Hail resistant photovoltaic modules
AssigneeE. I. Du Pont de Nemours and Company
InventorANGELIQUE GENEVIEVE LUCIE GARREAU-ILES
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Abstract
A photovoltaic module comprising a front sheet, a front encapsulant layer, at least one photoactive cell having a frontface and a backface, and a backing sheet, wherein the backface of the photoactive cell is in direct contact with the backing sheet.
Claims6
A photovoltaic module comprising a front sheet, a front encapsulant layer, at least one photoactive cell having a frontface and a backface, and a backing sheet, wherein the backface of the photoactive cell is in direct contact with the backing sheet and the backing sheet has a Young's modulus of from 15 to 200 GPa when measured according to standard ISO 527 at a temperature of 23° C. at a relative humidity of 50%.
A process for the manufacture of a photovoltaic module comprising the steps of:
- (a) assembling a stack by
- i. placing at least one photoactive cell on a backing sheet having a Young's modulus of from 15 to 200 GPa when measured according to standard ISO 527 at a temperature of 23° C. at a relative humidity of 50%, such that the at least one photoactive cell and the backing sheet are in direct contact to each other,
- ii. placing a sheet of front encapsulant on top of the at least one photoactive cell, and
- iii. placing a front sheet on top of the front encapsulant sheet,
- (b) consolidating the so assembled stack in a laminating device by
- i. heating the stack to a temperature of 100 to 180° C.,
- ii. subjecting the heated stack to a mechanical pressure in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the stack by decreasing the ambient pressure in the laminating device to 300 to 1200 mbar, and
- iii. cooling the stack to ambient temperature and releasing the mechanical pressure by reestablishing atmospheric pressure in the laminating device.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.