WO2013013226A1 - Structures pour toiture solaire - Google Patents

Structures pour toiture solaire Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2013013226A1
WO2013013226A1 PCT/US2012/047754 US2012047754W WO2013013226A1 WO 2013013226 A1 WO2013013226 A1 WO 2013013226A1 US 2012047754 W US2012047754 W US 2012047754W WO 2013013226 A1 WO2013013226 A1 WO 2013013226A1
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WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
solar
cell
roofing
roofing element
solar cell
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/US2012/047754
Other languages
English (en)
Inventor
David B. Jackrel
Darren Lochun
Eric Prather
Original Assignee
Nanosolar, Inc.
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 Nanosolar, Inc. filed Critical Nanosolar, Inc.
Publication of WO2013013226A1 publication Critical patent/WO2013013226A1/fr

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Classifications

    • 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
    • H01L31/02—Details
    • H01L31/0224—Electrodes
    • H01L31/022408—Electrodes for devices characterised by at least one potential jump barrier or surface barrier
    • H01L31/022425—Electrodes for devices characterised by at least one potential jump barrier or surface barrier for solar cells
    • H01L31/022441—Electrode arrangements specially adapted for back-contact solar cells
    • H01L31/02245—Electrode arrangements specially adapted for back-contact solar cells for metallisation wrap-through [MWT] type solar cells
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
    • F24S—SOLAR HEAT COLLECTORS; SOLAR HEAT SYSTEMS
    • F24S25/00—Arrangement of stationary mountings or supports for solar heat collector modules
    • F24S25/20—Peripheral frames for modules
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
    • F24S—SOLAR HEAT COLLECTORS; SOLAR HEAT SYSTEMS
    • F24S25/00—Arrangement of stationary mountings or supports for solar heat collector modules
    • F24S25/40—Arrangement of stationary mountings or supports for solar heat collector modules using plate-like mounting elements, e.g. profiled or corrugated plates; Plate-like module frames 
    • 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
    • H01L31/05—Electrical interconnection means between PV cells inside the PV module, e.g. series connection of PV cells
    • H01L31/0504—Electrical interconnection means between PV cells inside the PV module, e.g. series connection of PV cells specially adapted for series or parallel connection of solar cells in a module
    • H01L31/0516—Electrical interconnection means between PV cells inside the PV module, e.g. series connection of PV cells specially adapted for series or parallel connection of solar cells in a module specially adapted for interconnection of back-contact solar cells
    • 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
    • H01L31/052—Cooling means directly associated or integrated with the PV cell, e.g. integrated Peltier elements for active cooling or heat sinks directly associated with the PV cells
    • H01L31/0521—Cooling means directly associated or integrated with the PV cell, e.g. integrated Peltier elements for active cooling or heat sinks directly associated with the PV cells using a gaseous or a liquid coolant, e.g. air flow ventilation, water circulation
    • 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
    • H01L31/06—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 characterised by potential barriers
    • H01L31/072—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 characterised by potential barriers the potential barriers being only of the PN heterojunction type
    • H01L31/0749—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 characterised by potential barriers the potential barriers being only of the PN heterojunction type including a AIBIIICVI compound, e.g. CdS/CulnSe2 [CIS] heterojunction solar cells
    • 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
    • H02S20/00—Supporting structures for PV modules
    • H02S20/20—Supporting structures directly fixed to an immovable object
    • H02S20/22—Supporting structures directly fixed to an immovable object specially adapted for buildings
    • H02S20/23—Supporting structures directly fixed to an immovable object specially adapted for buildings specially adapted for roof structures
    • 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
    • H02S20/00—Supporting structures for PV modules
    • H02S20/20—Supporting structures directly fixed to an immovable object
    • H02S20/22—Supporting structures directly fixed to an immovable object specially adapted for buildings
    • H02S20/23—Supporting structures directly fixed to an immovable object specially adapted for buildings specially adapted for roof structures
    • H02S20/25—Roof tile elements
    • 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
    • Y02B—CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO BUILDINGS, e.g. HOUSING, HOUSE APPLIANCES OR RELATED END-USER APPLICATIONS
    • Y02B10/00—Integration of renewable energy sources in buildings
    • Y02B10/10—Photovoltaic [PV]
    • 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
    • Y02B—CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO BUILDINGS, e.g. HOUSING, HOUSE APPLIANCES OR RELATED END-USER APPLICATIONS
    • Y02B10/00—Integration of renewable energy sources in buildings
    • Y02B10/20—Solar thermal
    • 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
    • Y02E10/40—Solar thermal energy, e.g. solar towers
    • Y02E10/47—Mountings or tracking
    • 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
    • Y02E10/541—CuInSe2 material PV cells

Definitions

  • This invention relates generally to photovoltaic devices, and more specifically, to improved building-integrated photovoltaic devices.
  • BIPV photovoltaic
  • One of these barriers comprises costly manufacturing processes whereby relatively expensive silicon wafers are interconnected with the often mismatched framework of a roofing tile.
  • the solar cells are inherently costly, and their interconnection process takes time and incurs additional cost, increasing the total system cost.
  • a roofing element includes a solar cell array positioned in an opening in a top surface of a roofing material.
  • the solar cell array has a plurality of low series resistance solar cells, where the low series resistance is based on a metallization-wrap-through (MWT) solar cell architecture.
  • MTT metallization-wrap-through
  • Each solar cell has a ceil aspect ratio, and the solar ceils are electrically connected in an electrical string eonfigtsration by a low resistance cell-to-cell bonding method.
  • the opening of the roofing material has an aperture area, and the amount of aperture area covered by the solar cell array defines an aperture fj.il.
  • the ceil aspect ratio and the electrical string configuration are tailored to achieve a specified total current and total voltage for the solar cell array while optimizing the aperture fill.
  • FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a photovoltaic roofing element according to one embodiment.
  • FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a photovoltaic roofing element according to another embodiment.
  • FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a photovoltaic roofing element according to a yet further embodiment.
  • FIGs. 4A-4B show a cross-sectional view and a plan view, respectively of an exemplary metal-wrap-through solar cell in one embodiment.
  • FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary cross-sectional view of interconnections between metal-wrap-through solar cells.
  • FIGs. 6A-6C depict one embodiment of a roofing element with a solar cell array.
  • FIGs. 7A-7C depict another embodiment of a roofing element with a solar cell array, showing a change in aperture fill.
  • FIGs. 8A-8C are a further embodiment of a roofing element with a solar cell array.
  • FIGs. 9A-9C are a yet further embodiment of a roofing element with a solar cell array.
  • FIGs. 1 OA- IOC show another embodiment of a roofing element with a solar cell array, using a larger solar cell.
  • FIGs. 1 lA-11C illustrate an embodiment of a roofing element with a solar cell array using smaller solar cells connected in series.
  • FIGs. 12A-12C are a similar embodiment to FIGs. 1 lA-11C but connected in two parallel strings.
  • FIGs. 13A-13C show an embodiment of a roofing element with a solar cell array having a greater aperture fill compared to FIG. 7C.
  • circumstance may or may not occur, so that the description includes instances where the circumstance occurs and instances where it does not.
  • a device optionally contains a feature for an anti-reflective film, this means that the anti-reflective film feature may or may not be present, and, thus, the description includes both structures wherein a device possesses the anti-reflective film feature and structures wherein the anti-reflective film feature is not present.
  • the present invention provides for low series resistance solar cells which are integrated into roofing materials.
  • the solar cells are flexible in size and aspect ratio, and thus the surface area of the inlays can be almost completely be covered by active cells for all existing conventional tile geometries.
  • similar overall efficiency can therefore be achieved with the customizable solar cells of the present disclosure, at substantially lower per watt cost.
  • the output current of the tile can be tuned for optimal system efficiency by varying cell size, with the system voltage being decided by the amount of tiles in series. Overall, this results in lower material cost and a flexible design allowing installers to rapidly and cost-efficiently deploy solar roofing at a large scale.
  • a photovoltaic roofing structure comprising a roofing tile having a top surface, and an opening - such as a recessed portion - in the top surface.
  • a photovoltaic module made of an array low resistance series solar cells may be tailored in size to fit within the recessed portion of the tile.
  • other roofing material may be used instead of a tile.
  • the module is integrated with other non-roof building material.
  • the present invention also provides for an improved BIPV roofing tile design that simplifies the configuration and reduces the materials costs associated with such photovoltaic roofing elements.
  • these improved roofing element designs are well suited for installation at dedicated sites where redundant elements can be eliminated and where some common elements or features may be shared by many modules.
  • Embodiments of the present invention may be adaptable for roll-to-roll and/or batch manufacturing processes. At least some of these and other objectives described herein will be met by various embodiments of the present invention.
  • FIG. 1 one embodiment of a photovoltaic roofing element 10 will now be described.
  • the present invention is described in the context of ceramic or slate roofing tiles, it should be understood that the present invention is applicable to various other types of roofing elements.
  • the photovoltaic module 20 is housed in a recess or opening formed in the tile portion 30 of the photovoltaic roofing element 10.
  • the tile portion 30 remains the main structural element of the photovoltaic roofing element 10.
  • the photovoltaic module 20 is an inlay element that is supported by the tile 30.
  • the tile 30 comprises typical materials used for roofing tiles, which may include but is not limited to clay, ceramic, concrete, copper, steel, stainless steel, aluminum, iron, stone, glass, marble, fiberglass, granite, porcelain, or the like.
  • the tile 30 may be glazed or otherwise surface-treated to improve the durability, increase heat transfer properties, improve visual appearance, increase stain resistance, reduce efflorescence, increase or reduce surface smoothness, or the like.
  • the tile 30 may include matching tongues 32, 34 and grooves 36, 38 on the edges of the tiles to facilitate placement and connection with adjacent tiles (solar or non-solar).
  • the upper surface of tile 30 remains visible even with the photovoltaic module 20 is inlaid in the tile 30.
  • the tile 30 retains its functionality as a roofing tile.
  • the tile 30 has an exterior outline shaped like the other non-photovoltaic tiles used on the roof, which the installers are comfortable handling in a manner similar to other roofing tiles.
  • the tile 30 may be comprised of the same material as the surrounding non-photovoltaic tiles. This allows the tile 30 to blend visually with other non-photovoltaic tiles as they comprise substantially the same material.
  • the ratio of the weight of the module 20 to the weight of the tile 30 may be equal to, less than, or more than that of the tile.
  • the overall weight of the combination is less than that of a roofing tile of the same size but providing coverage without the photovoltaic module.
  • the overall weight is less than that of a roofing tile of the same size made of a Class A fire rated material but providing roofing coverage without the photovoltaic module.
  • the ratio of the weight of the tile to the weight of the photovoltaic module is in the range of about 3 : 1 to 1 : 1.
  • the ratio of the weight of the tile to the module is in the range of about 5 : 1 to 1 : 1.
  • the range is about 10: 1 to 1 : 1.
  • FIG. 2 shows a photovoltaic roofing element 40 comprised of a photovoltaic module 42 and a roofing tile 44.
  • This photovoltaic roofing element 40 differs from photovoltaic roofing element 10 in that the photovoltaic module 42 slides through a slot 46 into a channel defined within the tile 44.
  • This slot 46 allows for increased mechanical overlap to hold the photovoltaic module 42 in the tile due to the overhang created by a portion of the tile 44. This may be created by having the opening 48 above the module 42 that exposes the module to the sunlight be smaller than the overall dimensions of the module.
  • the slot 46 may be filled or sealed with material to close the slot 46. In some embodiments, only enough sealing material is provided to prevent the module from sliding out of the tile 44, without actually completely sealing the slot 46. In alternative embodiments, a mechanical stopper, mechanical attachment, or other device such as a set screw may be used to secure the tile in position.
  • the module 42 is integrally molded with the tile during tile fabrication and there is no need for a slot to insert the module 42 at a later time.
  • the module may be loosely held therein to allow for coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) differences between the module 42 and the tile 44.
  • a shingle or other modular roofing construct may be used instead of a tile as a roofing material.
  • the roofing material may be rigid or flexible as needed to meet the requirements of the roof on which the material is to be installed.
  • the solar tiles may use frames of the material, color and texture identical to that of the surrounding tiles.
  • the solar inlays have no frame, visible electrical contacts or mounting hardware. Shape and style match the conventional tile, and given the flexible cell substrate, an arced glass top on the solar insert is possible to harmonically 'weave' solar inlays into S-shaped tiles.
  • a uniform layout of grids and rows of solar tiles becomes feasible on a roof by offering matching dummy cells that look like solar tiles for shaded areas.
  • the juxtaposition of the traditional material and solar glass inserts creates an aesthetic tension that does not try to hide the solar panels, but frames them into a bold statement.
  • the photovoltaic roofing element 50 is designed to address thermal issues associated with putting a photovoltaic module 52 in a roof shingle or tile 54.
  • increased sunlight intensity usually means increased electrical output from a solar device
  • increasing sunlight intensity also usually means increased normal operating cell temperature (NOCT) of the solar cell.
  • NOCT normal operating cell temperature
  • a variety of factors may contribute to increased NOCT such as greater ambient air temperature during the day, increased temperature of the solar module itself from extended sun exposure, or radiant heat from ground surfaces and other nearby surfaces which may emit heat generated from sun exposure.
  • This thermal issue may be of particular concern for BIPV devices.
  • Most conventional solar modules are ground mounted or roof mounted in a manner sufficiently spaced above the ground or roof surface such that the underside of the module is not in such close proximity to a thermal mass. This distance allows for decreased operating temperature as various factors such as wind and distance from radiant heat sources allow the modules to be at a lower temperature.
  • the design constraints are such that the module is necessarily in relatively close proximity to a radiant heat source or thermal mass such as the tile itself.
  • FIG. 3 shows one technique for addressing the increased heat dissipation needs.
  • FIG. 3 shows an embodiment of a photovoltaic roofing member 50 with a
  • photovoltaic module 52 integrated with a shingle or tile 54.
  • the module 52 is positioned such that a channel or void space is defined between the bottom surface of the module 52 and the tile 54.
  • Opening 56 is an open space along the lower face of module 52, while opening 58 is an opening at one end of the module 52. Openings 56 and 58 allow air to flow as indicated by arrows 60 (bottom up). Optionally, the air may flow in reverse (top down) depending on the direction of the wind.
  • FIGs. 4A and 4B show a cross-section and a top view, respectively of an exemplary solar cell 100 having a metallization- wrap-through (MWT) architecture. Details of these cells can be found in U.S. Patent No. 8,198,117, entitled “Photovoltaic Devices with Conductive Barrier Layers and Foil Substrates,” which is fully incorporated herein by reference for all purposes.
  • the MWT cell 100 includes photovoltaic films 110, a cell foil 120, an insulating layer 130, and a back foil 140.
  • Photovoltaic films 110 may include, for example, a transparent conducting layer (e.g., Al:ZnO, i:ZnO) and an active layer (e.g., copper-indium-gallium-selenium "CIGS").
  • Cell foil 120 serves as a bottom electrode, and may be made from, for example, aluminum, which may be on the order of 100 microns thick. Aluminum enables a solar cell array of low series resistance, as the resistivity of aluminum is approximately 26.5 ⁇ -m compared to, for example, stainless steel with a resistivity of 720 ⁇ -m.
  • Insulating layer 130 may be, for example, polyethylene terephthalate (PET) on the order of 50 microns thick, and back foil 140 may be a back plane such as aluminum on the order of 25 microns thick.
  • the back foil 140 is in the form of a thin aluminum tape that is laminated to the cell foil 120 using an insulating adhesive as the insulating layer 130.
  • Low resistance is intrinsic to the parallel current method of the MWT solar cell. In one embodiment, the series resistance is less than 1 Ohm/cm 2 .
  • the MWT architecture may be created by roll-to-roll processing, such as on an aluminum foil substrate and a second foil.
  • the solar cells 100 are grown on a highly conductive substrate, such as a substrate having a resistivity less than I x ! CT 5 Ohm-m.
  • a conductive trace 150 connecting to a via 160. Since the conductive back foil 140 carries electrical current from one device module to the next, the conductive trace 150 can be a relatively thin "finger" while avoiding thick “busses.” This reduces the amount of shadowing due to the busses and also provides a more aesthetically pleasing appearance to the solar cell 100.
  • the electrical traces for the device need only provide sufficiently conductive traces 150 to carry current to the vias 160.
  • Via 160 forms a channel through the transparent conducting layer and the active layer of photovoltaic films 1 10, through the flexible bulk conductor of cell foil 120, and the insulating layer 130.
  • An insulating material coats sidewalls of the via 160, and a plug made of an electrically conductive material at least substantially fills the channel and makes electrical contact between the transparent conducting layer of photovoltaic films 1 10 and the back foil 140.
  • the via 160 may be, for instance, between about 0.1 millimeters in diameter and about 1.5 millimeters in diameter, and may include a closed-loop trench that surrounds a portion of the transparent conducting layer, active layer, and a bottom electrode.
  • the conductive traces 150 may form rectangular patterns extending from the vias 160, as shown FIG.
  • the conductive traces 150 may be used so long as the lines are approximately equidistant from each other (e.g., to within a factor of two).
  • the electrical traces may fan out radially from the contacts 120, or may form a "watershed" pattern in which thinner traces branch out from thicker traces that radiate from the vias 160.
  • the number of conductive traces 150 connected to each via 160 may be more or less than the number shown in FIG. 4, such as having one more, two more, three more, or the like.
  • FIG. 5 shows an exemplary embodiment for interconnecting two MWT type solar cells 200a and 200b.
  • the "offset" nature of the front and back foils of the MWT cells 200a and 200b provide the ability to form cell-to-cell connections.
  • Cell foil 220a and insulating layer 230a of cell 200a have been cut back, as have insulating layer 230b and back foil 240b of cell 200b.
  • cell foil 220b of cell 200b overhangs back foil 240a of cell 200a, enabling cell-to-cell bonding of the solar cells in a "shingle" type manner.
  • the bonding (indicated by the double-sided arrows) between the cells 200a and 200b may be made in a low resistance manner, such as by l ser welding, ultrasonic welding, solder bonding, and conductive adhesive bonding.
  • the metal-wrap-through architecture described in FIGs. 4A-4B and 5 enables solar cells to be cut into custom sizes - that is, various cell areas and aspect ratios - as specified by design requirements of a customer.
  • the amenability of the technology to roll-to- roll processing allows the cells to be produced in large sheets, such as on the order of one square kilometer, which can then be cut into customized sizes and shapes as needed.
  • Embodiments of the present invention may overcome the drawbacks of conventional devices by sizing and cutting cells to the exact dimensions of the inlay area within a carrier frame, resulting in nearly 100% inlay coverage.
  • some embodiments may use sizes that provide, for example, at least 95% inlay coverage, or at least 90% inlay coverage. Balancing the inlay size with the aesthetic requirements of the residential rooftop market, this may maximize power density in a given rooftop installation. Success with this technology improvement opportunity may impact the key performance factor (KPP) of Power Density.
  • KPP key performance factor
  • the metallization-wrap-through type solar cells described herein facilitate relatively low cost manufacture of large-scale arrays of series-connected optoelectronic devices. Larger devices may be connected in series due to the reduced sheet resistance as a result of the connection between back planes and the transparent conducting layers through the contacts that penetrate the layers of the device modules.
  • the conductive traces can further reduce sheet resistance. Larger devices can be arrayed with fewer connections.
  • diodes in the cells or optionally, only diodes are used to protect strings not cells. Diodes may include those described in PCT patent application No. PCT/US 10/46877, which is fully incorporated herein by reference for all purposes.
  • glass is the layer most often described as the top layer for the module in the present disclosure, it should be understood that other material may be used and some multi-laminate materials may be used in place of or in combination with the glass.
  • Some embodiments may use flexible top layers or coversheets. There may be anti-reflective or other surface treatments of the top layer.
  • the backsheet is not limited to rigid modules and may be adapted for use with flexible solar modules and flexible photovoltaic building materials. Embodiments of the present invention may be adapted for use with superstate or substrate designs.
  • an absorber layer in the solar cell may be an absorber layer comprised of silicon, amorphous silicon, organic oligomers or polymers (for organic solar cells), bi-layers or interpenetrating layers or inorganic and organic materials (for hybrid organic/inorganic solar cells), dye-sensitized titania nanoparticles in a liquid or gel-based electrolyte (for Graetzel cells in which an optically transparent film comprised of titanium dioxide particles a few nanometers in size is coated with a monolayer of charge transfer dye to sensitize the film for light harvesting), copper-indium-gallium-selenium (for CIGS solar cells), CdSe, CdTe, Cu(In,Ga)(S,Se) 2 , Cu(In,Ga,Al)(S,Se,Te) 2 , and/or combinations of the above,
  • the CIGS cells may be formed by vacuum or non-vacuum processes.
  • the processes may be one stage, two stage, or multi-stage CIGS processing techniques.
  • other possible absorber layers may be based on amorphous silicon (doped or undoped), a nanostructured layer having an inorganic porous semiconductor template with pores filled by an organic semiconductor material (see e.g., U.S. Patent No.
  • the cells as shown as being planar in shape those of round, tubular, rod or other shapes are not excluded. Some embodiments may also use internal reflectors positioned between cells to improve light collection. Some embodiments may have the cells formed directly on a glass surface of the module without an encapsulant layer between one layer of the glass and the cell.
  • FIGs. 6-13 illustrate embodiments of solar cells arrays that are sized and arranged in various configurations for optimizing the amount of aperture area in a roofing element covered by the soiar cell array.
  • the electrical string configuration - such as in series or parallel - of the cells may be tailored to achieve a specified total current and total voltage for the solar cell array.
  • the term "aperture fill" for the purposes of this disclosure shall describe the amount of an aperture area, where the aperture area is the opening in a roofing element in which a solar cell array is to be housed, which is covered by the solar cell array.
  • the solar cells of the present embodiments are shown to be of certain sizes, but it should be understood that other sizes can also be manufactured to maximize the fill.
  • FIG. 6A shows a solar cell 300
  • FIG. 6B shows an aperture area 310 representing the opening of a roofing material, such as the tiles of FIGs. 1-3.
  • Aperture area 310 may have a glass panel over the cells placed within it.
  • Solar cell 300 has a width "W" and height "H,” where the width is determined as the in-plane edges of the cell that form the cell-cell or cell to terminal connections.
  • the width and height of the solar cell determine an aspect ratio, defined as the width divided by the height, which may be less than or greater than 1. In some embodiments the aspect ratio may range from as low as 0.2, such as in the case of a vertical strip, up to a value of 4, such as for a horizontal strip. However, other aspect ratios beyond this range are possible.
  • the solar cell 300 has a height of 5.31 inches and a width of 6.46 inches, where the terminal edges are on the shorter side.
  • a roofing element assembly 320 has an array of four cells connected in series, as indicated by dotted line 330.
  • Cross-connectors 340 provide electrical connections between the solar cells 300, and exit ribbons 350 serve as electrical terminals for the array at either end of the roofing element 320.
  • the exit ribbons 350 which are located at the long ends of the assembly 320, may be coupled to the array by a low resistance bonding method such as, but not limited to, laser welding, ultrasonic welding, solder bonding, or conductive adhesive bonding.
  • other types of electrical terminals may be used instead of exit ri bbons, such as those described in Stance! et al., U.S. Patent
  • Aperture area 410 of FIG. 7B is of a different size than aperture area 310 of FIG. 6B, and may represent, for example, a shingle with glass.
  • the cells 400 in the assembly 420 are rotated 90 degrees with respect to the cells 300 of FIG. 6C (i.e.,
  • Exit ribbons 450 are coupled to the solar cell array at either end of and on the long side of the assembly 420.
  • the aperture fill is approximately 50%, as determined by the ability of the aspect ratio of the cells 400 to fit into the aperture 410 in this horizontal orientation.
  • FIGs. 8A-8B show the same size cell 500 and aperture area 510 as in FIGs. 7A-7B.
  • H 5.31”
  • W 6.46”
  • the aperture 510 may represent, again, a shingle with glass.
  • the three cells 500 are oriented vertically rather than horizontally as in FIG. 7C.
  • three cells 500 are connected in series with direct cell-to-cell bonding (e.g., at interface 505).
  • Exit ribbons 550 are at either end of the solar cell array. Because the cell size 500 and aperture size 510 are the same as in FIG.
  • FIG. 8C demonstrates how tailoring cell size and arrangement enables a user to choose the orientation that maximizes the aperture of an installed product rather than a standalone roofing solar product.
  • the aperture fill is reduced to 70% in FIG. 9C compared with 98% in FIG. 6C.
  • Aperture 710 in FIG. 10B is larger than in previous embodiments to demonstrate use of a larger sized solar ceil 700 for customizing the electrical output of the assembly 720.
  • the aperture fill is approximately 70%. Terminal edges remain on the longer side but now there is only a single cross- connection 740 plus two the exit ribbons 750. As cross-connections cause potential resistance loss, a single cross-connection may be beneficial.
  • the result of these two cells connected serially in assembly 720 is a V to tai of ⁇ 1 V and an I to tai of ⁇ 11.5 A.
  • FIG. 11 A shows a cell 800 similar to those of FIGs. 6-9 but in which the height has been reduced to 4.6". The width remains at 6.46".
  • the cell 800 has a surface area with approximately 87% of the surface area of FIGs. 6-9, resulting in a voltage V mpp of 0.45 V and a current I mpp of 4.98 A in this embodiment.
  • the assembled roofing element 820 of FIG. l lC six cells 800 are positioned on aperture 810 (FIG. 1 IB) and are connected in series with four cell-to-cell connections (e.g., at interface 805) and one cross-connector 840. Terminal edges 850 are now on a single short side of the roofing tile.
  • the result of these six smaller cells 800, in connected serially, is a Y xota i of approximately 3.0 V and an I xota i of 4.98 A.
  • the aperture fill is ⁇ - 90%.
  • FIGs. 12A-12B The sizes of cell 900 and aperture 910 in FIGs. 12A-12B are the same as FIGs. 1 lA-1 IB, but in FIG. 12C two three-cell strings of cells 900 are connected in parallel instead of six cells in one series string.
  • FIG. 12C illustrates that a different electrical output is created compared with FIG. 11C, even though the same cell size and layout is used.
  • the aperture fill remains at 90% as in FIG. 11C.
  • FIG. 13A has a cell 1000 which is the same size as in FIG. 7A but with a smaller piece of glass 1010 in FIG. 13B.
  • FIGs. 6-13 demonstrate that electrical characteristics of a solar roofing element may be varied by changing electrical string configurations, while optimizing aperture fill by tailoring individual solar cell sizes and aspect ratios.
  • the size of the roofing element on which the solar array is to be installed may be tailored to have total currents of, for example, 1.0 to 15.0 A and total voltages of 1.0 to 5.0 V, although other values may be possible.
  • Such flexibility enables tailoring a roofing element to meet the specified cost, performance, and efficiency requirements of a user.
  • the housing of a connector could be made of any material by any method.
  • the connector could be designed for hand assembly or automated assembly, with or without locating features.
  • the connector could be designed without the channel and holes to allow potting.
  • the connector could be designed to allow two or more connectors to exit the solar module, and could include a diode linked between the exiting conductors.
  • both electrical leads or edge connectors are on the same side of module.
  • they are on different sides.
  • they are diagonal from each other.
  • they are on opposing sides.
  • the top sheet may be a flexible top sheet such as that set forth in U.S. Patent Application Ser.
  • a thickness range of about 1 nm to about 200 nm should be interpreted to include not only the explicitly recited limits of about 1 nm and about 200 nm, but also to include individual sizes such as but not limited to 2 nm, 3 nm, 4 nm, and sub-ranges such as 10 nm to 50 nm, 20 nm to 100 nm, etc.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
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  • Sustainable Energy (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Sustainable Development (AREA)
  • Architecture (AREA)
  • Structural Engineering (AREA)
  • Civil Engineering (AREA)
  • Electromagnetism (AREA)
  • Power Engineering (AREA)
  • Microelectronics & Electronic Packaging (AREA)
  • Computer Hardware Design (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Condensed Matter Physics & Semiconductors (AREA)
  • Thermal Sciences (AREA)
  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Photovoltaic Devices (AREA)
  • Roof Covering Using Slabs Or Stiff Sheets (AREA)

Abstract

L'invention concerne un élément de toiture comprenant un réseau de cellules solaires positionnées dans une ouverture dans une surface supérieure d'un matériau de toiture. Le réseau de cellules solaires comprend une pluralité de cellules solaires à faible résistance en série, la faible résistance en série étant basée sur une architecture de cellules solaires à métallisation enveloppante. Chaque cellule solaire est caractérisée par un facteur de forme de cellule, et les cellules solaires sont reliées électriquement dans une configuration de chaîne électrique par un procédé de connexion à faible résistance entre cellules. L'ouverture du matériau de toiture est caractérisée par une aire de passage, et la quantité d'aire de passage couverte par le réseau de cellules solaires définit un remplissage de passage. Le facteur de forme de cellule et la configuration de chaîne électrique sont conçus sur mesure afin d'atteindre un courant total et une tension totale spécifiés pour le réseau de cellules solaires tout en optimisant le remplissage de passage.
PCT/US2012/047754 2011-07-20 2012-07-20 Structures pour toiture solaire WO2013013226A1 (fr)

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US61/509,785 2011-07-20

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Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO2016075236A1 (fr) * 2014-11-13 2016-05-19 Nexcis Procédé de fabrication d'une cellule photovoltaique

Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JP2000226909A (ja) * 1999-02-08 2000-08-15 Sekisui Chem Co Ltd 太陽電池付き屋根瓦
WO2002101839A1 (fr) * 2001-06-11 2002-12-19 Powertile Limited Tuiles photovoltaiques
US20080308148A1 (en) * 2005-08-16 2008-12-18 Leidholm Craig R Photovoltaic Devices With Conductive Barrier Layers and Foil Substrates
EP2169727A1 (fr) * 2008-09-26 2010-03-31 Dragon Energy Pte. Ltd. Panneau électrique solaire
US20100275532A1 (en) * 2006-08-16 2010-11-04 Maurizio De Nardis Solar roof tile with solar and photovoltaic production of hot water and electrical energy

Patent Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JP2000226909A (ja) * 1999-02-08 2000-08-15 Sekisui Chem Co Ltd 太陽電池付き屋根瓦
WO2002101839A1 (fr) * 2001-06-11 2002-12-19 Powertile Limited Tuiles photovoltaiques
US20080308148A1 (en) * 2005-08-16 2008-12-18 Leidholm Craig R Photovoltaic Devices With Conductive Barrier Layers and Foil Substrates
US20100275532A1 (en) * 2006-08-16 2010-11-04 Maurizio De Nardis Solar roof tile with solar and photovoltaic production of hot water and electrical energy
EP2169727A1 (fr) * 2008-09-26 2010-03-31 Dragon Energy Pte. Ltd. Panneau électrique solaire

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO2016075236A1 (fr) * 2014-11-13 2016-05-19 Nexcis Procédé de fabrication d'une cellule photovoltaique
FR3028668A1 (fr) * 2014-11-13 2016-05-20 Nexcis Procede de fabrication d'une cellule photovoltaique

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