SOLAR MODULE AND FABRICATING METHOD THEREOF

• US 20130298965A1
• Filed: 03/15/2013
• Published: 11/14/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/14/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: AU Optronics Corporation
• Original Assignee: AU Optronics Corporation
• Inventors: CHAN, I-Min, LIU, John
• Application Number:
  US13/833,618
• Publication Number:
  US 20130298965A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 136/246
• 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 31/0547 comprising light concentrating means of the reflecting type, e.g. parabolic mirrors, concentrators using total internal reflection
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/52 PV systems with concentrators

Abstract

A solar module is disclosed, which includes a back plate, a reflecting structure, one or more solar cell units, a bottom sealant, a top sealant, and a transparent plate. The reflecting structure is disposed on the back plate. The reflecting structure has inclines and a reflector layer. The solar cell units are disposed on the back plate. The solar cell units are spatially separated from and adjacent to the reflecting structure. The inclines are tilted towards nearby solar cell units. The reflector layer is disposed on the incline for directing the light toward the solar cell unit through total internal reflection. The bottom sealant is disposed between the back plate and the solar cell units. The top sealant is disposed on the solar cell units, and the transparent plate is disposed on the top sealant. A method for fabricating the solar module is also disclosed.

Claims

1. A solar module, comprising:

a first substrate;

a first sealant disposed on the first substrate;

a plurality of solar cell units disposed on the first sealant;

a plurality of reflecting structures disposed on at least one side of the solar cell units, wherein each of the reflecting structures comprises;

a resin member including a plurality of inclines tilted towards the nearby solar cell units and a plurality of connecting surfaces for connecting the inclines; and

a plurality of reflector layers disposed between the inclines and the first substrate;

a second sealant disposed on the solar cell units and the reflecting structures; and

a transparent plate disposed on the second sealant.

2. The solar module of claim 1, wherein the material of the resin member is Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and Polymethyl methacrylimide (PMMI) or the combinations thereof.

3. The solar module of claim 1, wherein the material of the first substrate is Polyvinyl Fluoride (PVF), Polyethylene terephthalate (PET), Polyethylene Naphthalate (PEN) and ethylene vinyl acetate resin (EVA) or the combinations thereof.

4. The solar module of claim 1, wherein part of or the entire each of the resin members is embedded in the first substrate.

5. A solar module, comprising:

a first substrate comprising a plurality of reflecting structures, each of the reflecting structures having a plurality of inclines and a plurality of connecting surfaces for connecting the inclines;

a plurality of solar cell units located on at least one side of the reflecting structures, wherein the inclines are each tilted towards the nearby solar cell units;

a plurality of reflector layers disposed between the inclines and the first substrate;

a first sealant disposed between the first substrate and the solar cell units;

a second sealant disposed on the solar cell units; and

a transparent plate disposed on the second sealant.

6. The solar module of claim 5, wherein the material of the first substrate is PVF, PET, PEN, EVA, metal and glass or the combinations thereof.

7. The solar module of claim 5, wherein the reflecting structures comprise:

a plurality of first reflecting structures located in a gap formed by the edges of the first substrate and the solar cell units, wherein the inclines of the first reflecting structures are tilted towards the nearby solar cell units, and the connecting surfaces of the first reflecting structures face the edge of the first substrate.

8. The solar module of claim 7, wherein the distribution widths of the first reflecting structures are in the range of 10 mm to 30 mm.

9. The solar module of claim 8, wherein the distribution widths of the first reflecting structures are smaller than or equal to twice of the thickness of the transparent plates, the included angle is about 21 degrees.

10. The solar module of claim 8, wherein the distribution widths of the first reflecting structures are larger than twice of the thickness of the transparent plates, the included angle is about 21−

47.6*(r−

0.5) degrees, wherein r is the ratio of the thickness of the transparent plate to the width of the gap.

11. The solar module of claim 7, wherein the included angle between the inclines of the first reflecting structures and the first substrate is a variable angle, and the distribution widths of the first reflecting structures are in the range of 20 mm to 50 mm.

12. The solar module of claim 11, wherein the included angle between the inclines of the first reflecting structures and the first substrate increases from the end close to the solar cell unit to the other end progressively.

13. The solar module of claim 11, wherein the included angle between the inclines of the first reflecting structures and the first substrate near the solar cell units is about 21 degrees.

14. The solar module of claim 5, wherein the reflecting structures comprise:

a plurality of second reflecting structures, located in the gap between the sides of the solar cell units, wherein the inclines of the second reflecting structures face the solar cell unit located on one side of the second reflecting structure, the connecting surfaces of the second reflecting structures face the solar cell unit on the other side of the second reflecting structures, and the reflector layers are further disposed on the connecting surfaces.

15. The solar module of claim 5, wherein the reflecting structures comprise:

a plurality of third reflecting structures located in the gap between the corners of the solar cell units, wherein each of the third reflecting structures comprises the inclines, the connecting surfaces and an intermediate region, the inclines each face the four solar cell units holding the third reflecting structure, the inclines surround the intermediate region, and the intermediate region is a plane, a groove or an opening.

16. The solar module of claim 15, wherein when the widths of the gap between the corners of the solar cell units are smaller than or equal to five times of the thickness of the transparent plate, the distribution width of the third reflecting structures is the smaller one of twice of the thickness of the transparent plate or half of the width of the gap.

17. The solar module of claim 15, wherein when the width of the gap between the corners of the solar cell units is larger than or equal to the five times of the thickness of the transparent plate, the distribution width of the third reflecting structure is about 1.8*(t+0.15*g), wherein t is the thickness of the transparent plate and g is the width of the gap.

18. The solar module of claim 15, wherein the included angle between the inclines and the first substrate is a fixed angle, and when the width of the gap between the angles of the solar cell units is smaller than or equal to five times of the thickness of the transparent plate, the included angle is about 21 degrees.

19. The solar module of claim 15, wherein the included angle between the inclines and the first substrate is a fixed angle, and when the width of the gap between the angles of the solar cell units is larger than five times of the thickness of the transparent plate, the included angle is about 21−

60*(r−

0.2) degrees, wherein r is the ratio of the thickness of the transparent plate to the width of the gap.

20. The solar module of claim 5, wherein the first substrate comprises the lamination of PVF and PET, and the reflecting structure is formed on the PVF layer or the PET layer.

21. The solar module of claim 5, wherein the materials of the reflector layers are silver, aluminum or the alloy thereof, and the thickness of the reflector layers are about 50 nm to 300 nm.