RESEARCH ON NEW MATERIALS FOR BUILDING INTEGRATED PHOTOVOLTAIC APPLICATIONS: AISOVOL PROJECT

摘要

AiSoVol project consists on the development, manufacturing and testing of a new concept of photovoltaic modules, conceived for facilitating their use as architectural elements. Thus, diverse modules have been fabricated by encapsulating its constituent electrical elements with sandwich lamination techniques and using a transparent polycarbonate instead of tempered glass, as well as binding materials structurally strengthen by a grid made of high-tenacity yarns for avoiding the need for aluminum frames. As a backsheet, polycarbonate and polyester-based materials layers were tested. In this paper, the results of the visual inspection and the electrical characterization of the manufactured prototypes are shown. Various defects such as bubbles, lack of adhesion and buckling arose when using conventional lamination parameters. For this reason, a stepwise heating lamination process was implemented in order to cure the EVA, assure the integrity of the polycarbonate and so doing, avoid these defects. Two functionalities could be assigned to final module depending on its backsheet. Those manufactured with polycarbonate as frontsheet and backsheet, transparent and stiff, could work as active windows or skylights, whereas those using polycarbonate as frontsheet and polyester based materials as a backsheet, lighter but less resistant, would be screwed into any surface of a building.