A method for fabricating a CIGS solar photovoltaic foldable module

Abstract

This invention discloses a method for preparing a CIGS solar photovoltaic foldable module, comprising the following steps: (1) preparation of a front composite water-blocking film; (2) preparation of a back composite water-blocking film; (3) cutting the front composite water-blocking film; (4) cutting the back composite water-blocking film; (5) placing the solar cells on the front composite water-blocking film; (6) forming a solar cell; (7) insulating the solar cell wires; (8) spot heating the edges of the solar cell; (9) spot heating the fabric; (10) covering with a fluorine film; (11) placing the module on a heat-insulating tray and hot-laminating it in a laminator; (12) cutting. This invention avoids damage to the water-blocking film material caused by pre-lamination, ensures that the amount of adhesive overflow at the edges of the solar cell meets the required thickness, avoids the risk of delamination during module use, avoids water leakage problems, optimizes the process, and shortens production time.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of solar module manufacturing technology, and in particular to a method for preparing a CIGS solar photovoltaic folded package module. Background Technology

[0002] With the development of society, outdoor sports are becoming increasingly popular, and outdoor enthusiasts have an increasing demand for equipment. Solar energy, as an environmentally friendly new energy source, can convert solar energy into electricity outdoors, and solar folding bags are a popular product for outdoor use.

[0003] CN 105679866 B discloses a method for manufacturing a portable solar cell pack, including: S1. Pre-laminating the battery material and fabric separately; S2. Cutting the pre-laminated battery cells and fabric layer; after pre-lamination, grouping and trimming the battery cells to form small battery cells; S3. Laying and welding the cut battery cells onto the fabric layer; connecting the positive and negative terminals of the battery cells in series and installing USB connectors; S4. Performing three-stage lamination on the battery cells and fabric layer; S5. Trimming and inspecting the components. This method is also a common manufacturing method for CIGS solar folding packs. The disadvantages of this method are as follows: 1. CIGS battery materials require a water-blocking film. The water-blocking layer on the surface of the film is made of ceramic materials such as silicon oxide, aluminum oxide, and silicon nitride. During the pre-lamination of the battery materials, the high temperature and pressure will damage the ceramic materials, causing cracks and affecting the water-blocking performance; 2. After the battery is pre-laminated, the edges of the battery cells are cut off. At this time, the excess adhesive from the pre-lamination is also cut off. Since the battery cells have a certain thickness, the adhesive applied on the back often cannot fill the amount of adhesive required due to the thickness of the battery cells, resulting in water leakage at the edges of the cells during use. 3. During battery cell positioning, double-sided pressure-sensitive adhesive tape is typically used to bond and position the window fabric and battery edges. However, the pressure-sensitive adhesive is not heat-resistant, has poor adhesion to the fabric, and does not fuse with the photovoltaic film, easily leading to internal air bubbles in the module. During long-term use, moisture can enter between the fabric and the battery cells, causing delamination. 4. At the folded position, only the fabric / EVA / conductive layer / EVA / window fabric / EVA / fluorine film exists. The fabric and EVA are prone to hydrolysis when exposed to water, causing the internal conductive layer of the module to connect with the outside, resulting in moisture leakage. 5. The three-stage lamination process of the module is time-consuming, with a preparation time of ≥60 minutes, making the process complex and unsuitable for large-scale mass production. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to provide a method for preparing CIGS solar photovoltaic foldable module, which avoids damage to the water-blocking film material caused by pre-lamination, ensures that the amount of adhesive overflow at the edge of the cell cell meets the required thickness, avoids the risk of delamination during module use, avoids the problem of wet leakage, optimizes the process, and shortens the production time.

[0005] The technical solution adopted by this invention to solve its technical problem is:

[0006] A method for preparing a CIGS solar photovoltaic folded package module includes the following steps:

[0007] (1) Preparation of front composite water-blocking film: A layer of adhesive is laminated on both the front and back sides of the front composite water-blocking film to obtain the front composite water-blocking film;

[0008] (2) Preparation of back-side composite water-blocking membrane: A layer of adhesive is laminated on the front side of the back-side water-blocking membrane to obtain the back-side composite water-blocking membrane;

[0009] (3) Cut the front composite water-blocking membrane so that the shape of the front composite water-blocking membrane matches the overall arrangement of multiple openings of the window fabric.

[0010] (4) Cut the back composite water-blocking membrane so that the shape of the back composite water-blocking membrane is consistent with the shape of the cut front composite water-blocking membrane.

[0011] (5) The window is placed on the flat plate. The front composite water-blocking film is aligned with the positioning mark point of the window cloth and placed on the window cloth. Then, the light-receiving surface of the CIGS cell is facing down. The CIGS cell is placed on the front composite water-blocking film at the position corresponding to the opening window of the window cloth. Then, the battery wire is connected from the CIGS cell. According to the component circuit design, the battery wire is connected in series with flexible wires and the positive and negative terminals of the lead wire are connected.

[0012] (6) With the adhesive layer side of the back composite water-blocking film facing down, the back composite water-blocking film is covered on each CIGS cell and the front composite water-blocking film to form a battery cell composed of the front composite water-blocking film, CIGS cell and back composite water-blocking film.

[0013] (7) Connect the flexible wires to the positive and negative terminals of the lead wires respectively, pull them to the output position of the component and fix them, and then perform insulation operation;

[0014] (8) The edges of the battery cell are heated to fix the front composite water-blocking film, CIGS battery cell and back composite water-blocking film, and air channels are reserved.

[0015] (9) Cover the battery cell after it is heated with an adhesive film that matches the shape of the backing cloth, then cover it with the backing cloth, and heat the edge of the cloth to fix the front window cloth and the backing cloth; the shape of the adhesive film that matches the shape of the backing cloth is also the same as the overall shape of the window cloth.

[0016] (10) Flip the component that has been processed in step (9) and cover it with a layer of adhesive film and a fluorine film in sequence on the front window cloth;

[0017] (11) Place the components processed in step (10) on the heat-insulating tray and put them into the laminator for heat lamination;

[0018] (12) Cut the laminated components.

[0019] This invention processes both the front and back water-blocking membranes with adhesive layers, employing a simple composite method that does not damage the water-blocking layer of the membrane. This replaces the traditional pre-lamination process and avoids damage to the water-blocking layer of the membrane.

[0020] Preferably, in step (3), the cut front composite water-blocking membrane has multiple window adaptation areas adapted to the opening window, and a flexible wire covering strip for the folding area is provided between adjacent window adaptation areas. The size of the window adaptation area is slightly larger than the opening window. After the front composite water-blocking membrane is cut integrally, the adjacent window adaptation areas are still connected together. The flexible wire covering strip formed at the connection point is exactly at the position when the folding package is folded, and can cover the flexible wire, providing water-blocking protection, thereby solving the problem of moisture leakage.

[0021] Preferably, the width of the flexible conductor covering strip is 10-40mm, and the width of the flexible battery conductor is 2-8mm. The flexible conductor material is either tin-plated copper braided strip or flexible circuit board.

[0022] Preferably, in steps (1) and (2), the adhesive layer is laminated using a coating method or a spraying method; the material of the adhesive layer is one of EVA, PO, or POE.

[0023] Preferably, in steps (8) and (9), the heating points for point heating are circular or square, and the heating points are evenly distributed on each side of the battery cell or fabric, with 1-5 heating points on each side; the point heating temperature is 200-400℃, and the time is 2-10 seconds. This invention pre-fixes various parts of the component through point heating, which is the same as the pre-lamination in the prior art. This invention uses point heating to fix the component edges locally for a short time, eliminating the need for pre-lamination adhesive overflow. Therefore, it avoids the risk of water ingress and delamination caused by cutting after pre-lamination adhesive overflow. The subsequent hot lamination can fully meet the adhesive overflow requirements of the sealed edges.

[0024] Preferably, in steps (9) and (10), the material of the adhesive film is one of EVA, PO, or POE.

[0025] Preferably, the window fabric and backing fabric are made of one of polyester, canvas, or Oxford cloth.

[0026] Preferably, the heat-insulating tray is made of a high-temperature resistant, rigid insulating material with a thermal conductivity of 0.1-1.0 W / m·K and a thickness of 1.0-10 mm. G11 epoxy board or G10 epoxy board is preferred for the heat-insulating tray. To save time during hot lamination, the lower cavity of the lamination chamber is preheated to 135-165°C and the upper cavity to 80-130°C before the module enters the lamination chamber. Without a heat-insulating tray, the module is directly placed at high temperatures, causing the fluorine film and adhesive (such as EVA) to easily wrinkle, affecting subsequent cutting and photoelectric performance. Conventional methods often address the wrinkling problem by slowly heating the module after it enters the lamination chamber, significantly increasing processing time. This invention, by using a heat-insulating tray, ensures the backing fabric of the module contacts the tray. The tray has specific requirements for its thermal insulation coefficient, enabling slow heat transfer, and must be a rigid support plate. This creates a slow heating effect when the module enters the high-temperature environment, preventing wrinkling of the fluorine film and EVA and shortening the lamination processing time.

[0027] Preferably, the fluorinated membrane is an ETFE membrane, an FEP membrane, or a PVDF membrane.

[0028] Preferably, the parameters for thermal lamination in step (11) are set as follows:

[0029] The lower chamber is maintained at 135-165℃, and the upper chamber at 80-130℃. The process involves: first, vacuuming for 100-300 seconds; second, pressurizing for 30-200 seconds at a pressure of 20-40 kPa; third, pressurizing for 30-200 seconds at a pressure of 40-80 kPa; and fourth, pressurizing for 80-800 seconds at a pressure of 80-100 kPa. After these four steps, the component enters a cooling chamber for cooling at room temperature and a pressure of 40-100 kPa. The total heat lamination time is ≤25 minutes. This invention uses a separate cooling chamber for cooling and maintains a certain pressure to prevent the fluoropolymer film from wrinkling.

[0030] The beneficial effects of this invention are: avoiding damage to the water-blocking film material caused by pre-lamination, ensuring that the amount of adhesive overflow at the edge of the battery cell meets the required thickness, avoiding the risk of delamination during module use, avoiding the problem of wet leakage, optimizing the process, and shortening the production time. Attached Figure Description

[0031] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of one structure of the window fabric of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the front composite water-blocking membrane after cutting according to the present invention;

[0033] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of a structure of the composite water-blocking membrane on the back of the present invention after cutting;

[0034] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of one structure of the backing fabric of the present invention;

[0035] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the product of the present invention.

[0036] In the diagram, 1. Open window, 2. Positioning mark point, 3. Window adaptation area, 4. Flexible wire covering strip, 5. Back composite water-resistant film, 6. Backing cloth, 7. Battery unit, 8. Air hole buckle, 9. Junction box. Detailed Implementation

[0037] The technical solution of the present invention will be further described in detail below through specific embodiments.

[0038] In this invention, unless otherwise specified, all raw materials and equipment used are commercially available or commonly used in the field. The methods described in the following embodiments are conventional methods in the field, unless otherwise specified.

[0039] In this embodiment of the invention, the heat-insulating tray is made of a high-temperature resistant insulating rigid material with a thermal conductivity of 0.1-1.0 W / m·K and a thickness of 1.0-10 mm.

[0040] Example 1:

[0041] A method for preparing a CIGS solar photovoltaic folded package module includes the following steps:

[0042] (1) Preparation of front composite water-blocking film: A layer of adhesive (EVA, 100 microns) is laminated on both sides of the front water-blocking film (commercially available, Mitsubishi, Japan, PET water-blocking film, thickness 82 microns) using a coating method to obtain the front composite water-blocking film.

[0043] (2) Preparation of back composite water-blocking film: A layer of adhesive (EVA, 100 micrometers) is laminated onto the front side of the back composite water-blocking film (commercially available, Mitsubishi, Japan, PET water-blocking film, thickness 82 micrometers) using a coating method to obtain the back composite water-blocking film 5.

[0044] (3) The front composite water-blocking membrane is cut so that its shape matches the overall arrangement of the four openings 1 of the window fabric. Figure 1 and Figure 2 The cut front composite water-blocking membrane has multiple window adaptation areas 3 adapted to the opening, and a flexible wire covering strip for the folding area is provided between adjacent window adaptation areas. Figure 2 The width of the flexible conductor covering strip 4 is 25mm;

[0045] (4) Cut the back composite water-blocking membrane so that the shape of the back composite water-blocking membrane is consistent with the shape of the cut front composite water-blocking membrane. Figure 3 );

[0046] (5) The window is placed on the flat plate. The front composite water-blocking film is aligned with the positioning mark 2 of the window cloth and placed on the window cloth. Then, the light-receiving side of the CIGS cell is facing down. The CIGS cell is placed on the front composite water-blocking film at the position corresponding to the opening of the window cloth. Then, the battery wire is connected from the CIGS cell. According to the component circuit design, the battery wire is connected in series with flexible wire and the positive and negative terminals of the lead wire are connected. The width of the flexible wire is 5mm. The flexible wire material is tin-plated copper braided tape. (6) The side of the back composite water-blocking film with the adhesive layer is facing down. The back composite water-blocking film is covered on each CIGS cell and the front composite water-blocking film to form a battery unit 7 composed of the front composite water-blocking film, CIGS cell and back composite water-blocking film.

[0047] (7) Connect two flexible wires to the positive and negative terminals of the lead wire respectively, pull them to the output position of the component and fix them, and then perform insulation operation; the width of the battery wire is 5mm.

[0048] (8) The edges of the battery cell are heated to fix the front composite water-blocking film, CIGS battery cell and back composite water-blocking film, and air channels are reserved.

[0049] (9) Cover the heated battery cell with an adhesive film (EVA) that matches the shape of the backing fabric, and then cover it with the backing fabric 6. Figure 4 The edges of the fabric are then heated to secure the front window fabric and the back fabric.

[0050] (10) Flip the component that has been processed in step (9) and cover the front window cloth with a layer of adhesive film (EVA) and fluorine film (ETFE film) in sequence;

[0051] (11) Place the components processed in step (10) on the heat-insulating tray (G11 epoxy board, commercially available, 5mm thick) and put them into the laminator for hot lamination.

[0052] The parameters for thermal lamination are set as follows:

[0053] The lower chamber is maintained at 150℃, and the upper chamber at 100℃. The first step is vacuuming for 200 seconds; the second step is pressurizing for 100 seconds at a pressure of 30 kPa; the third step is pressurizing for 100 seconds at a pressure of 60 kPa; the fourth step is pressurizing for 300 seconds at a pressure of 90 kPa. After these four steps, the component enters the cooling chamber for cooling at room temperature and a pressure of 60 kPa. The total thermal lamination time is ≤25 minutes.

[0054] (12) Cut the laminated components. Finally, install the accessories such as the junction box 9, air vent clips 8, etc. Figure 5 ).

[0055] In steps (8) and (9), the heating points for point heating are circular or square, and the heating points are evenly distributed on each side of the battery cell or fabric, with 1-5 heating points on each side; the point heating temperature is 200-400℃, and the time is 2-10 seconds. During heating, the heating points are wrapped with high-temperature cloth to prevent the temperature from being too high and affecting the components.

[0056] The window curtains and backing fabric are made of canvas.

[0057] Example 2

[0058] The difference between this embodiment and Embodiment 1 is that:

[0059] The adhesive layer is laminated using a coating method; the adhesive layer material is POE. The adhesive film material is POE.

[0060] The fluorine membrane is made of PVDF.

[0061] The width of the wire covering strip is 10mm, and the width of the battery wire is 2mm.

[0062] The heat-insulating support plate is made of G10 epoxy board, which is commercially available and 10mm thick.

[0063] The window curtains and backing fabric are made of polyester.

[0064] The parameters for thermal lamination are set as follows:

[0065] The lower chamber is maintained at 165℃ and the upper chamber at 130℃. The first step is to evacuate the vacuum for 100 seconds. The second step is to apply pressure in stage 1 for 30 seconds at a pressure of 40 kPa. The third step is to apply pressure in stage 2 for 30 seconds at a pressure of 80 kPa. The fourth step is to apply pressure in stage 3 for 80 seconds at a pressure of 100 kPa. After the four steps are completed, the component enters the cooling chamber for cooling at room temperature and a pressure of 100 kPa. The total thermal lamination time is ≤25 min.

[0066] Example 3

[0067] The difference between this embodiment and Embodiment 1 is that:

[0068] The fluorine membrane is made of FEP membrane.

[0069] The width of the wire cover strip is 40mm, and the width of the battery wire is 8mm.

[0070] The heat-insulating support plate is made of G11 epoxy board, which is commercially available and has a thickness of 1.0mm.

[0071] The parameters for thermal lamination are set as follows:

[0072] The lower chamber is maintained at 135℃, and the upper chamber at 80℃. The first step is to evacuate the vacuum for 300 seconds; the second step is to apply pressure in stage 1 for 200 seconds at a pressure of 20 kPa; the third step is to apply pressure in stage 2 for 200 seconds at a pressure of 40 kPa; the fourth step is to apply pressure in stage 3 for 800 seconds at a pressure of 80 kPa. After the four steps are completed, the component enters the cooling chamber for cooling at room temperature and a pressure of 40 kPa. The total thermal lamination time is ≤25 min.

[0073] Example 4

[0074] The difference between this embodiment and embodiment 1 is that the window has 20 open windows.

[0075] The product from Example 4 was used as a representative for photoelectric performance testing. The testing standard was IEC 61215:2016, with a solar irradiance of 1000 W / m², AM1.5G, and a temperature of 25°C. The test results are shown in the table below:

[0076]

[0077] As can be seen from the table above, the photoelectric performance of the components produced by the process of this invention is not significantly different from that of the components produced by the existing process.

[0078] The product from Example 4 was used as a representative for damp heat aging (85℃ / RH85%) for 200 hours to observe the damp heat degradation. The aging test method followed IEC 61215:2016. The test results are shown in the table below:

[0079]

[0080] As shown in the table above, in the aging test, the degradation rate of the components produced by the process of this invention is significantly better than that of the components produced by the existing process.

[0081] Using the products from Examples 1-4 as representatives, wet leakage current testing was conducted, and the testing standard referred to IEC 61215:2016 Wet Leakage Current Test; the test results are shown in the table below:

[0082] Component resistance / MΩ Leakage current / μA Existing processes 1.166 428.8 Example 1 ＞50 ＜10 Example 2 ＞50 ＜10 Example 3 ＞50 ＜10 Example 4 ＞100 ＜5

[0083] As shown in the table above, in the wet leakage current test, the leakage current of the components produced by the process of this invention is significantly smaller than that of the components produced by the existing process.

[0084] The embodiments described above are merely preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention in any way. Other variations and modifications are possible without departing from the technical solutions described in the claims.

Claims

1. A method for preparing a CIGS solar photovoltaic foldable module, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: (1) Preparation of front composite water-blocking film: A layer of adhesive is laminated on both the front and back sides of the front composite water-blocking film to obtain the front composite water-blocking film; (2) Preparation of back-side composite water-blocking membrane: A layer of adhesive is laminated on the front side of the back-side water-blocking membrane to obtain the back-side composite water-blocking membrane; (3) Cut the front composite water-blocking membrane so that the shape of the front composite water-blocking membrane matches the overall arrangement of multiple openings of the window fabric. (4) Cut the back composite water-blocking membrane so that the shape of the back composite water-blocking membrane is consistent with the shape of the cut front composite water-blocking membrane. (5) The window is placed on the flat plate. The front composite water-blocking film is aligned with the positioning mark point of the window cloth and placed on the window cloth. Then, the light-receiving surface of the CIGS cell is facing down. The CIGS cell is placed on the front composite water-blocking film at the position corresponding to the opening window of the window cloth. Then, the battery wire is connected from the CIGS cell. According to the component circuit design, the battery wire is connected in series with flexible wires and the positive and negative terminals of the lead wire are connected. (6) With the adhesive layer side of the back composite water-blocking film facing down, the back composite water-blocking film is covered on each CIGS cell and the front composite water-blocking film to form a battery cell composed of the front composite water-blocking film, CIGS cell and back composite water-blocking film. (7) Connect the flexible wires to the positive and negative terminals of the lead wires respectively, pull them to the output position of the component and fix them, and then perform insulation operation; (8) The edges of the battery cell are heated to fix the front composite water-blocking film, CIGS battery cell and back composite water-blocking film, and air channels are reserved. (9) Cover the battery cell with a film that matches the shape of the backing cloth, then cover it with the backing cloth, and heat the edges of the cloth to fix the front window cloth and the backing cloth. (10) Flip the component that has been processed in step (9) and cover it with a layer of adhesive film and a fluorine film in sequence on the front window cloth; (11) Place the components processed in step (10) on the heat-insulating tray and put them into the laminator for heat lamination; (12) Cut the laminated components.

2. The preparation method according to claim 1, characterized in that, In step (3), the cut front composite water-blocking membrane has multiple window adaptation areas that are adapted to the opening window, and a flexible wire covering strip for the folding area is provided between adjacent window adaptation areas.

3. The preparation method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The width of the flexible conductor covering strip is 10-40mm, and the installation width of the flexible conductor is 2-8mm.

4. The preparation method according to claim 1, characterized in that, In steps (1) and (2), the adhesive layer is laminated using either a coating or a spraying method; the adhesive layer material is one of EVA, PO, or POE.

5. The preparation method according to claim 1, characterized in that, In steps (8) and (9), the heating points for point heating are circular or square, and the heating points are evenly distributed on each side of the battery cell or fabric, with 1-5 heating points on each side; the point heating temperature is 200-400℃, and the time is 2-10 seconds.

6. The preparation method according to claim 1, characterized in that, In steps (9) and (10), the material of the adhesive film is one of EVA, PO, or POE.

7. The preparation method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The window curtain and backing fabric are made of one of the following: polyester, canvas, or Oxford cloth.

8. The preparation method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The heat-insulating tray is made of high-temperature resistant insulating rigid material with a thermal conductivity of 0.1-1.0 W / m·K and a thickness of 1.0-10 mm.

9. The preparation method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Fluorine membranes can be ETFE, FEP, or PVDF membranes.

10. The preparation method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The parameters for thermal lamination in step (11) are set as follows: The lower chamber is maintained at 135-165℃, and the upper chamber at 80-130℃. The first step is to evacuate the vacuum for 100-300 seconds. The second step is to apply pressure in one stage for 30-200 seconds at a pressure of 20-40 kPa. The third step is to apply pressure in two stages for 30-200 seconds at a pressure of 40-80 kPa. The fourth step is to apply pressure in three stages for 80-800 seconds at a pressure of 80-100 kPa. After the four steps are completed, the component enters the cooling chamber for cooling at room temperature and a pressure of 40-100 kPa. The total heat lamination time is ≤25 minutes.

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