FLEXIBLE MODULES OF ELONGATE SOLAR CELLS

摘要

Monocrystalline silicon is not generally regarded as a candidate material for flexible photovoltaic modules. However, if silicon is thinned below 100 μm it can be flexed without breaking. In this paper the dependence of the breaking radius on the dimensions of the silicon, the crystal orientation, and the surface treatment are investigated. These results show that the breaking radius increases with increasing width of cell and with texturing. This paper also presents optical transparency and adhesion measurements of the module protective packaging, with ethylene tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE) with surface treatment being the most suitable front sheet for modules. Initial test modules of six cells produced efficiencies of 20.8% at 1 sun based on the active cell area. Electrical modeling of full modules have been conducted, and circuit designs that are highly resilient to damage without the need for bypass diodes will be presented.