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The impact of ribbon treatment on the interconnection of solar cells withina glass free PV module

Piotr Sobik (Helioenergia sp. z o.o, Czerwionka-Leszczyny, Poland and Instytut Metalurgii i Inzynierii Materialowej PAN, Krakow, Poland)
Radosław Pawłowski (Abraxas Olgierd Jeremiasz, Wodzisław Śląski, Poland and Faculty of Mechatronics, Warsaw University of Technology,Warszawa, Poland)
Anna Pluta (Abraxas Olgierd Jeremiasz, Wodzisław Śląski, Poland)
Olgierd Jeremiasz (Abraxas Olgierd Jeremiasz, Wodzisław Śląski, Poland)
Kazimierz Drabczyk (Institute of Metallurgy and Materials Science, Polish Academy of Science, Cracow, Poland)
Grażyna Kulesza-Matlak (Institute of Metallurgy and Materials Science, Polish Academy of Science, Cracow, Poland)
Paweł Antoni Zięba (Institute of Metallurgy and Materials Science, Polish Academy of Science, Cracow, Poland)

Microelectronics International

ISSN: 1356-5362

Article publication date: 18 June 2019

Issue publication date: 12 July 2019

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the behavior of interconnections between solar cells in a glass-free solar modules. As glass weight can be a limitation, it is still interesting to investigate other types of systems, especially when the glass was replaced with a polymeric front sheet. Such systems can be more sensitive for the solar cell interconnection ribbon fatigue.

Design/methodology/approach

To examine this effect, the set of glass-based and glass-free modules were prepared using various ribbon thickness and treatment concerning its stretching or curving before lamination. Furthermore, additional reinforcement of the connection between the ribbon and the solar cell was proposed. The prepared modules were exposed to the cyclic temperature variation in the environment chamber. The number of cycles after which the interconnection maintains its conductivity was noted.

Findings

Changing the outer layers into more elastic ones requires additional care for the ribbon treatment because interconnections become more sensitive for a system relative displacement. To secure interconnection before fatigue an additional curving of ribbon between solar cells can be introduced whereas the best results were obtained for a system with aluminum plate laminated as an interlayer.

Originality/value

The paper presents a new system of a glass-free solar module based on epoxy-glass fiber composite as a backsheet. The glass front sheet was replaced with an elastic, transparent polymer. Such construction can be used in a system where the glass weight is a limitation. As glass has a structural function in traditional modules and limits fatigues of interconnections the proposed system requires additional ribbon treatment to preserve long module life-span.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

The research is carried out as part of the “Implementation Doctorate” program of the Ministry of Science and the Higher Education Republic of Poland.

Citation

Sobik, P., Pawłowski, R., Pluta, A., Jeremiasz, O., Drabczyk, K., Kulesza-Matlak, G. and Zięba, P.A. (2019), "The impact of ribbon treatment on the interconnection of solar cells withina glass free PV module", Microelectronics International, Vol. 36 No. 3, pp. 95-99. https://doi.org/10.1108/MI-11-2018-0076

Publisher

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Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2019, Emerald Publishing Limited

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