Solar energy collecting module

• US 9,960,296 B2
• Filed: 03/09/2009
• Issued: 05/01/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Industrial Technology Research Institute
• Original Assignee: Industrial Technology Research Institute
• Inventors: Lin, Hui-Hsiung, Yu, Chia-Wei, Pao, Yu-Nan
• Primary Examiner(s): STAPLETON, ERIC S
• Application Number:
  US12/400,587
• Publication Number:
  US 20100108056A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,340 Days
• Field of Search: 126569, 126593, 126600, 126674-676, 126683-685, 126696, 250200, 359298, 359315, 359317-319, 385 8, 385129-131, 136243-265
• CPC Class Codes: F24S 23/12 Light guides
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/02366 of the substrate or of a layer on the substrate, e.g. textured ITO/glass substrate or superstrate, textured polymer layer on glass substrate
• 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 energy collecting system includes a substrate and at least one solar chip. The substrate includes a first surface, a second surface and a plurality of lateral surfaces, wherein the first surface faces the second surface, the lateral surfaces are adjacent to the first and second surfaces, and a first micro structure is formed on the first or the second surface. The solar chip is near one of the lateral surfaces. Solar light penetrates the first and the second surface and is refracted or reflected by the first micro structure to leave the substrate via the lateral surface and be absorbed by the solar chip.

Claims

1. A solar energy collecting module, comprising:

a substrate comprising a first surface, a second surface and a plurality of lateral surfaces, wherein the first surface faces the second surface, the lateral surfaces are adjacent to the first and second surfaces, and a first micro-structure is formed on the second surface;

at least one solar cell disposed on one of the lateral surfaces, arranged such that solar light penetrates the first surface and is refracted or reflected by the first micro-structure on the second surface to leave the substrate via the lateral surface on which the solar cell is disposed and be absorbed by the solar cell; and

a micro/nano-scale structure comprising;

a micro/nano layer formed on the first surface of the substrate; and

a metal layer formed on the micro/nano layer,

wherein the first micro-structure comprises a plurality of strips, wherein each of the strips extends in a direction parallel to the lateral surface on which the solar cell is disposed, and a cross section of each strip is triangular,

wherein a vertex angle of the triangular of each of the strips is divided into an angle A and an angle B by a vertical line extending from an apex, the angle A is 80 degrees, and the angle B is 40-80 degrees.

2. The solar energy collecting module as claimed in claim 1, wherein the substrate is made of a transparent material.

3. The solar energy collecting module as claimed in claim 1, wherein the solar cell is made of silicon or a semiconductor material selected from the chemical elements listed on Group III and Group V of the periodic table.

4. The solar energy collecting module as claimed in claim 1, wherein a distance between the solar cell and the lateral surface is less than 1 mm.

5. The solar energy collecting module as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first surface is coated by a water repellent material comprising polyvinylidene fluoride, polysulfone, reactive modifying agent with a water-free polymer, silicon rubber, Acrylonitrile-Butadien-Styrene, or Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE).

6. The solar energy collecting module as claimed in claim 1, wherein the micro/nano-scale structure comprises a plurality of three-dimensional structures, and each of the three-dimensional structures is with a cross section having a width that is gradually larger from a top to a bottom portion and a height of 100-570 nm, arranged with a period of 100-600 nm.

7. The solar energy collecting module as claimed in claim 1, wherein the metal layer comprises gold, silver, aluminum, nickel, copper, chromium, tin oxide or indium tin oxide (ITO).

8. The solar energy collecting module as claimed in claim 1, wherein a thickness of the metal layer is less than 150 nm.

9. The solar energy collecting module as claimed in claim 1, wherein the micro/nano structure further comprises a hard coating coated on the metal layer.