Roof panel having an integrated photovoltaic module

• US 10,056,515 B2
• Filed: 05/17/2013
• Issued: 08/21/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Saint-Gobain Glass France (Compagnie De Saint-Gobain)
• Original Assignee: Saint-Gobain Glass France (Compagnie De Saint-Gobain)
• Inventors: Nositschka, Andreas, Remy, Pascal, Prast, Marc-Oliver, Neumann, Dirk, Stoffel, Harald
• Primary Examiner(s): Chern, Christina
• Application Number:
  US14/400,719
• Publication Number:
  US 20150129013A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,922 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 17/10018 comprising only one glass sheet
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 17/10761 containing vinyl acetal
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 17/1077 containing polyurethane
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 17/10788 containing ethylene vinylacetate
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 17/10871 in combination with particular heat treatment
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 17/10889 shaping the sheets, e.g. by using a mould B32B17/10816 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2327/12 containing fluorine
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2333/12 Polymers of methacrylic acid esters, e.g. PMMA, i.e. polymethylmethacrylate
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2369/00 Polycarbonates
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 8/003 Converting light into electric energy, e.g. by using photo-voltaic systems
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 25/06 Fixed roofs non-fixed roofs or like shelters B60J7/00; roof liners B60R13/02; insulating elements B60R13/08
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 29/043 Superstructures B62D25/161 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/048 Encapsulation of modules
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/0488 Double glass encapsulation, e.g. photovoltaic cells arranged between front and rear glass sheets
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/073 comprising only AIIBVI compound semiconductors, e.g. CdS/CdTe solar cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/0735 comprising only AIIIBV compound semiconductors, e.g. GaAs/AlGaAs or InP/GaInAs solar cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/0749 including a AIBIIICVI compound, e.g. CdS/CulnSe2 [CIS] heterojunction solar cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/18 Processes or apparatus specially adapted for the manufacture or treatment of these devices or of parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 30/88 Passivation; Containers; Encapsulations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 10/10 Photovoltaic [PV]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/50 : Photovoltaic [PV] energy
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/541 : CuInSe2 material PV cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/543 : Solar cells from Group II-VI materials
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/544 : Solar cells from Group III-V materials
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/549 : Organic PV cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 70/50 : Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 : Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/90 : Energy harvesting concepts as power supply for auxiliaries' energy consumption, e.g. photovoltaic sun-roof

Abstract

A roof panel having an integrated photovoltaic module is described. The roof panel has at least a substrate and an outer panel, which are laminarily bonded to each other by means of a thermoplastic layer, wherein a photovoltaic layer system is embedded in the thermoplastic layer and the substrate contains at least one polymer.

Claims

1. A method for producing a roof panel having an integrated photovoltaic module, comprising:

(a) arranging a photovoltaic layer system between a first thermoplastic film and a second thermoplastic film, thereby obtaining a composite layer;

(b) arranging the composite layer laminarily between a substrate, which contains at least one polymer and is implemented as a flexible film, and an outer panel containing glass;

(c) bonding the substrate to the outer panel via the composite layer under the action of heat, vacuum, and/or pressure between at least one pair of rollers, wherein a support panel is arranged via a separating film on a surface of the substrate facing away from the outer panel, wherein the separating film contains at least one polytetrahalogen ethylene; and

(d) after bonding the substrate to the outer panel, removing the separating film and support panel.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

after process step (a) and before process step (b), bonding the photovoltaic layer system to the first thermoplastic film and to the second thermoplastic film under the action of heat, vacuum, and/or pressure.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the separating film has a thickness from 0.01 mm to 10 mm.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the substrate has a thickness from 0.02 mm to 2 mm.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the substrate has a thickness from 0.1 mm to 1.5 mm.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the substrate has a thickness from 0.15 mm to 0.8 mm.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one polymer in the substrate is selected from the group consisting of:

polyvinyl fluoride, polyvinylidene fluoride, ethylene tetrafluoroethylene, and polytetrafluoroethylene.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the photovoltaic layer system has a photovoltaically active absorber layer between a front electrode layer and a back electrode layer and wherein the photovoltaically active absorber layer material is selected from the group consisting of:

amorphous, micromorphous, or polycrystalline silicon, cadmium telluride (CdTe), cadmium selenide (CdSe), gallium arsenide (GaAs), semiconducting organic polymers or oligomers or copper indium (gallium) sulfur/selenium (CI(G)S).

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the outer panel contains flat glass, float glass, quartz glass, borosilicate glass, or soda lime glass, and has a thickness from 2.8 mm to 5 mm.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the photovoltaic layer system is divided into subsections that are connected to each other in series and/or in parallel via electrically conductive connecting elements and/or busbars.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein an area of the photovoltaic layer system is from 50% to 100% of an area of the roof panel.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein the composite layer contains at least ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA), polyvinyl butyral (PVB), polyurethane (PU), polyethylene (PE), and/or polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and has a thickness from 0.5 mm to 5 mm.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the composite layer has a thickness from 1 mm to 3 mm.

14. The method according to claim 1, wherein the roof panel has, at least in one region, a radius of curvature from 600 mm to 900 mm.

15. The method according to claim 1, wherein the specific power of the integrated photovoltaic module is from 10 W/m² to 300 W/m².

16. The method according to claim 1, wherein the specific power of the integrated photovoltaic module is from 50 W/m² to 150 W/m².