Color building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) panel

• US 8,088,990 B1
• Filed: 05/27/2011
• Issued: 01/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/27/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Auria Solar Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Auria Solar Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Tsai, Chin-Yao, Lin, Kun-Chih, Lin, Yi-Kai, Tseng, I-Heng, Chang, Chih-Hsiung
• Primary Examiner(s): Neckel, Alexa
• Assistant Examiner(s): Berdichevsky, Miriam
• Application Number:
  US13/118,110
• Time in Patent Office: 221 Days
• Field of Search: 136/244
• US Class Current: 136/246
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/02167 for solar cells
• 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 31/0463 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 31/0468 comprising specific means for obtaining partial light transmission through the module, e.g. partially transparent thin film solar modules for windows
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 30/60 Planning or developing urban green infrastructure
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 10/10 Photovoltaic [PV]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/50 Photovoltaic [PV] energy

Abstract

In one aspect of the present invention, a photovoltaic panel includes a substrate, a reflective layer formed on the substrate, a first conductive layer formed on the reflective layer, an active layer formed on the first conductive layer, and a second conductive layer formed on the active layer. The reflective layer has an index of refraction and a thickness such that the reflectance spectrum of the photovoltaic device for light incident on the substrate has a maximum in a selected wavelength range in the visible spectrum.

Claims

1. A building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) panel, comprising:

a substrate;

a reflective layer formed on the substrate, the reflective layer having a plurality of first windows exposing a plurality of first portions of the substrate;

a first conductive layer formed on the reflective layer and on the plurality of first portions of the substrate exposed by the plurality of first windows, the first conductive layer having a plurality of second windows exposing a plurality of second portions of the substrate, each second window being within a respective first window;

an active layer formed on the first conductive layer, the active layer having a plurality of third windows exposing a plurality of first portions of the first conductive layer, each third window being within a respective first window; and

a second conductive layer formed on the active layer, the second conductive layer having a plurality of fourth windows exposing a plurality of second portions of the first conductive layer, each fourth window being within a respective first window,

wherein the reflective layer has an index of refraction and a thickness such that the reflectance spectrum of the BIPV panel for light incident thereon has a maximum in a selected wavelength range in the visible spectrum, and wherein the reflective layer comprises silicon carbide (SiC) or micro-crystalline silicon (uc-Si).

2. The BIPV panel of claim 1, wherein the selected wavelength range corresponds to a color of purple, dark blue, light blue, silver, gold, orange, red, brown or a combination thereof.

3. The BIPV panel of claim 1, wherein the index of refraction of the reflective layer ranges from about 1.5 to about 6.5.

4. The BIPV panel of claim 1, wherein the thickness of the reflective layer ranges from about 1 nm to about 600 nm.

5. The BIPV panel of claim 1, wherein each of the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer comprises a transparent conducting oxide (TCO) or a metal.

6. The BIPV panel of claim 5, wherein the TCO comprises zinc oxide (ZnO), tin oxide (SnO₂), indium tin oxide (ITO), aluminum tin oxide (ATO), aluminum zinc oxide (AZO), cadmium indium oxide (CIO), cadmium zinc, oxide (CZO), gallium zinc, oxide (GZO), fluorine tin oxide (FTO), or a combination thereof.

7. The BIPV panel of claim 5, wherein the metal comprises molybdenum (Mo), titanium (Ti), nickel (Ni), aluminum (Al), gold (Au), silver (As), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu) or a combination thereof.

8. The BIPV panel of claim 1, wherein the active layer comprises one or more photovoltaic layers formed of one or more semiconductors.

9. The BIPV panel of claim 8, wherein the one or more semiconductors comprise group IV element semiconductors, group III-V compound semiconductors, group II-VI compound semiconductors, organic compound semiconductors, or a combination thereof.

10. A building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) panel, comprising:

a substrate;

a first conductive layer;

an active layer formed on the first conductive layer;

a second conductive layer formed on the active layer; and

a reflective layer formed between the substrate and the first conductive layer, or formed on the second conductive layer such that the first conductive layer is formed on the substrate, wherein the reflective layer has an index of refraction and a thickness such that the reflectance spectrum of the BIPV panel for light incident thereon has a maximum in a selected wavelength range in the visible spectrum, wherein the reflective layer comprises (SiC) or micro-crystalline silicon (uc-Si).

11. The BIPV panel of claim 10, wherein the selected wavelength range corresponds to a color of purple, dark blue, light blue, silver, gold, orange, red, brown or a combination thereof.

12. The BIPV panel of claim 10, wherein the thickness of the reflective layer ranges from about 1 nm to about 600 nm.

13. The BIPV panel of claim 10, wherein, each of the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer comprises a transparent conducting oxide (TCO) or a metal.