Thermal Conducting Materials for Solar Panel Components
First Claim
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1. A photovoltaic or semiconductor encapsulant, the encapsulant comprising:
- a polymeric material; and
a filler material;
wherein the encapsulant has a thermal conductivity of about at least 0.26 watt per meter per Kelvin and a dielectric constant of about at least 2.0 measured at 60 hertz.
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Abstract
This invention relates to solar panels with improved encapsulants and backsheets for greater power output and/or increased efficiency by using materials with higher thermal conductivity than conventional solar panels. According to certain embodiments the improved materials include fillers while maintaining sufficient dielectric properties. According to certain other embodiments, the invention includes a solar panel with the improved encapsulant between solar cells and the improved backsheet. The invention also includes a method of making a solar panel including the improved materials.
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Citations
32 Claims
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1. A photovoltaic or semiconductor encapsulant, the encapsulant comprising:
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a polymeric material; and a filler material; wherein the encapsulant has a thermal conductivity of about at least 0.26 watt per meter per Kelvin and a dielectric constant of about at least 2.0 measured at 60 hertz. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A photovoltaic or semiconductor backsheet, the backsheet comprising:
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a polymeric material; and a filler material; wherein the backsheet has a dielectric constant of about at least 2.0 measured at 60 hertz and a higher thermal conductivity than the polymeric material in neat form. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. A solar panel comprising a front layer and at least one photovoltaic cell, the panel comprising:
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the front layer disposed with respect to a front side of the at least one photovoltaic cell; an encapsulant contacting at least a portion of a back side of the at least one photovoltaic cell and disposed at least partially between the at least one photovoltaic cell and a backsheet, the encapsulant comprising a first polymeric material and a first thermal conducting filler material, the encapsulant having a thermal conductivity of about at least 0.26 watt per meter per Kelvin and a dielectric constant of about at least 2.0 measured at 60 hertz; and the backsheet. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29)
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30. A process for making a solar panel comprising:
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providing a front layer; placing a first sheet of encapsulant material over at least a portion of the front layer; placing at least one photovoltaic cell over the first sheet of encapsulant material; placing a second sheet of encapsulant material over the at least one photovoltaic cell, the second sheet of encapsulant material comprising a first polymeric material and a first filler material, the second sheet of encapsulant material having a thermal conductivity of about at least 0.26 watt per meter per Kelvin and a dielectric constant of about at least 2.0 measured at 60 hertz; placing a backsheet over the second sheet of encapsulant material, the backsheet comprising a second polymeric material and a second filler material, the backsheet having a dielectric constant of about at least 2.0 and a higher thermal conductivity than the second polymeric material in neat form; and laminating the solar panel for a sufficient time and a sufficient temperature for sufficient crosslinking of the first sheet or the second sheet. - View Dependent Claims (31, 32)
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Specification