Concentrating module and method of manufacture for photovoltaic strips

A solar concentrator module for manufacture of solar energy conversion system, the sunlight concentrator module comprising:

• a webbing having a shape characterized by a first dimension, a second dimension, a planar region defined by the first dimension and the second dimension, the webbing having a front region, a back region, and a first thickness of at least 3.2 millimeters up to 7.2 millimeters provided between the front region and the back region;
• a load sustenance characteristic provided by the first thickness of the webbing, the load being at least of 2400 Pa uniformly applied on the front region for 1 hour in two cycles;
• a hail impact resistance characteristic of the webbing with the first thickness, the impact hail being an ice ball with at least of 25 mm diameter directed at a speed of at least 23 meter per second to at least 11 locations of the front region;
• a plurality of concentrator elements integrally formed with the back region excluding a peripheral region of the webbing, each of the concentrator elements being disposed one-next-to-another in parallel along the first dimension and characterized by a length, an aperture region, an exit region, a first side region provided between a first portion of the aperture region and a first portion of the exit region, a second side region provided between a second portion of the aperture region and a second portion of the exit region, and a second thickness of about 1.8 millimeters provided between the aperture region and the exit region, the length being substantially the same as the second dimension;
• a geometric concentration characteristic provided by a scale ratio of the aperture region to the exit region for each of the plurality of concentrator elements, the scale ratio being characterized by a range from about 1.8 to about 4.5;
• an optical transparency characteristic of the first thickness of the webbing combined with the second thickness of each of the plurality of concentrating elements with a transmissivity being at least of 90% and greater within a visible light range;
• a plurality of photovoltaic strips, each of the plurality of photovoltaic strips coupled to at least a portion of each of the exit region of the plurality of concentrator elements, each photovoltaic strip having a width substantially similar to the exit region, one or more photovoltaic strips having a cumulative length substantially similar to the length of the concentrator element;
• a plurality of electric conducting leads disposed along two edges of each of the plurality of photovoltaic strips, each conducting lead being conductively connected to each other and to module external electrical ports;
• and
• a rigid back cover member having substantially the same shape of the webbing and being configured to mechanically couple with the webbing at the peripheral region.

A method for making a glass concentrator for manufacture of solar energy conversion module, the method comprising:

• forming a molten glass;
• feeding a predetermined amount of the molten glass into a float bath to form a floating ribbon glass in rectangular shape defined by a first dimension and a second dimension;
• processing the floating ribbon glass to have an even first thickness between a top surface and a back surface;
• rolling with a shaped molding roller across the top surface partially into the first thickness at a predetermined first temperature within a first time period to form a plurality of shaped concentrating elements with a second thickness;
• annealing the ribbon glass by gradually reducing temperature from the first temperature to a second temperature within a second time period;
• lifting the ribbon glass at the second temperature onto a plurality of circular rollers;
• rolling the back surface of the ribbon glass while continuing cool the ribbon glass to a third temperature during transportation on the plurality of circular rollers;
• flame polishing the plurality of shaped concentrating elements on the top surface;
• wherein,
• the feeding a predetermined amount of the molten glass comprises controlling the first thickness to at least 5 mm to possess a characteristic of sustaining at least a load of 2400 Pa uniformly applied for 1 hour in two cycles;
• rolling with a shaped molding roller across the top surface partially into the first thickness to form a plurality of shaped concentrating elements with a second thickness comprises forming a plurality of elongated structures one-next-to-another in parallel, each of the plurality of elongated structures comprising a geometrical optical concentrating element with a scale ratio of an aperture region to an exit region greater than 2.0.

A method for making a glass concentrator for manufacture of solar energy conversion module, the method comprising:

• forming a ribbon glass characterized by a first thickness between a top surface and a back surface;
• rolling with a shaped molding roller across the top surface partially into the first thickness of the ribbon glass at a first temperature within a first time period to form a plurality of shaped structures with a second thickness;
• polishing at least partially the plurality of shaped structures on the top surface;
• wherein,
• the first thickness comprises a characteristic of sustaining at least a load of 2400 Pa uniformly applied for 1 hour in two cycles;
• the plurality of shaped structures comprises a plurality of concentrating elements one-next-to-another in parallel, each of the plurality of concentrating elements comprising two reflective side surfaces and a ratio of an aperture region to an exit region greater than 2.0.

A method of assembling a solar concentrator module, the method comprising:

• preparing a concentrator unit including a webbing, the webbing having a flat front plane and a back plane occupied entirely by a plurality of concentrating elements excluding a peripheral region, each of the plurality of concentrating elements having a light-collecting aperture region and a light-collecting exit region;
• providing an optical coupling material overlaying each light-collecting exit region;
• providing a plurality of photovoltaic strips, each of the plurality of photovoltaic strips substantially matching dimensions of each light-collecting exit region being associated with a plurality of electric leads;
• and
• bonding the plurality of photovoltaic strips using at least the optical coupling individually and cumulatively to each and every light-collecting exit region.