Solar cell substrate and solar panel for automobile

• US 5,059,254 A
• Filed: 05/24/1989
• Issued: 10/22/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 05/24/1988
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Asahi Glass Company, Limited (AGC, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Asahi Glass Company, Limited (AGC, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kikugawa, Osada, Koichi, Takigawa, Tomoya, Yaba, Susumu, Sato, Katsuhito, Omae, Masaru
• Primary Examiner(s): Weisstuch, Aaron
• Application Number:
  US07/356,234
• Time in Patent Office: 881 Days
• Field of Search: 136/244, 136/251, 136/256, 136/258 AM, 136/259, 136/291, 428/432
• US Class Current: 136/251
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 17/10018 comprising only one glass sheet
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 17/10036 comprising two outer glass sheets
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 17/10091 thermally hardened
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 17/10174 Coatings of a metallic or dielectric material on a constituent layer of glass or polymer
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 17/10302 Edge sealing
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 17/10651 comprising colorants, e.g. dyes or pigments
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 17/10761 containing vinyl acetal
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 17/10788 containing ethylene vinylacetate
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2367/00 Polyesters, e.g. PET, i.e. polyethylene terephthalate
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2375/00 Polyureas; Polyurethanes
• CPC Class Codes: B60J 1/002 with means for clear vision, e.g. anti-frost or defog panes, rain shields window heating in H05B3/84, H05B3/86
• CPC Class Codes: B60J 7/04 with rigid plate-like element or elements , e.g. open roofs with harmonica-type folding rigid panels B60J7/061 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/22 with other inorganic material C03C17/34, C03C17/44 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/3441 comprising carbon, a carbide or oxycarbide
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/3482 comprising silicon, hydrogenated silicon or a silicide
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2217/282 Carbides, silicides
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2218/152 by cvd
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/0201 comprising specially adapted module bus-bar structures
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/03921 including only elements of Group IV of the Periodic Table
• 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 31/0465 : comprising particular structures for the electrical interconnection of adjacent PV cells in the module H01L31/0463 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/0488 : Double glass encapsulation, e.g. photovoltaic cells arranged between front and rear glass sheets
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/1884 : Manufacture of transparent electrodes, e.g. TCO, ITO
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/50 : Photovoltaic [PV] energy
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/90 : Energy harvesting concepts as power supply for auxiliaries' energy consumption, e.g. photovoltaic sun-roof
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 136/291 : Applications

Abstract

A glass substrate for a solar cell, comprising a glass sheet having a curved surface shape and a transparent electroconductive film formed on the concave surface side of said glass sheet.

Claims

1. A glass substrate for a solar cell, comprising a glass sheet having a curved surface shape, a light-shielding layer formed along the periphery of the concave surface of said glass sheet, and a transparent electroconductive film formed to cover at least a portion of said light-shielding layer and the concave surface of said glass sheet.

2. The glass substrate for a solar cell according to claim 1, wherein said transparent electroconductive film is an electroconductive thin film comprising tin oxide as the main component.

3. The glass substrate for a solar cell according to claim 1, wherein said glass sheet has been subjected to a strengthening treatment.

4. A solar cell comprising the glass substrate as claimed in claim 1, an amorphous silicon (a-Si) semiconductor layer formed on the transparent electroconductive film formed on the concave surface side of the glass sheet, and a back electrode formed on the semiconductor layer.

5. A solar cell-installed window glass panel for an automobile, comprising the solar cell as claimed in claim 4 and a glass plate laminated on the back electrode side of the solar cell with an interlayer disposed therebetween.

6. A solar cell-installed window glass panel for an automobile, comprising a transparent glass plate with a light shielding layer formed along the periphery thereof, having a light-transmitting solar cell comprising amorphous silicon as a photoelectric convertion layer formed on the glass plate, and a transparent protective layer formed to cover said amorphous silicon solar cell.

7. A solar cell-installed window glass panel for an automobile, comprising a transparent outer glass plate having a light-transmitting solar cell formed on the inner side of said outer glass plate, comprising in order, a light-incident transparent electrode layer on said inner side of said outer glass plate, an amorphous silicon photoelectric conversion layer on said transparent electrode layer, and a transparent back electrode on said photoelectric conversion layer, and further including a transparent protective layer formed on said back electrode to cover said amorphous silicon solar cell wherein said protective layer is composed of a transparent interlayer adjacent said back electrode of said solar cell and a transparent inner glass plate laminated thereover and at least one of said interlayer and said inner glass plate is colored and transparent.

8. The solar cell-installed window glass panel for an automobile according to claim 7, wherein said transparent interlayer is composed of polyvinylbutyral.

9. The solar cell-installed window glass panel for an automobile according to claim 7, wherein said transparent interlayer is composed of an ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer layer.

10. The solar cell-installed window glass panel for an automobile according to claim 7, wherein said inner glass plate has a light-shielding colored layer along its peripheral margin to totally cover a current collective electrode formed on the peripheral margin of the inner side of said outer glass plate.

11. A solar cell-installed window glass panel for an automobile, comprising a transparent outer glass plate having a light-transmitting solar cell comprising amorphous silicon as a photoelectric conversion layer formed on the inner side of said outer glass plate, and a transparent protective layer formed to cover said amorphous silicon solar cell wherein said protective layer is composed of a transparent first interlayer formed on said amorphous silicon solar cell formed on the inner side of said outer glass plate, a transparent second interlayer formed on said first interlayer, and a transparent inner glass plate formed on said second interlayer.

12. The solar cell-installed window glass panel for an automobile according to claim 11, wherein at least one of said first interlayer, said second interlayer and said inner glass plate is colored and transparent.

13. The solar cell-installed window glass panel for an automobile according to claim 11, wherein said first interlayer has a moisture-permeability coefficient of not higher than 20 g/hr/cm² /cm.

14. The solar cell-installed window glass panel for an automobile comprising a transparent glass plate having a light-transmitting solar cell comprising amorphous silicon as a photoelectric conversion layer formed on the glass plate, and a transparent protective layer formed to cover said amorphous silicon solar cell with a light shielding layer formed along the periphery thereof, wherein said solar cell has a visible light transmittance of not higher than 20%.

15. A solar cell-installed window glass panel for an automobile, comprising a transparent glass plate having a light-transmitting solar cell comprising amorphous silicon as a photoelectric conversion layer formed on the glass plate, and a transparent protective layer formed to cover said amorphous silicon solar cell wherein said glass plate has a light-shielding colored layer along the margin periphery thereof and a solar cell comprising an amorphous silicon photoelectric conversion layer to cover at least a portion of said light-shielding colored layer and the main surface of said glass plate, and said light-shielding colored layer is provided thereon with a current collective electrode of said solar cell.

16. The solar cell-installed window glass panel for an automobile, comprising a transparent glass plate having a light-transmitting solar cell comprising amorphous silicon as a photoelectric conversion layer formed on the glass plate, and a transparent protective layer formed to cover said amorphous silicon solar cell wherein said window glass panel has a resin-made gasket integrally molded along the entire peripheral margin and wherein said gasket is integrally molded together with an electrical circuit.

17. The solar cell-installed window glass panel for an automobile according to claim 16, wherein said electrical circuit includes a diode for preventing reverse current.

18. The solar cell-installed window glass panel for an automobile according to claim 16, wherein said electrical circuit is a circuit for stabilizing electric voltage.

19. The solar cell-installed window glass panel for an automobile according to claim 16, wherein said electrical circuit is a circuit for stabilizing electric current.