SOLAR CELL MODULE

• US 20160276413A1
• Filed: 03/11/2016
• Published: 09/22/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: IIDA, Atsuko, GOTANDA, Takeshi, NAKAO, Hideyuki, OOOKA, Haruhi, HAYASE, Rumiko, MORI, Shigehiko, TODORI, Kenji
• Granted Patent: US 10,236,322 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/046 PV modules composed of a plurality of thin film solar cells deposited on the same substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/0463 characterised by special patterning methods to connect the PV cells in a module, e.g. laser cutting of the conductive or active layers
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/0465 comprising particular structures for the electrical interconnection of adjacent PV cells in the module H01L31/0463 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/048 Encapsulation of modules
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/0481 characterised by the composition of the encapsulation material
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 30/88 Passivation; Containers; Encapsulations
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 39/10 Organic photovoltaic [PV] modules; Arrays of single organic PV cells
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 85/00 Organic materials used in the body or electrodes of devices covered by this subclass
• 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

Abstract

A solar cell module according to an embodiment includes: a light transmissive first substrate; a second substrate; at least one cell array disposed between the first substrate and the second substrate, the cell array including a plurality of cells arranged, each of the cells including a first electrode disposed on the first substrate, an organic photoelectric conversion film disposed on the first electrode, and a second electrode disposed on the organic photoelectric conversion film; a plurality of light transmissive partition walls disposed at portions on the first substrate, the portions being located between adjacent ones of the cells and at both end portions of the cell array; and a first resin film disposed between the second substrate and each of the cells between adjacent ones of the partition walls, the cells being connected in series.

Claims

1. A solar cell module comprising:

a light transmissive first substrate;

a second substrate;

at least one cell array disposed between the first substrate and the second substrate, the cell array including a plurality of cells arranged, each of the cells including a first electrode disposed on the first substrate, an organic photoelectric conversion film disposed on the first electrode, and a second electrode disposed on the organic photoelectric conversion film;

a plurality of light transmissive partition walls disposed at portions on the first substrate, the portions being located between adjacent ones of the cells and at both end portions of the cell array; and

a first resin film disposed between the second substrate and each of the cells between adjacent ones of the partition walls,

wherein the cells are connected in series.

2. The module according to claim 1, wherein:

the first electrode, the organic photoelectric conversion film, and the second electrode of each of the cells extend onto side surfaces and upper surfaces of the partition walls on both sides of each of the cells; and

,

in two adjacent ones of the cells,

a first gap is interposed between the first electrodes arranged on the upper surface of the partition wall located between the two adjacent cells,

a second gap is interposed between the organic photoelectric conversion films, the second gap being wider than the first gap, and,

at the second gap, the first electrode of one of the two adjacent cells is connected to the second electrode of the other one of the two adjacent cells.

3. The module according to claim 1, further comprising

a light transmissive first layer disposed between each of the cells and the first substrate.

4. The module according to claim 1, wherein the first layer is made of the same material as the partition walls.

5. The module according to claim 1, wherein the partition walls are made of the same material as the first substrate.

6. The module according to claim 1, wherein each of the partition walls is a second resin film containing one of a pigment and a fluorescent material, the one of the pigment and the fluorescent material absorbing ultraviolet light at 320 nm to 380 nm and converting the ultraviolet light into light in a wavelength region at 380 nm or longer.

7. The module according to claim 1, wherein each of the partition walls is a second resin film having a light transmittance of 90% or higher at a wavelength of 380 nm to 800 nm, and a refractive index of 1.56 to 1.73.

8. The module according to claim 3, further comprising

a second layer disposed between the first substrate and each of the cells and each of the partition walls, the second layer containing a moisture-absorbing material.

9. The module according to claim 8, further comprising

a third layer disposed between the second electrode of each of the cells and the first resin film, the third layer containing a moisture-absorbing material.

10. The module according to claim 8, further comprising

a protection film disposed between the second electrode of each of the cells and the first resin film, the protection film containing at least one of metal oxide, metal fluoride, metal nitride, metal oxynitride, a resin containing a desiccant material, and a resin containing a polyacrylic polymer absorber.

11. The module according to claim 1, wherein:

each of the partition walls includes a conductive film and an insulating layer disposed on a side surface of the conductive film;

the first electrode, the organic photoelectric conversion film, and the second electrode of each of the cells extend onto side surfaces and upper surfaces of the partition walls on both sides of the cell;

a first gap is interposed between the first electrode of each of the cells and the first electrode of an adjacent one of the cells; and

the second electrode of each of the cells extends onto a side surface and an upper surface of one of the two partition walls located on both sides of the cell, and is connected to the conductive film of the one of the two partition walls.

12. The module according to claim 1, wherein the organic photoelectric conversion film includes an electron transport layer, a hole transport layer, and a photoelectric conversion layer disposed between the electron transport layer and the hole transport layer.

13. The module according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the cell arrays are arranged in parallel.

14. The module according to claim 1, further comprising:

a third electrode disposed at one end portion of each of the cell arrays, the third electrode being connected to the first electrode of the cell at the one end portion;

a fourth electrode disposed at the other end portion of each of the cell arrays, the fourth electrode being connected to the second electrode of the cell at the other end portion;

a first leading line connected to the third electrode of each of the cell arrays;

a second leading line connected to the fourth electrode of each of the cell arrays;

a first leading electrode connected to the first leading line; and

a second leading electrode connected to the second leading line.