SOLAR CELL MODULE

• US 20190312164A1
• Filed: 12/13/2017
• Published: 10/10/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2016
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: SUGIYAMA, Motohiko, KURIZOE, Naoki, UEDA, Takeshi, IKOMA, Yoshimitsu
• Application Number:
  US16/348,621
• Publication Number:
  US 20190312164A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• 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: Y02E 10/50 Photovoltaic [PV] energy

Abstract

A solar cell module includes a front surface substrate, a seal layer arranged under the front surface substrate to seal a photoelectric converter, a low thermal expansion-contraction layer arranged under the seal layer, and a rear surface substrate arranged under the low thermal expansion-contraction layer. The solar cell module further includes a stress-reducing resin layer arranged between the low thermal expansion-contraction layer and the rear surface substrate. The low thermal expansion-contraction layer has a smaller coefficient of linear expansion than the rear surface substrate, and the stress-reducing resin layer has a smaller tensile modulus of elasticity than the low thermal expansion-contraction layer and the rear surface substrate.

Claims

1. A solar cell module comprising:

a front surface substrate;

a seal layer arranged under the front surface substrate to seal a photoelectric converter;

a low thermal expansion-contraction layer arranged under the seal layer;

a rear surface substrate arranged under the low thermal expansion-contraction layer; and

a stress-reducing resin layer arranged between the low thermal expansion-contraction layer and the rear surface substrate,

the low thermal expansion-contraction layer having a smaller coefficient of linear expansion than the rear surface substrate,

the stress-reducing resin layer having a smaller tensile modulus of elasticity than the low thermal expansion-contraction layer and the rear surface substrate.

2. The solar cell module according to claim 1, wherein the coefficient of linear expansion of the low thermal expansion-contraction layer is 20×

10<sup>−

6</sup> K<sup>−

1</sup> or smaller.

3. The solar cell module according to claim 1, wherein the rear surface substrate is at least one selected from the group consisting of a honeycomb structure, a foamed body, and a porous body.

4. The solar cell module according to claim 1, wherein the low thermal expansion-contraction layer and the stress-reducing resin layer are symmetrically arranged about the rear surface substrate in a stacked direction.

5. The solar cell module according to claim 1, wherein the low thermal expansion-contraction layer has a slit penetrating from the seal layer to the stress-reducing resin layer.

6. The solar cell module according to claim 1, wherein at least part of the seal layer is bonded to the stress-reducing resin layer.

7. The solar cell module according to claim 6, wherein a proportion of an area of the low thermal expansion-contraction layer to a total area of the rear surface substrate is in a range of 40% or greater to 90% or less, as viewed in a stacked direction of the low thermal expansion-contraction layer and the rear surface substrate.

8. The solar cell module according to claim 6, wherein:

the photoelectric converter is a solar cell string in which adjacent solar cells are electrically connected to each other via a connecting member; and

the low thermal expansion-contraction layer spans and covers the adjacent solar cells as viewed in a stacked direction of the low thermal expansion-contraction layer and the rear surface substrate.

9. The solar cell module according to claim 6, wherein:

the photoelectric converter is a solar cell string in which adjacent solar cells are electrically connected to each other via a connecting member; and

the low thermal expansion-contraction layer covers the entire connecting member as viewed in a stacked direction of the low thermal expansion-contraction layer and the rear surface substrate.

10. The solar cell module according to claim 5, wherein the rear surface substrate is bent to have a curved surface.

11. The solar cell module according to claim 1, wherein the low thermal expansion-contraction layer includes at least one material selected from the group consisting of carbon fiber-reinforced plastic, glass fiber-containing resin, and cellulose nanofiber.

12. The solar cell module according to claim 1, wherein:

the photoelectric converter is a solar cell string in which adjacent solar cells are electrically connected to each other via a connecting member; and

the coefficient of linear expansion of the low thermal expansion-contraction layer is 20×

10<sup>−

6</sup> K<sup>−

1</sup> or smaller in the connected direction of the adjacent solar cells as viewed in the stacked direction of the low thermal expansion-contraction layer and the rear surface substrate.