlpowersupplygeneration circuit 35 , the output voltage from the control power supply generation circuit 35 is input to the reference waveform generation circuit 36 and MOSFET driver 37.
  • the reference waveform generation circuit 36 operates to input a rectangular wave having a preset reference frequency to the waveform input section of the MOSFET driver 37.
  • Gate drive signals SI and S2 are input from the MOSFET driver 37 to the gate portions of the MOSFETs 29 and 30 to alternately turn on/off the MOSFETs 29 and 30 at a fixed duty.
  • the main circuit of the inverter 3 comprises input terminals 38 which receive output powers from the plurality of DC/DC converters 2, a smoothing capacitor 39, a full bridge circuit 41 constituted by transistors 40a, 40b, 40c, and40d, acoil42, and a capacitor 43.
  • the control circuit of the inverter 3 is divided into parts that control activation/stop of power conversion, optimization of the operating point of the solar battery, and the operation mode. Only a part related to PWM control relevant to the present invention will be described here in detail with reference to Fig. 21.
  • the PWM control section comprises an input voltage detection circuit 45, a band-pass filter (BPF) 46, an output current detector 47 (shown in Fig. 9), a DC voltage constant control circuit 48, a DC voltage reference voltage source 49, a multiplier 50, an output current control error amplifier 51, a PWMmodulation circuit 52, and a gate drive circuit 53 which drives the transistors 40a to 40d of the full bridge circuit 41.
  • BPF band-pass filter
  • an inverter input voltage V DC is detected by the input voltage detection circuit 45.
  • the DC voltage constant control circuit 48 generates an error signal S7 between the inverter input voltage V and a reference voltage V from the DC voltage reference voltage source 49.
  • the error signal S7 is input to one input terminal of the multiplier 50.
  • a system voltage V cg is detected.
  • a fundamental wave component extracted by the BPF 46 is input to the other input terminal of the multiplier 50 as a reference sine wave signal S8.
  • the multiplier 50 multiplies the received error signal S7 bythe reference sinewave signal S8 to generate an inverter output current reference signal S9.
  • the error amplifier 51 receives the inverter output current reference signal S9 from the multiplier 50 and an inverter output current I detected by the output current detector 47, amplifies the difference between the signals, and outputs the amplified signal to the PWM modulation circuit 52 as a modulation reference error signal S10.
  • the PWM modulation circuit 52 executes PWM control on the basis of the received modulation reference signal S10 to drive the transistors 40a to 40d by gate drive signals S3 to S6 through the gate drive circuit 53 so that the inverter input voltage V DC that coincides with the reference voltage V can be obtained.
  • the DC/DC converters 2 operate at a constant input voltage. This is because the DC/DC converter 2 which execute boost ratio constant control at afixeddutyfunctions as animpedance converter. As aresult , control is performed to make the operating voltage of the solar cell constant .
  • the output voltages from all the DC/DC converters 2 connected to the input side of the inverter 3 become almost 175 V.
  • the operating voltage of the solar cell 1 becomes about 1 V as the optimum operating voltage.
  • Input voltage constant control by the inverter 3 has been described above .
  • a current detection circuit (not shown) may be used at the input section of the inverter 3 to control the input voltage of the inverter 3 such that the power is measured from the voltage and current of the input section of the inverter 3 , and maximum power point tracking control is executed to maximize the power.
  • the input voltage of the DC/DC converter 2 can be changed, i.e. , the output voltage of the solar cell 1 can be changedby changing the input voltage of the inverter 3.
  • the output voltage of the solar cell 1, which maximizes the input power to the inverter 3 can be set only by maximum power point tracking control by the inverter 3.
  • a plurality of solar cells are formed on one conductive substrate. The cutting step, end portion etching step, series connection step, and bypass diode connection step, which are necessary for manufacturing a conventional general solar battery module, can be omitted. Accordingly, the manufacture and material cost decreases , and the area power generation efficiency of the solar power generation apparatus largely increases .
  • the solar cells can easily and accurately be installed at a predetermined interval by installing, on a support, the solar power generation apparatus having the plurality of solar cells formed on one conductive substrate.
  • ADC/DC converter is connected to each of the plurality of solar cells connected in parallel on one conductive substrate.
  • a plurality of solar cells are connected in parallel using wiring members, and the outputs from the solar cells are connected to an inverter 3 at once.
  • the voltage boost ratio of the DC/DC converter is defined as about n, and a wiring having the same sectional area (same resistance value) as in the conventional case is used, the
  • the solar power generation apparatus of this embodiment a plurality of solar cells formed on one conductive substrate are used. Since the semiconductor layer and electrode layers on one conductive substrate are obtained by continuous film formation, the variation in characteristic between solar cells due to factors in manufacturing is small. For this reason, the loss due to the variation in output characteristic can be further decreased.
  • the DC/DC converters connected to the solar cells are controlled to ensure a predetermined boost ratio at a fixed duty.
  • the inverter to which the plurality of DC/DC converters are connected in parallel executes input voltage constant control or maximum power point tracking control. With this arrangement, the operating point of each solar cells can be controlled by one inverter. Accordingly, the control section of each DC/DC converter can be simplified, the reliability increases, and the cost can be reduced.
  • the live parts of at least some of the electrodes and wiring members of the solar cells and the series/parallel connection members for the solar cells are exposed and non-insulated.
  • the live parts are set in a wet state (a state wherein the resistance between the ground and the solar cell live parts decreases due to the humidity) due to rainwater or the like.
  • a leakage current path is formed through [solar cell live parts] - [rainwater] - [wet support] - [rainwater] - [ground] or [solar cell live parts] - [rainwater] - [ground] .
  • connection members metal ions that constitute the live parts flow out from them to promote corrosion of the electrodes , wiring members, or series/parallel connection members.
  • copper when copper is used for the series/parallel connection members, copper remarkably ionizes and elutes due to formation of the current path, resulting in a large decrease in service life of the connection members .
  • the solar cells may be connected in parallel. In this case, however, as the number of cells connected in parallel increases , the flowing current amount increases.
  • the current collection loss is proportional to the square of the current amount . If the current collection loss should be suppressed to a predetermined value or less, the sectional area of the parallel connection member must be considerably increased.
  • a DC/DC converter is connected to each solar cell.
  • the potential of the solar cells with respect to the ground is very low, as compared to the conventional system using series connection. Hence, corrosion of the wiring members can be prevented from progressing, and the reliability increases.
  • Fig. 10 is a schematic view showing the outer appearance of the second embodiment.
  • Fig. 11 is an equivalent circuit diagram of the second embodiment .
  • Fig. 12 is an enlarged view of a connection portion between a DC/DC converter 2 and one of solar cells 22 that constitute the solar cell assembly to which the DC/DC converter used in this embodiment is attached.
  • the attachment position of the DC/DC converter 2 to each solar cell is the same as in the first embodiment except an output terminal 59 extends from the encapsulating portion of the DC/DC converter 2.
  • the output terminal 59 is a terminal member connected to a high-voltage output terminal of the DC/DC converter 2. To prevent water from entering the DC/DC converter 2 from the lead-out portion of the output terminal 59, the DC/DC converter 2 is filled with a filler.
  • the internal main circuit of the DC/DC converter 2 of this embodiment the same circuit as in the first embodiment described above with reference to Fig. 8 is used.
  • the primary-side low-voltage terminal and secondary-side low-voltage terminal of a switching transformer 31 are electrically connected to a conductive substrate 10 to equalize the primary-side low voltage with the secondary-side low voltage.
  • An interdevice connection member on the low voltage side is connected to the conductive substrate 10.
  • the interdevice connection member and copper band 62 are input to an inverter 3 so that a DC power output from each DC/DC converter 2 is converted into an AC power and interconnected to a load or the system.
  • an inverter 64 of high-frequency transformation type as shown in Fig. 15 is used as the inverter 3.
  • the DC power output from the DC/DC converter 2 is converted into a high-frequency AC power by a high-frequency inverter 65, insulated by a small high-frequency transformer 66 , temporarily converted into a DC power by an AC/DC converter 67, converted again into an AC power having a commercial frequency by a DC/AC converter 68, and then output.
  • the solar power generation system is completed by grounding the copper band 62, as shown in Fig. 10. That is, the arrangement of this embodiment is excellent in that since the solar cells of the solar cell assemblies are electrically connected to each other through the conductive substrate inadvance, onlyonemember suffices to connect the DC/DC converters .
  • the active area is coated with a transparent thin-film resin layer without using any sealing material.
  • the copper band 62 serving as the parallel connectionmember is grounded, as describedabove, thecopper band 62 on the high voltage side of the parallel connection member has a zero potential with respect to the ground, as shown in the equivalent circuit diagram of the solar power generation system shown in Fig. 11.
  • the lowvoltage side of the parallel connection member has a negative potential with respect to the ground.
  • the conductive substrate 10 connected to the low voltage side also has the same potential.
  • the low voltage side of a solar cell 1 also has the negative potential.
  • the voltage across the solar cell 1 is less than the potential difference between the copper band 62 and the conductive substrate 10.
  • the high-voltage sidemember suchas the light-receiving surface terminalmemberof the solarcell 1 is alsokept at thenegative potential with respect to the ground. For these reasons, corrosion of the wiring members can be prevented from progressing.
  • connection member In this embodiment, copper (Cu) is used as the connection member and interdevice connection member.
  • Cu As a known physical priority of copper, it readily elutes under a positive potential, as shown in the potential-pH diagram of Fig. 16. In this embodiment, this characteristic is taken into consideration, and elution of copper is prevented by always keeping the wiring member made of copper at a zero or negative potential with respect to the ground.
  • the solar power generation system of this embodiment can provide the same effect as in the first embodiment and an additional effect in which since the solar cells and wiring members have a zero or negative potential with respect to the ground, corrosion of wiring electrodes and the like can be suppressed, and the reliability of the solar power generation system can be increased.
  • a solar power generation system according to the third embodiment of the present invention will be describedbelow.
  • the solar cell used in this embodiment has almost the same structure as that used in the first embodiment except the multilayered structure of the semiconductor layer. More specifically, first, as a lower electrode layer, an Al layer containing 1% Si and having a layer thickness of 5,000 A is formed by sputtering on a cleaned and rolled long 0.1-mm thick stainless substrate as a conductive substrate. Next, an n/i/p amorphous silicon semiconductor layer is formed. For the p-type semiconductor, B 2 H fi , SiH 4 , and H 2 gases are used. For the i-type semiconductor, SiH and H 2 gases are used. For the n-type semiconductor, PH 3 , SiH 4 , and H 2 gases are used. A 100-A thick p-type semiconductor layer, 4000-A thick i-type semiconductor layer, and 300-A thick n-type semiconductor layer are sequentially formed by plasma CVD.
  • n/i/p amorphous silicon semiconductor layer is formed again to complete a double structure.
  • a 800-A thick ITO layer is formed by resistive heating deposition as an upper electrode layer, thereby forming a solar cell.
  • a plurality of solar cells are formed on one conductive substrate, as shown in Fig. 7.
  • ADC/DC converter 2 is connected to each solar cell.
  • the conductive substrate side corresponds to the high voltage side of the solar cell, unlike the first embodiment.
  • the primary-side high-voltage terminal and secondary-side high-voltage terminal of a switching transformer 31 are electrically connected to a conductive substrate 10 in the DC/DC converter 2 to equalize the primary-side high voltage with the secondary-side high voltage.
  • the solarpowergeneration apparatus is installed on a support 56 and connected to an inverter.
  • the conductive substrate 10 is grounded to obtain a solar power generation system according to this embodiment shown in Fig. 17.
  • an inverter 3 an inverter of high-frequency transformation type is used, as in the second embodiment.
  • a bare copper band is used as the low-voltage side member of the parallel connection member.
  • a copper band with an insulating coating can also suitably be used.
  • a transparent thin-film resin layer without using any sealing material.
  • Fig. 18 shows the circuit arrangement of the entire solar power generation system.
  • the solar power generation system of this embodiment can provide the same effect as in the first embodiment and an additional effect in which since the solar cells and wiring members have a zero or negative potential with respect to the ground, corrosion of wiring electrodes and the like can be suppressed, and the reliability of the solar power generation system can be increased.
  • FIG. 20 is a view showing part of a solar cell assembly used in the solar power generation apparatus according to this embodiment.
  • the solar cell assembly of this embodiment has the same structure as in the solar cell assemblies of the first to third embodiments except installation portions 130 having no semiconductor layer are formed at two ends of a conductive substrate.
  • the detailed manufacturing method is the same as in the first embodiment .
  • a cleaned and rolled long stainless substrate having a thickness of 0.1 mm is used as a conductive substrate.
  • a lower electrode layer, semiconductor layer, and upper electrode layer are formed on the conductive substrate except 20-mm wide portions from the two ends of the conductive substrate.
  • the portions having no layers are the installation portions 130.
  • portions between the upper electrode layer and the installation portions 130 and parts of the upper electrode layer of the solar cell are linearly removed to form etching lines 131 to cut square-shaped upper electrode layers .
  • DC/DC converters 2 are attached to constitute a solar power generation apparatus.
  • the solar power generation apparatus is installed on a support .
  • the solar power generation apparatus is fixed to a support 56 by driving nails for concrete into the installation portions 130 using a riveting machine .
  • the support 56 a concretemember is used. However, it may be a wood or plastic member. In this case, the solar power generation apparatus can be fixed using nails or screws .
  • Fig. 22 is a view showing the schematic arrangement of this embodiment. As shown in Fig. 22, in a solar power generation apparatus 2001 of this embodiment, a DC/DC converter 2004 is connected to each of solar cells 2003 of solar cell assembly 2002.
  • the solar cell assembly 2002 used in this embodiment the same solarcell assemblybefore the transparent thin-film resin layer application step in the second embodiment is used.
  • the DC/DC converter 2004 is electrically connected to the light-receiving surface terminal member of each solar cell 2003 and the conductive substrate.
  • each DC/DC converter 2004 is electrically connected to a terminal member 2005. Accordingly, all the DC/DC converters 2004 are connected in parallel.
  • Fig. 23 is a sectional view taken along a line X - X" in Fig. 22.
  • Reference numeral 2006 denotes a weather-resistant film; 2007, a filler; and 2008, a back reinforcing member.
  • Detailed examples of materials to be used for sealing are as follows.
  • ETFE ethylene tetrafluoroethylene
  • EVA ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer, weather-resistant grade
  • the back reinforcing member 2008 a Tedlar/Al/Tedlar sheet is preferably used.
  • amultilayered structure is formed bysequentially stacking the backreinforcingmember, filler, solar cell assembly, filler, and weather-resistant film, and the filler is melted at 150°C using a vacuum laminator.
  • the solar cell assembly can be electricallyconnected to an adjacent solarpower generation apparatus or inverter using the terminal member 2005.
  • the present invention can also be applied to a power conversion system which uses not solar cells but various power supplies such as a fuel battery, thermo-couple, or plasma power generation apparatus as a DC power supply.
  • the present invention can provide a large effect especially when the output characteristics of a plurality of DC power supplies vary.
  • the power is supplied to a system.
  • the power may be supplied not to a commercial AC power system but to any other AC power system such as a local AC power generation equipment in a factory, as a matter of course.
  • the present invention can be applied to a solar power generation apparatus and solar power generation system having a plurality of solar cells .
  • the plurality of solar cells are formed on a common substrate.
  • a converter that converts the output from a solar cell is connected to each solarcell to formasolarpowergenerationapparatus . Since the plurality of solar cells are formed on one substrate, the cuttingstep, endportionetchingstep, series connection step, and bypass diode connection step, which are necessary for manufacturing a conventional general solar battery module, can be omitted. Accordingly, the manufacture and material cost decreases, and the area power generation efficiency of the solar power generation apparatus largely increases .
  • the work for installing the solar cells at a predetermined interval can be executed for each solar power generation apparatus , the time requiredfor installing the solarpowergenerationapparatus cangreatlybe shortened, and the cost of installation can be reduced.

Abstract

La présente invention concerne un ensemble cellule solaire composé d'une pluralité de cellules solaires sur un substrat commun, un convertisseur c.c./c.c. destiné à convertir la sortie de la cellule solaire étant relié à chaque cellule solaire afin de constituer l'appareil de production d'énergie solaire. La sortie de l'appareil de production d'énergie solaire est convertie en énergie c.a. par un convertisseur continu-alternatif et fournie à une charge ou à un système d'alimentation c.a. industriel. Le mécanisme simplifié de l'invention permet de réduire les coûts de fabrication, de même que l'influence d'une ombre légère ou d'une variation des caractéristiques.
PCT/JP2003/008659 2002-07-09 2003-07-08 Appareil de production d'energie solaire et procede de fabrication WO2004006342A1 (fr)

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