Lightweight Solar Modules Implementing Advanced Polymer Materials and Solar Cells

Recent advancements in glass-free photovoltaic (PV) module designs have paved the way for lightweight, streamlined structures with versatile designs, all while maintaining high performance and reliability. These innovations are finding broader applications in Integrated Photovoltaics (IPV) domains. Within this context, CSEM has developed specialized encapsulants to ensure the high reliability of lightweight modules. This study will initially introduce newly developed polymeric materials designed to serve as both encapsulants and cover sheets, achieving ultra-low-weight modules with demonstrated weights as low as 700 g/m2. This material stack also holds potential for use in pre-laminates. Additionally, dedicated encapsulants have been formulated, enabling the creation of modules weighing as little as 2 kg/m2, with enhanced hail resistance. For Vehicle-Integrated Photovoltaic (VIPV) modules, which are based on materials with significant differences in coefficients of thermal expansion, further adjustments to the thermo-mechanical properties of the materials, the material stack, and the interconnection design are crucial to enhance module reliability. Simulation tools have been developed to predict the energy yield of curved modules typically used in VIPV. In a second aspect, we demonstrate that these innovative materials can be synergistically combined with highly efficient tunnel back-contact heterojunction (IBC-HJT) solar cell technology. Utilizing SmartWire Contacting Technology and a traditional glass module structure, we achieved a certified record laminate efficiency of 24.7%. The robustness and reliability of this combined approach are presented.