High efficiency solar panel

• US 10,074,755 B2
• Filed: 12/08/2014
• Issued: 09/11/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/11/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tesla Inc.
• Original Assignee: Tesla Inc.
• Inventors: Yang, Bobby, Nguyen, Peter P., Heng, Jiunn Benjamin, Reddy, Anand J., Xu, Zheng
• Primary Examiner(s): Leong, Susan D
• Application Number:
  US14/563,867
• Publication Number:
  US 20150090314A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,373 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2933/0033 relating to semiconductor body packages
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/022433 Particular geometry of the grid contacts
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/042 PV modules or arrays of single PV cells supporting structures for PV modules H02S20/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/0504 specially adapted for series or parallel connection of solar cells in a module
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/0747 comprising a heterojunction of crystalline and amorphous materials, e.g. heterojunction with intrinsic thin layer
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/50 Photovoltaic [PV] energy

Abstract

One embodiment of the present invention provides a solar panel. The solar panel includes a plurality of subsets of solar cells. The solar cells in a subset are coupled in series, and the subsets of solar cells are coupled in parallel. The number of solar cells in a respective subset is sufficiently large such that the output voltage of the solar panel is substantially the same as an output voltage of a conventional solar panel with all of its substantially square shaped solar cells coupled in series.

Claims

1. A solar panel, comprising:

a plurality of solar cell strips arranged into m subsets, wherein m is an integer greater than one;

wherein a respective solar cell strip has a rectangular shape with a long edge and a short edge, and wherein a length of the long edge is substantially m times that of the short edge,

wherein solar cell strips in a respective subset are electrically coupled in series; and

wherein the m subsets of solar cell strips are electrically coupled in parallel.

2. The solar panel of claim 1, wherein the solar cell strip is obtained by dividing a substantially square shaped solar cell into three pieces.

3. The solar panel of claim 1, wherein a respective subset comprises solar cell strips obtained by dividing n substantially square shaped solar cells into m×

n strips, with each substantially square shaped solar cell being divided into m strips.

4. The solar panel of claim 1, wherein the solar cell strip is a double-sided tunneling heterojunction photovoltaic structure, which includes:

a base layer;

first and second quantum tunneling barrier (QTB) layers deposited on both surfaces of the base layer;

an amorphous silicon emitter layer; and

an amorphous silicon surface field layer;

wherein the solar cell can absorb light from both surfaces.

5. The solar panel of claim 1, wherein the solar cell strip comprises a first metal grid on a first side and a second metal grid on a second side, wherein the first metal grid comprises a first edge busbar located at an edge on the first side, and wherein the second metal grid comprises a second edge busbar located at an opposite edge on the second side of the solar cell.

6. The solar panel of claim 5, wherein the first metal grid and the second metal grid comprises an electroplated Cu layer.

7. The solar panel of claim 5, wherein two adjacent solar cell strips in a subset are positioned such that a first edge busbar of one solar cell strip is in direct contact with a second edge busbar of the other solar cell strip, thereby facilitating a serial connection between the two adjacent solar cell strips and eliminating uncovered space there between.

8. The solar panel of claim 1, wherein the solar cell strips in a respective subset form a U-shaped string.

9. The solar panel of claim 1, wherein the solar cell strips in the respective subset are physically coupled.