Solar tile system
AssigneeSolaBlock LLC
InventorsPatrick John Adrian Quinlan, Jason Michael Laverty
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A tile unit can include one or more solar cells for generation of electricity. The photovoltaic-clad tile unit combines the physical protective attributes of a tile with the energy production of solar photovoltaics. Methods for manufacturing, installing, and electrically connecting such photovoltaic-clad tile units are also described. The photovoltaic-clad tile units include a plurality of equal-length wiring channels that permit wired tiles to be installed in different relative positions while still wired to each other. The equal-length wiring channels reduce cost, weight, and installation-time of solar photovoltaic-clad tiles in comparison to other technologies and individual tile-to-tile wiring technologies
Claims25
A photovoltaic-clad tile unit comprising:
- a rigid support structure with a back surface and comprising a backer board, the back surface defining a plurality of equal-length wiring channels in the rigid support structure and a pass-through channel extending across the tile in a straight line;
- and
- one or more photovoltaic cells supported by the rigid support structure.
A method of installing a photovoltaic-clad tile unit, the method comprising,
- given a photovoltaic-clad tile unit comprising upper and lower backer board layers, the upper backer board layer comprising a photovoltaic cell, and the lower backer board layer having a first side positioned against the upper backer board layer and an opposite side;
- adhering the opposite side of the lower backer board layer to a surface;
- removing the upper backer board layer from the lower backer board layer;
- disconnecting the photovoltaic cell of the upper backer board layer from a wire positioned in a first channel of the lower backer board layer;
- changing at least one of the wire entrance position and wire exit position by repositioning the wire lower backer board layer from the first wire channel to a second wire channel;
- and
- reconnecting the photovoltaic cell of the upper backer board layer to the wire by replacing the upper backer board layer on the lower backer board layer.
A method of installing a photovoltaic-clad tile unit, the method comprising,
- given a first and second photovoltaic-clad tile units being coupled together by the wire in a first adjacent orientation and each comprising a backer board defining a plurality of equal-length wiring channels, each of the equal-length wiring channels corresponding to an adjacent orientation of the first and second photovoltaic-clad tile units, and the wire being positioned in a first channel of the plurality of channels in each of the first and second units;
- removing the wire from the first channel of the plurality of equal-length wiring channels of the first photovoltaic-clad tile unit;
- positioning the first and second photovoltaic-clad tile units in a second adjacent orientation;
- and
- placing the wire in a second channel of the plurality of equal-length wiring channels of the first photovoltaic-clad tile unit, the second channel corresponding to the second adjacent orientation of the first and second photovoltaic-clad tile units.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.