CN203445139U - Solar cell panel - Google Patents

Abstract

The utility model provides a solar battery panel, comprising: a rear cover member; a front cover member including a plurality of concentrator elements; a photovoltaic module located between the front cover member and the rear cover member, and the photovoltaic assembly The module has a plurality of photovoltaic strips respectively aligned with the plurality of concentrator elements, the photovoltaic strips have a front side and a back side, the photovoltaic strips consist essentially of photovoltaic material, each of the photovoltaic strips at least on its There is a conductive region on the backside, and at least a conductive leg electrically connecting the conductive region and the photovoltaic material; and one or more busses electrically coupled to the conductive region of the photovoltaic strip. Among other properties, the conductive legs according to the invention facilitate the manufacture of solar panels and increase system reliability compared to conventional systems.

Description

solar panel

technical field

The utility model relates to a solar battery panel. the

Background technique

Typically, a piece of photovoltaic material includes blemishes and defects. For example, photovoltaic materials include defects due to missing conductive material (eg, aluminum, silver, etc.) on the backside of the photovoltaic material, causing electrical interruption and loss of performance when using photovoltaic ribbons containing such defects. the

Additionally, conductive regions may sometimes be unbiased during the manufacturing process. Figure 5 illustrates misalignment of conductive regions. As shown, a strip of conductive material 502 is disposed over photovoltaic block 501 . In order to make proper electrical contact using the bus, it is assumed that conductive material is provided at predetermined locations on the photovoltaic block 501 . However, due to the misalignment of the photovoltaic block 501 (eg, the photovoltaic block 501 is placed at a slightly oblique angle), a portion of the conductive material 502 fails to make proper electrical contact with the photovoltaic material at the intended location. For example, over region 503, conductive region 502 and photovoltaic block 501 do not make proper electrical contact, resulting in electrical interruption and/or loss of performance. For the photovoltaic strip 504, the electrical contact formed by the conductive region 502 and the photovoltaic block 501 did not function properly due to the misalignment problem described above. Thus, photovoltaic strip 504 , once packaged as a photovoltaic assembly (eg, photovoltaic assembly 301 ), cannot perform its designed function due to poor electrical connections. In some cases, photovoltaic ribbons that have defects and/or misalignment issues around the conductive areas do not function. the

The defects and/or misalignment issues shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 adversely affect the performance of a solar module (eg, such as solar module 100 ). Unfortunately, such defects in the horizontal plane of the photovoltaic block are often difficult to detect. This is because with relatively large (compared to photovoltaic zoning) sheets of photovoltaic material, localized defects do not affect the overall performance as much and therefore often cannot be detected. Worse, however, the effect can be detrimental if the defect is close to the conductive region of the photovoltaic strip. the

FIG. 6A provides a diagram showing defects around a conductive region. Diagram 601 shows a situation where a conductive region is not properly formed on the photovoltaic region. For example, the left side of the conductive area is shown as having a black line on the left side of the conductive area (as opposed to a substantially uniform gray area on the right side of the conductive area) since the conductive area was not properly formed. On the right, diagram 602 shows a situation where the conductive regions are misaligned. Due to the misalignment, the conductive region is not properly formed over the photovoltaic region. the

Figure 6B provides a diagram illustrating a solar module with one or more defective photovoltaic ribbons. As shown in Figure 6B, some photovoltaic strips are shown to have "black viewing areas", meaning that these strips may have poor or disconnected electrical connections in their respective conductive regions. the

Accordingly, it should be appreciated that, in various embodiments, the present invention provides techniques to address problems associated with defects and/or misalignment of conductive regions on photovoltaic tiles. the

Utility model content

The present invention aims to solve problems associated with defects and/or misalignment of conductive regions on photovoltaic blocks. the

According to another embodiment, the utility model provides a solar battery panel. The solar cell panel includes a rear cover member. The solar panel also includes a front cover member including a plurality of concentrator elements. The solar panel additionally includes a photovoltaic module positioned between the front cover member and the rear cover member. The photovoltaic module has a plurality of photovoltaic strips, which are respectively aligned with a plurality of concentrator elements. The photovoltaic strip has a front side and a back side. Photovoltaic strips essentially consist of photovoltaic materials. Each photovoltaic strip has a conductive region at least on its backside, and at least a conductive leg electrically coupling the conductive region and the photovoltaic material. The solar panel also includes one or more busses electrically coupled to the conductive regions of the photovoltaic strip. the

Preferably, said conductive region of the photovoltaic strip comprises silver material. the

Preferably, each photovoltaic strip comprises two said conductive legs per said conductive region. the

Preferably, a photovoltaic module is coupled to the rear cover member. the

Preferably, the front cover member includes a glass material. the

Preferably, substantially further comprising a transparent polymer material located between said rear cover member and said front cover member. the

Many benefits can be obtained by means of the present invention. For example, the present solar module provides a conductive leg structure (which is part of a photovoltaic module in a concentrator solar panel). Among other properties, the conductive legs according to the invention facilitate the manufacture of solar panels and increase system reliability compared to conventional systems. For example, the conductive region in which the conductive leg extends electrically couples the region of the photovoltaic region, thereby reducing the risk of the conductive region not being electrically coupled to the photovoltaic region. The manufacturing process can be simplified by the greater reach of the electrical connection provided by the conductive legs compared to conventional systems, with greater reach meaning greater tolerance during the manufacturing process. For example, the alignment process can be simplified and/or streamlined compared to conventional processes. Furthermore, solar modules with conductive legs can be manufactured less expensively than conventional solar modules because the conductive legs improve manufacturing yield (ie, more defect-free solar modules) and system reliability. In a particular embodiment, the conductive leg structure is integrated as part of the conductive region, thereby being able to accommodate different types of concentrator structures or photovoltaic modules. Therefore, various embodiments according to the present invention are compatible with legacy equipment. Other benefits also exist. the

Description of drawings

Figure 1 is a simplified diagram illustrating a concentrated photovoltaic module. the

Figure 2 is a simplified diagram illustrating a photovoltaic device. the

FIG. 3A is a simplified diagram illustrating a photovoltaic assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention. the

Figure 3B is a simplified diagram illustrating a photovoltaic strip according to an embodiment of the invention. the

FIG. 4 is a simplified diagram illustrating a process for forming a conductive region according to an embodiment of the disclosure. the

Figure 5 illustrates misalignment of conductive regions. the

FIG. 6A provides a diagram showing defects around conductive regions. the

Figure 6B provides an illustration of a solar module with one or more defective photovoltaic ribbons. the

Figure 7A is a simplified diagram illustrating a conductive region according to an embodiment of the present invention. the

7B and 7C are simplified diagrams illustrating the benefits of conductive legs according to embodiments of the present invention. the

Figure 8 is a simplified diagram illustrating a photovoltaic strip according to an embodiment of the invention. the

9A and 9B are diagrams illustrating the benefits provided by conductive legs according to embodiments of the present invention. the

Detailed ways

The utility model provides a photovoltaic system and its manufacturing process and device. More specifically, embodiments of the present disclosure relate to systems and methods for electrically coupling photovoltaic charges to an electrical bus (part of a concentrated solar panel). In various embodiments, the present invention provides conductive legs extending from the conductive region to the photovoltaic region to ensure proper electrical connection between the conductive region and the photovoltaic region. Other implementations also exist. the

Embodiments of the disclosure provide systems and methods for manufacturing concentrator solar panels. Embodiments of the present invention use concentrating elements to reduce the amount of photovoltaic materials required, thereby reducing overall costs. Note that the detailed description is shown for purposes of illustration and represents examples. Those skilled in the art will recognize other variations, modifications, and substitutions. the

According to an embodiment of the present utility model, the concentrating solar module includes a concentrator component, and the concentrator component includes several concentrator strips arranged in parallel. Several small-sized photovoltaic cells, each with several photovoltaic ribbons connected by one or more bus lines, are assembled into a large photovoltaic package containing photovoltaic ribbons aligned to the concentrator ribbons. As described below, embodiments of the present disclosure provide systems and methods for connecting photovoltaic regions. Other implementations also exist. the

Although orientation is not part of the present invention, it is convenient to recognize that a solar module has a side facing the sun when the module is in use, and an opposite side, a side facing away from the sun. Although the module may exist in any orientation, it is convenient to refer to an orientation in which "upper" or "top" refers to the sun-facing side and "lower" or "bottom" refers to the opposite side. Thus, it is said that an element that is above another element will be closer to the upper side than an element that is above it. the

Figure 1 is a simplified diagram illustrating a concentrated photovoltaic module. This figure is only an example and should not unduly limit the scope of the present invention. Those skilled in the art will recognize many changes, substitutions and modifications. As shown in FIG. 1 , the photovoltaic module 100 includes a concentrator structure comprising several concentrator strips aligned with the photovoltaic strips of the photovoltaic package 103 ). For example, the photovoltaic module shown in FIG. 1 is described in U.S. Patent Application No. 12/709,438, filed February 19, 2010, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application 61/ 300,434 described. the

In various embodiments, the concentrator structure is formed from a plurality of elongated concentrator elements (sometimes referred to as lens elements) extending along the longitudinal direction of the photovoltaic strip. For those embodiments in which at least the concentrator elements lie in a common plane, their center-to-center distance is nominally equal to the center-to-center distance of the photovoltaic strips. Each concentrator element extends longitudinally in the direction of a given strip and transversely across the direction of the strip. It should be understood that photovoltaic strips may also be of other shapes, such as substantially square. The specified concentrator elements are formed such that parallel light incident on the top surface of the concentrator is confined to a region having a lateral dimension smaller than the concentrator element and possibly also smaller than the photovoltaic strip when it reaches the plane of the photovoltaic strip below. area. In the illustrated embodiment, light concentration occurs on the upper surface, although light concentration can also occur on the lower surface of the light collector. Indeed, as in the case of standard lenses, it is possible to have two surfaces providing light gathering. the

Typically concentrator elements are involved that provide magnification because the photovoltaic ribbon appears wider than itself when viewed through the concentrator element. In other words, the photovoltaic strips preferably fill the aperture of the concentrator element when viewed through the concentrator element. Thus, from the point of view of incident sunlight, the solar module appears to have photovoltaic material spanning the entire lateral extent. the

Although the term magnification is used, it is used in the sense of the degree to which light is converged, so it can likewise be called light concentrating. Magnification/concentration is also sometimes limited to the amount of photovoltaic material saved, and since the photovoltaic strip is usually slightly wider than the width of the light, especially to capture light incident at different angles, the amount is usually smaller than the optical power/concentration. Often the term magnification will be used. the

The portion of the surface of the concentrator element that provides power has a cross-section that may comprise one or more of a circle, an ellipse, a parabola, a straight line segment, or a combination of these shapes. Although portions of the magnification (usually upper) surface of the concentrator element may be flat, it is convenient to consider and refer to the magnification surface as being convex (ie curvilinear or arched). For embodiments where the cross-section is semicircular, the surface of the enlarged portion of the concentrator element is semi-cylindrical. Typically, however, arcs that open out less than 180° are used. Although a convex surface is referred to as an "annular" portion in above-cited US Patent Application Serial No. 61/154,357, the term "annular" will not be used here. In some embodiments, the concentrator elements are shaped glass, although other processing techniques (eg, molding) and other materials (eg, polymers) can be used. the

Figure 2 is a simplified diagram illustrating a photovoltaic device. The side view of photovoltaic module 100 shown in FIG. 2 includes concentrators 101A and 101B. For example, photovoltaic strips 103A and 103B are part of a photovoltaic assembly and are coupled to each other by a bus. As seen from Figure 2, photovoltaic strips 103A and 103B are aligned with concentrators 101A and 101B, respectively. For example, concentrator 101A needs to be aligned substantially directly above photovoltaic strip 103A so that light from concentrator 101A can be properly directed toward photovoltaic strip 103A. the

During various manufacturing processes, concentrator elements 101 may not be perfectly aligned, or evenly spaced, due to manufacturing variations. For example, concentrator element 101 is composed of a bulk glass material comprising multiple concentrator strips (eg, concentrators 101A and 101B). Generally, it is easy to align the concentrators and photovoltaic strips by adjusting the alignment and/or layout of the photovoltaic strips. For example, photovoltaic strips 103A and 103B may move closer or further apart based on the position of concentrators 101A and 101B. For example, photovoltaic strips 103A and 103B each include conductive regions at their edges. the

Typically, the concentrator element 101 has a large area and is a monolithic structure. Photovoltaic modules, on the other hand, are smaller pieces. For example, the photovoltaic module 100 shown in Fig. 1 comprises a piece of integrated concentrator element 101 and a photovoltaic package 103 composed of many photovoltaic modules. the

FIG. 3A is a simplified diagram illustrating a photovoltaic assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention. This diagram is merely an example, which should not unduly limit the scope of the invention. Those skilled in the art will recognize many changes, substitutions and modifications. For example, photovoltaic modules 301 and 311 are part of a larger photovoltaic package. Photovoltaic assembly 301 includes photovoltaic strips (eg, strips 303A, 303B, and 303C, etc.) coupled to each other by bus lines 302A, 302B, and 302C. Similarly, photovoltaic assembly 311 includes photovoltaic strips (eg, strips 313A, 313B, etc.) coupled by bus lines 312A, 312B, and 312C. For example, the bus includes conductive material (eg, metallic material). It should be understood that photovoltaic ribbons, generally made of silicon-type materials, are often fragile. Smaller photovoltaic modules 301 and 311 are thus fabricated and then connected together to form a photovoltaic package. In order to connect the photovoltaic modules 301 and 311, a bus is connected. For example, buses 302A, 302B, and 302C are connected to buses 312A, 312B, and 312C, respectively. In an embodiment, the distance between assemblies 301 and 311 when connected is based on the alignment of the concentrator members. the

During a manufacturing process that typically includes the use of one or more assembly lines, it is desirable to secure photovoltaic assemblies (eg, photovoltaic assemblies 301 and 302 ) onto an assembly system. It should be understood that in various embodiments of the present invention, the system is configured to secure photovoltaic modules for manufacturing, storage, transportation, and others. the

Each photovoltaic strip shown in Figure 3A includes a photovoltaic region and a conductive region. Figure 3B is a simplified diagram illustrating a photovoltaic strip according to an embodiment of the invention. This illustration is only an example and should not unduly limit the scope of the present invention. Those skilled in the art will recognize many variations, substitutions, and modifications. For example, photovoltaic strip 303A is part of photovoltaic assembly 301 shown in Figure 3A. Photovoltaic strip 303A includes photovoltaic region 351 . For example, photovoltaic region 351 consists essentially of photovoltaic materials such as monocrystalline silicon materials, polycrystalline silicon materials, thin films based on photovoltaic materials, or other photovoltaic materials. In various embodiments, the photovoltaic region 351 includes a metallic material such as an aluminum material that makes the photovoltaic region 351 conductive. Photovoltaic strip 303A also includes conductive regions 350A, 352A, and 353A. For example, the conductive regions are electrically coupled to a bus structure sometimes referred to as a conductive "bus bar" (providing photovoltaic strip 303A with electrical connections to other photovoltaic strips). For example, such application throughout a photovoltaic area (e.g., photovoltaic area 351), although electrically conductive, is referred to as a "photovoltaic area" and is not the same as "photovoltaic area" which refers to a predetermined area of a photovoltaic strip that includes conductive material and electrically couples a bus to a solar module. Conductive regions" (eg, conductive regions 350A, 352A, and 353A). As shown in FIG. 3A , photovoltaic strip 303A is electrically coupled to bus lines 302A, 302B, and 302C. More specifically, bus lines 302A, 302B, and 302C are coupled to conductive regions 350A, 352A, and 353A, respectively. Depending on the invention, the conductive area may comprise one or more conductive materials. For example, the conductive material may include aluminum, silver, copper, and/or other types of materials. In various embodiments, the width of the conductive region is about 2-3 mm. the

In various embodiments, a conductive region is formed by depositing a conductive material on a piece of photovoltaic material. FIG. 4 is a simplified diagram illustrating a process for forming a conductive region according to an embodiment of the present invention. This diagram is merely an example, which should not unduly limit the scope of the invention. Those skilled in the art will recognize many changes, substitutions and modifications. As shown in FIG. 4, processed photovoltaic material 400 includes a photovoltaic region 404 and conductive regions 402A, 402B, and 402C. As explained above, photovoltaic region 404 may include various types of photovoltaic materials such as monocrystalline silicon material, polycrystalline silicon material, thin films based on photovoltaic material, and/or others. the

Conductive regions 402A, 402B, and 402C are disposed on the backside of photovoltaic region 404 . For example, on the backside of photovoltaic region 404, the conductive region does not prevent the photovoltaic region from concentrating light. Conductive regions can be formed on the photovoltaic region in various ways such as printing, deposition, and others. The locations of conductive regions 402A, 402B, and 402C are based on predetermined locations and alignments. The conductive regions can include one or more conductive materials, such as aluminum, silver, copper, and/or other types of materials. To form a photovoltaic strip (eg, photovoltaic strip 303A), photovoltaic material 400 is sliced horizontally as shown in FIG. 4 , where strip 303A will have a small portion of the conductive area. the

Figure 7A is a simplified diagram illustrating a conductive region according to an embodiment of the present invention. This diagram is merely an example, which should not unduly limit the scope of the invention. Those skilled in the art will recognize many changes, substitutions and modifications. As shown in FIG. 7A , photovoltaic structure 700 (shown in part) includes photovoltaic material 703 and conductive region 702 . For example, the photovoltaic material 703 is cut into pieces along the dotted line 705A-D, and the width may be about 3-8 mm as shown. For each photovoltaic strip formed between the dashed lines, there are two conductive legs extending from both sides of the conductive region 702 . For example, for a photovoltaic strip formed between dashed lines 705A and 705B, conductive region 702 is electrically coupled to conductive legs 701A and 701B. As shown, the conductive legs are substantially perpendicular to the conductive region 702 . Conductive legs 701A and 701B may be extensions of conductive region 702 . the

According to the present invention, the conductive legs 701A and 701B can be made of various conductive materials such as silver, aluminum, copper and/or others. For example, the length of the legs is about 0.5 mm and up to 1 mm, but it should be understood that other legs, from about 0.1 mm to 1.5 mm are also possible. The thickness of the legs may be from about 50 μm to 150 μm. Among other things, the legs extending from the conductive region help connect the conductive region to the conductive material 703 even if the conductive material 703 contains defects near the conductive region 702 or the conductive region 702 is misaligned. For example, the conductive legs cover relatively more area than the conductive regions alone. the

Conductive legs 701A and 702B may be formed in various ways. In certain embodiments, conductive legs 701A and 701B are printed or deposited partially over conductive region 702 and partially over conductive material 703 . In a particular embodiment, conductive legs 701A and 702B overlap conductive region 702 by approximately 0.3 mm. For example, the conductive region 702 connected to the conductive leg resembles a "centipede" structure. It should be understood that the conductive legs 701A and 702B may also be formed in other ways, for example as an integral part of the conductive region 702 . As shown in FIG. 7A , the conductive legs are electrically coupled to the conductive regions and provide a respective photovoltaic region for each formed photovoltaic strip. the

As shown in Figures 7B and 7C, the conductive legs provide a number of advantages. 7B and 7C are simplified diagrams illustrating the benefits of conductive legs according to embodiments of the present invention. This diagram provides an example only, which should not unduly limit the scope of the invention. Those skilled in the art will recognize many changes, substitutions and modifications. As shown in FIG. 7B , the conductive region is misaligned with the photovoltaic material on region 720 . Fortunately, the conductive legs bridge the gap and form an electrical connection between the conductive region and the photovoltaic material. Without the conductive legs, if at all, the conductive regions and the photovoltaic material may not have proper electrical contact with each other. the

Reference is now made to Figure 7C. On region 730, the conductive region does not make good contact with the nearby photovoltaic region because there is a significant gap between the conductive region and the photovoltaic region. For example, gaps form as a result of various causes such as misalignment of the conductive regions, wrapping of the photovoltaic material (resulting in misalignment between the photovoltaic material and the conductive regions), and/or others. Again, as shown in Figure 7B, around region 730, the conductive legs bridge the gap between the conductive region and the photovoltaic region. For example, the conductive legs form electrical contact between the conductive region and the photovoltaic material. the

Figure 8 is a simplified diagram illustrating a photovoltaic strip according to an embodiment of the invention. This diagram is only an example, which should not unduly limit the scope of the present invention. Those skilled in the art will recognize other variations, modifications, and substitutions. It should be understood that Figure 8 is not drawn to scale. As shown in FIG. 8 , photovoltaic strip 800 includes photovoltaic region 804 and conductive regions 801 , 802 , and 803 . For example, photovoltaic strip 800 is similar to photovoltaic strip 303A shown in Figure 3B. The difference between photovoltaic strip 800 and photovoltaic strip 303A is the conductive legs extending from conductive regions 801 , 802 and 803 . As mentioned above, the conductive legs ensure proper electrical connection between the conductive region and the photovoltaic region. the

It should be understood that, in addition to helping to form a good electrical connection, the conductive legs can also help reduce the size of the conductive area. In various embodiments, the width of the conductive region is reduced from about 3 mm (without the conductive leg) to less than 2.5 mm (with the conductive leg). The reduced width of the conductive region can improve the energy conversion efficiency of the photovoltaic region. the

9A and 9B are diagrams illustrating the benefits provided by conductive legs according to embodiments of the present invention. This diagram is only an example, which should not unduly limit the scope of the present invention. Those skilled in the art will recognize other variations, modifications, and substitutions. As shown in Figure 9A, without the conductive legs, some of the photovoltaic strips in the solar module (the portion with the blackened area) are not properly coupled to the bus, and as a result, these photovoltaic strips do not function properly, reducing the overall solar module performance . In contrast, the solar module in Figure 9B shows substantially no blackened areas, which means that the photovoltaic ribbons in this solar module have good electrical contact with the bus. For example, empirical data shows that in experiments where the aluminum print on the photovoltaic area was deliberately moved 600um away from the conductive area, the conductive legs provided the electrical connection between the conductive bus and the photovoltaic area. As can be seen, the "centipede" structure (i.e., the conductive area coupled to the conductive legs, sometimes called a "fishbone" or "caterpillar" structure) increases cell efficiency from 15.59% (standard bus) to 15.65% (with Centipede bus with conductive legs), the efficiency gain is about 3-4%. Thus, as mentioned above, the "centipede" structure also prevents potential loss in defective photovoltaic regions. The conductive legs also improve other metrics associated with solar panels. the

Although the above is a complete description of specific embodiments of the present invention, the above description should not limit the scope of the present invention. the

Claims (6)

1. A solar panel, comprising: rear cover member; a front cover member including a plurality of concentrator elements; a photovoltaic assembly located between the front cover member and the rear cover member, the photovoltaic assembly has a plurality of photovoltaic strips aligned with the plurality of concentrator elements respectively, the photovoltaic strips have a front side and a back side, the said photovoltaic strips are comprised of photovoltaic material, each said photovoltaic strip having a conductive region on at least its backside, and at least a conductive leg electrically coupling said conductive region and said photovoltaic material; and One or more busses electrically coupled to the conductive regions of the photovoltaic strip. 2. The solar panel of claim 1, wherein the conductive region of the photovoltaic strip comprises a silver material. 3. The solar panel of claim 1, wherein each photovoltaic strip includes two of said conductive legs for each said conductive region. 4. The solar panel of claim 1, wherein the photovoltaic assembly is coupled to the back cover member. 5. The solar cell panel of claim 1, the front cover member comprising a glass material. 6. The solar cell panel of claim 1, further comprising a transparent polymer material between the rear cover member and the front cover member.

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