Photovoltaic module and manufacturing method thereof

Abstract

The invention relates to a photovoltaic module comprising a stack of substrates and a frame. The substrate stack includes a cell substrate, at least one photovoltaic cell disposed on the cell substrate, a back substrate, and a junction box. The cell substrate and the back substrate are bonded to each other, the at least one photovoltaic cell is located between the cell substrate and the back substrate, and the back substrate includes a cutout portion arranged at an edge of the back substrate. And a junction box having the same shape and size as the shape and size of the cutout portion of the rear substrate, the junction box being disposed within the cutout portion of the rear substrate, and on a first surface of the junction box, the junction box being adhered to the battery cell substrate, and on a first side surface of the junction box, the junction box being adhered to the rear substrate. The frame is disposed only on and adheres to the back side of the substrate stack.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a photovoltaic module and a manufacturing method thereof. Background Art

[0002] The photovoltaic module comprises at least one or more photovoltaic cells arranged on a cell substrate, a frame for mounting the photovoltaic module to a base (e.g., a roof or a wall of a building), and at least one junction box for electrically connecting the photovoltaic cells of one photovoltaic module to the photovoltaic cells or electrical output of another photovoltaic module. The photovoltaic module generally comprises an additional substrate, for example, a front substrate arranged on the front side of the cell substrate (i.e., on the side where light impinges on the photovoltaic cells), and / or a rear substrate arranged on the rear side of the cell substrate (i.e., on the side opposite to the front side). Thus, a substrate stack comprising a cell substrate and at least one additional substrate may be formed. The frame may be arranged on the rear side of the photovoltaic module, for example, on the rear side of the substrate stack, in particular on the rear side of the rear substrate, or the frame may be arranged on the edge of the photovoltaic module so that the frame clamps the cell substrate or the substrate stack. There are a number of different ways to integrate at least one junction box into the photovoltaic module. If the photovoltaic module is opaque, the junction box can be arranged on the rear side of the photovoltaic module and located anywhere in the lateral extension of the photovoltaic module, for example in the center of the photovoltaic module (relative to its lateral extension). However, if the photovoltaic module is transparent, such a junction box will be visible and thus interfere with the appearance and transparency of the photovoltaic module.

[0003] WO 2013 / 080691 A1 describes a solar module comprising two substrates, a cell substrate and a rear substrate, wherein a junction box is arranged at a corner of the solar module. To this end, both substrates of the solar module are cut (i.e., removed) at the respective corners of the solar module, and the junction box is arranged on one side of the two substrates. A U-shaped frame clamps the edges of the substrates and the junction box. Wires extending from the junction box and suitable for connecting the junction box to other junction boxes or electrical terminals are guided through the frame to the side of the solar module or to the front of the solar module.

[0004] US2017 / 0194900 A1 discloses a similar solar module, however, in which only the rear substrate has a cutout portion or hole, and a junction box is mounted over the cutout portion or hole, so that the conductive leads can connect the photovoltaic cell unit to the junction box. However, the junction box is at least partially arranged on the rear substrate. The frame is again formed to clamp the substrate stack and surround the edge of the substrate stack, however, in which the junction box may not be clamped by the frame, or only the flange base portion of the junction box is clamped by the frame.

[0005] JP 5031698 B2 describes a solar module with a cell substrate and a front substrate, wherein the cell substrate includes cutout portions at the corners of the solar module. The front side of the junction box is in a concave triangular shape and its rear side is in a square shape. The concave shape corresponds to the cutout portion of the cell substrate similar to the negative part and provides electrical contact with the solar cell on the cell substrate. The front side of the junction box is attached to the rear side of the front substrate and the square portion of the junction box is attached to the rear side of the cell substrate. Wires for connecting the junction box to other junction boxes or electrical terminals extend out to the center of the solar module (in terms of its lateral extension). A frame can be provided to clamp the edges of the substrate stack and the junction box.

[0006] The solutions of the prior art have some disadvantages. For example, if the cell substrate is cut, the active area of ​​the photovoltaic cell is reduced. The wire feedthrough for connecting the junction box to other solar modules or electrical terminals only allows the use of special frames adapted to the location of the junction box. If the wires are guided to the center of the solar module in order to avoid the feedthrough passing through the frame, more space is required, transparency is reduced and the connection to other solar modules may become complicated. If the junction box is arranged on the rear side of the substrate stack, the thickness of the entire solar module increases. Summary of the invention

[0007] The present invention provides a photovoltaic module with a junction box arranged in another manner and a manufacturing method thereof.

[0008] According to the present invention, a photovoltaic module comprises at least the following elements:

[0009] - a substrate stack comprising At least A transparent cell substrate; at least one photovoltaic cell arranged on the cell substrate; a rear substrate; and a junction box comprising terminals for electrically contacting the at least one photovoltaic cell and wires or female or male connectors for connecting to other devices; and

[0010] -frame;

[0011] The cell substrate and the back substrate are bonded to each other, wherein the at least one photovoltaic cell is located between the cell substrate and the back substrate, and wherein the back substrate includes a cutout portion disposed at an edge of the back substrate.

[0012] According to the present invention, the shape and size of the junction box are the same as the shape and size of the cutout portion of the rear substrate, and the junction box is arranged in the cutout portion of the rear substrate. The junction box is directly electrically connected to the electrical terminals of the at least one photovoltaic cell unit through its terminals. The junction box is adhesively connected to the cell substrate on its first surface and to the rear substrate on its first side surface. The wires or the female connector or the male connector are arranged on a second side surface of the junction box different from the first side surface and are arranged at the edge of the substrate stack. In addition, according to the present invention, the frame is arranged and adhered only to the rear side of the substrate stack. That is, the frame is not arranged at the edge or front side of the substrate stack.

[0013] Advantageously, the frame does not contact the front side of the substrate stack, which is usually the case when a clamping frame is used. Since the frame is not clamped around the edge of the substrate stack, this enables the effective area of ​​the photovoltaic module to be maximized. In addition, the photovoltaic module according to the present invention comprises a cell substrate without any cutout portion, so that the entire cell substrate can be used to arrange the at least one photovoltaic cell. In addition, when the photovoltaic module is in use, the junction box is not visible from the direction of sunlight entering the photovoltaic module, because the junction box is advantageously hidden under the frame. Such photovoltaic modules are particularly suitable as building-integrated photovoltaic modules. In addition, advantageously, the frame does not need to be provided with openings, cutouts, etc. for the passage of the wires or the female or male connectors. Since the shape and size of the at least one junction box and the at least one cutout portion of the rear substrate are the same, the junction box is advantageously arranged in the cutout portion of the rear substrate. A portion of the edge of the junction box (the portion including at least the second side surface of the junction box) forms a portion of the edge of the substrate stack. The edge of the junction box means a plane surrounding the junction box, limiting the contact between the junction box and the environment, and including the side surface of the junction box.

[0014] The photovoltaic module according to the present invention means any type of photovoltaic module, such as a crystalline or thin film photovoltaic module, preferably a thin film photovoltaic module. A crystalline photovoltaic module comprises at least one crystalline photovoltaic cell unit arranged on the transparent cell unit substrate. A thin film photovoltaic module comprises at least one thin film photovoltaic cell unit arranged on the transparent cell unit substrate. In an embodiment, the photovoltaic module is a thin film photovoltaic module, and the thin film photovoltaic module has a plurality of thin film photovoltaic cells, and the thin film photovoltaic cells are arranged on the transparent cell unit substrate and are electrically interconnected.

[0015] The article "a / an" or "the" also means "at least one" or "the at least one", which means that the photovoltaic module may include at least one junction box, the at least one junction box including at least one terminal for electrically contacting the at least one photovoltaic cell unit and at least one wire or at least one female or male connector for connecting to other devices. The same applies to the cutout portion: it is obvious that the rear substrate may include at least one cutout portion, or may form at least one cutout portion.

[0016] In an embodiment, the junction box includes two wires or a female connector and a male connector. In another embodiment, the junction box includes one wire or a female connector or a male connector. In some embodiments, only one junction box is required for each photovoltaic module. In other cases, the photovoltaic module includes at least two junction boxes. In another embodiment, the photovoltaic module includes four junction boxes, each of which includes at least one wire or a female connector or a male connector.

[0017] The at least one wire or the at least one female connector or male connector is arranged on the second side surface of the junction box, which means that the second side surface of the junction box includes at least one opening for the at least one wire or the at least one female connector or male connector to pass through. Advantageously, no adjustment of the frame is required, such as forming an opening for the at least one wire to pass through, thereby simplifying the manufacturing process of the frame.

[0018] The frame can be any frame suitable for fixing the substrate stack when installed at the use location (for example, on the roof or wall of a building). That is, the material, size and shape of the frame can be freely selected according to the use conditions. In an embodiment, the frame is made of stainless steel, alloy metal material (such as aluminum alloy), plastic or similar materials known in the prior art, and is formed so that the frame extends along the periphery of the back side of the substrate stack. In an embodiment, the frame is T-shaped or double T-shaped or C-shaped.

[0019] The rear substrate is preferably a transparent substrate, such as a glass substrate. Transparent means that the cell substrate or the rear substrate is transparent to electromagnetic radiation having a wavelength in the visible range and a wavelength absorbed by the at least one photovoltaic cell arranged on the transparent cell substrate, respectively. In an embodiment, the at least one cutout portion of the rear substrate is triangular when viewed along the thickness of the substrate stack or the rear substrate. The at least one cutout portion may also have any other shape. In an embodiment, the transparent cell substrate and / or the rear substrate is a glass substrate.

[0020] When the photovoltaic module is in use, the front side of the substrate stack faces the sunlight. The substrate stack also has a rear side opposite the front side. The cell substrates of the substrate stack are always closer to the front side of the substrate stack than the rear substrate. In an embodiment, the substrate stack may include additional substrates arranged on the front side of the cell substrates and / or the rear side of the rear substrate.

[0021] The cell substrate and the back substrate each include a front side and a back side, wherein when the photovoltaic module is in use, the front side of the cell substrate or the back substrate faces the sunlight, and the back side of the cell substrate or the back substrate is opposite to the front side of the cell substrate or the back substrate. In an embodiment, the back side of the back substrate is part of the back side of the substrate stack.

[0022] In an embodiment, the battery cell substrate and the back substrate have the same shape and size and are parallel to each other. Therefore, the size means the extension of the battery cell substrate or the back substrate along the first and second in-plane directions that are perpendicular to each other and each perpendicular to the thickness of the battery cell substrate or the back substrate. The thickness of the battery cell substrate or the back substrate means the extension along the direction in which sunlight enters the photovoltaic module. The shape of the battery cell substrate or the back substrate means the polygonal shape resulting from the extension of the battery cell substrate or the back substrate along the first in-plane direction and the second in-plane direction, preferably a square or a rectangle. In an embodiment, the edge of the battery cell substrate and the edge of the back substrate form a part of the edge of the substrate stack, except for the cutout portion.

[0023] The edge of any substrate or substrate stack of the present invention means a side surface surrounding the corresponding substrate or substrate stack, which extends perpendicularly to the plane of the corresponding substrate or substrate stack and extends along the thickness direction of the substrate or substrate stack, limiting the environmental contact of the corresponding substrate or substrate stack in the first and second plane directions.

[0024] The cell substrate and the back substrate are bonded to each other, for example by an encapsulation foil such as a PVB (polyvinyl butyral) foil, and the at least one photovoltaic cell is located between the cell substrate and the back substrate, wherein the encapsulation foil comprises at least one encapsulation foil cutout portion, the at least one encapsulation foil cutout portion being identical in size and shape to the at least one cutout portion of the back substrate and being arranged on the cell substrate such that the at least one encapsulation foil cutout portion of the encapsulation foil and the at least one cutout portion of the back substrate coincide with each other. In a further embodiment, the back substrate comprises at least one second cutout portion, and the encapsulation foil comprises a second encapsulation foil cutout portion, the second encapsulation foil cutout portion being identical in shape and size to the at least one second cutout portion of the back substrate. In this case, the encapsulation foil is arranged on the cell substrate such that the at least one second encapsulation foil cutout portion of the encapsulation foil and the at least one second cutout portion of the back substrate also coincide with each other.

[0025] On the first surface of the junction box, the junction box is adhered to the battery cell substrate and / or the at least one photovoltaic cell arranged on the battery cell substrate. In addition, the junction box is adhered to the rear substrate so that the first side surface of the junction box abuts against the edge or side surface of the cutout portion of the rear substrate.

[0026] In an embodiment, the terminal of the at least one junction box may be formed as a welded joint arranged at the first surface of the junction box or in an opening of the first surface of the junction box. In a further embodiment, the electrical terminal of the at least one photovoltaic cell is arranged on the cell substrate or on the surface of the at least one photovoltaic cell facing the rear substrate. The electrical terminal of the at least one photovoltaic cell may be formed on or beside the at least one photovoltaic cell and may be formed as a side busbar. Side busbars are known and are usually applied to the first cell and the last cell of the thin-film photovoltaic module and are arranged near the edge of the cell substrate, wherein the thin-film cells in the thin-film photovoltaic module are arranged adjacent to each other along the first in-plane direction of the transparent cell substrate. The side busbar in the present invention is a wire or a conductive strip comprising a conductive material to collect and conduct charge carriers generated in a thin-film photovoltaic module. In a further embodiment, the electrical terminal of the at least one photovoltaic cell is a cell connector that is usually used to connect crystalline photovoltaic cells in a photovoltaic module to each other.

[0027] The junction box includes a second surface of the junction box opposite to the first surface of the junction box. The first surface and the second surface of the junction box are positioned along the thickness direction of the substrate or the substrate stack. The junction box further includes at least the first side surface and the second side surface of the junction box, and the first side surface and the second side surface are each perpendicular to the first surface and the second surface of the junction box. The first side surface of the junction box faces the substrate stack, and the second side surface faces the outside and is in direct contact with the surrounding environment. In an embodiment, the junction box includes an additional side surface, such as a third side surface, wherein the additional side surface can face the substrate stack or the outside. In an embodiment, the junction box is triangular, wherein the third side surface points to the outside, and the second side surface and the third side surface of the junction box are in contact with each other at an angle of 90 degrees.

[0028] In an embodiment, the junction box is made of a polymer material. In a further embodiment, the junction box comprises at least a junction box body. The junction box body comprises at least the first surface and the side surface of the junction box. In an embodiment, the junction box body may be filled with a potting material forming the second surface of the junction box. The potting material may be a polymer potting material, such as but not limited to a 2-component silicone compound, a thermosetting plastic, an epoxy resin, a silicone rubber gel or similar materials known in the prior art.

[0029] In an embodiment, the junction box further comprises a cover arranged together with and connected to the junction box body, forming at least a portion of the second surface of the junction box. In a further embodiment, the junction box body and the cover are formed such that a snap closure is formed between the junction box body and the cover.

[0030] The junction box is arranged at an edge of the substrate stack such that at least one side surface of the junction box is part of the edge of the substrate stack instead of a part of the edge of the back substrate.

[0031] In an embodiment, the frame is directly or indirectly bonded to the back side of the substrate stack. Indirectly means that a spacer may be arranged between the back side of the substrate stack and the frame. The spacer may be a polymer spacer or a spacer made of a metal or a metal alloy.

[0032] Adhesion means a connection formed by an adhesive, such as tapes, pastes, resins, polymers, glues or thermoplastic laminates known in the art.

[0033] In an embodiment, the substrate stack is square (i.e., quadrilateral), and the cutout portion and the junction box are arranged at the corners of the substrate stack. In an embodiment, the second side surface and the third side surface of the junction box face outward and form a part of the edge of the substrate stack. If the substrate stack is rectangular, the second side surface and the third side surface of the junction box contact each other at an angle of 90 degrees.

[0034] In an embodiment, the cutout portion and the junction box may be arranged at some or each of the four corners of the square substrate stack.

[0035] In an embodiment, the substrate stack is rectangular, and the photovoltaic module includes four cutout portions and four junction boxes of the rear substrate, and each of the four cutout portions and the four junction boxes and each junction box are arranged at the corners of the substrate stack. This enables multiple photovoltaic modules to be electrically connected to a photovoltaic system. In addition, special photovoltaic module designs, such as submodules, can be realized. A submodule refers to at least one photovoltaic cell or a first subset of multiple photovoltaic cells that are electrically connected to each other and form a submodule arranged on a battery cell substrate. In an embodiment, at least two submodules can be arranged on the battery cell substrate, wherein the submodules are not electrically connected to each other.

[0036] In some embodiments, at least one of the four junction boxes can be used as a "virtual junction box" that is electrically connected to the terminals of the at least one photovoltaic cell unit but is not electrically connected to other photovoltaic modules or other devices. That is, such a virtual junction box is like a spare junction box that can be used as a replacement in the event that another junction box that is electrically connected to other photovoltaic modules or devices is worn or damaged.

[0037] In an embodiment, the substrate stack further comprises a front substrate arranged and bonded to the cell substrate at a surface opposite to a surface at which the at least one photovoltaic cell is arranged.

[0038] Advantageously, a photovoltaic module having three substrates, preferably transparent substrates such as glass substrates, may improve mechanical stability.

[0039] In an embodiment, the front substrate is bonded to the cell substrate via an encapsulation foil. In a further embodiment, the front substrate is a transparent substrate, preferably a glass substrate. In an embodiment, the size and shape of the front substrate is the same as the size and shape of the cell substrate.

[0040] In an embodiment, the back side of the substrate stack is formed by the back side of the back substrate and the second surface of the junction box.Then, the frame is arranged and adhered on the back side of the back substrate and the second surface of the junction box opposite to the first surface of the junction box.

[0041] In the case where the height of the junction box is different from the thickness of the back substrate, there is a step between the second surface of the junction box and the back side of the back substrate. To make this step flat, the adhesive can be applied thicker on the lower component (usually the back substrate). In other embodiments, spacers can be provided to make this step flat and provide a planar surface for the frame to adhere to the back side of the substrate stack.

[0042] In an embodiment, the substrate stack further comprises an isolation substrate, wherein the isolation substrate is arranged and adhered to the back substrate at a surface opposite to the surface to which the battery cell substrate is bonded (i.e., the back side of the back substrate). In addition, the isolation substrate is arranged and adhered to the second surface of the junction box opposite to the first surface of the junction box. In both cases, the isolation substrate can be connected to the back substrate or the junction box, respectively, without extending across the entire extension of the back side of the back substrate or the second surface of the junction box, but only with limited lateral extension in certain places. An airtight and liquid-tight seal is formed at the edge of the isolation substrate, so that an airtight and liquid-tight isolation space is formed between the back substrate and the isolation substrate. The back side of the substrate stack is formed by the back side of the isolation substrate, and the back side of the isolation substrate is the surface of the isolation substrate opposite to the surface of the isolation substrate connected to the back substrate.

[0043] Advantageously, such photovoltaic modules are suitable as building-integrated photovoltaic modules and can be used, for example, to replace ordinary insulating glazings while providing an additional energy generation function.

[0044] In an embodiment, the isolation substrate is a transparent substrate, such as a glass substrate. In another embodiment, the size and shape of the isolation substrate are the same as the size and shape of the battery cell substrate.

[0045] The isolation substrate includes a front side and a rear side opposite to each other, wherein the front side faces a rear substrate bonded to the isolation substrate.

[0046] The airtight and liquid-tight seal forms the airtight and liquid-tight isolation space between the rear substrate and the isolation substrate. Airtight and liquid-tight seals refer to sealing materials, such as edge seals commonly used for insulating glass windows. Such edge seals can be galvanized, aluminum, stainless steel or polymer edge seals, such as polymer composite edge seals. A sealing member is arranged along the edge of the rear substrate or isolation substrate to ensure that there is an isolation space between the rear substrate and the isolation substrate. The sealing member is adhered to the rear side of the rear substrate and the front side of the isolation substrate, and is sealed with another sealing material (e.g., polysulfide, polyurethane or silicone) at the edge of the substrate stack. In an embodiment, the sealing member can also be arranged and adhered on the second surface of the junction box.

[0047] In a further embodiment, the airtight and liquid-tight isolation space between the rear substrate and the isolation substrate is filled with an inert gas, such as argon.

[0048] In an embodiment, the photovoltaic module comprises two photovoltaic cells, which are not electrically connected to each other by an electrical conductor arranged on the cell substrate or between the cell substrate and the back substrate. In addition, the back substrate comprises at least one second cutout portion, which is arranged at an edge of the back substrate and corresponds to the position of an electrical terminal of at least one of the two photovoltaic cells that are not electrically connected to each other. The substrate stack further comprises at least one connection box, which comprises at least one terminal for electrically contacting one of the two photovoltaic cells that are not electrically connected to each other. The shape and size of the at least one connection box are the same as the shape and size of the second cutout portion of the back substrate, the at least one connection box is arranged in the second cutout portion of the back substrate, and the at least one connection box is directly electrically connected to the electrical terminal of one of the two photovoltaic cells that are not electrically connected to each other through a terminal. On a first surface of the connection box, the at least one connection box is bonded to the cell substrate or at least one of the photovoltaic cells, and on a first side surface of the connection box, the at least one connection box is bonded to the back substrate.

[0049] Two photovoltaic cell units that are not electrically connected to each other may be at least two photovoltaic cell units as described above or at least two subsets of a plurality of photovoltaic cell units that are electrically interconnected. That is, a first photovoltaic cell unit or a first subset of a plurality of photovoltaic cell units that are electrically connected to each other forms a first submodule, and a second photovoltaic cell unit or a second subset of a plurality of photovoltaic cell units that are electrically connected to each other forms a second submodule. Although the first submodule and the second submodule are each arranged on the cell substrate, the first submodule and the second submodule are not electrically connected to each other. Of course, the photovoltaic module may include more than two submodules. In an embodiment, the photovoltaic cell unit (i.e., submodule) may be a so-called half-cell unit, preferably a crystalline half-cell unit. Advantageously, such a half-cell unit has advantages such as reduced resistance losses, improved performance (particularly higher performance under partial shading conditions), and the like.

[0050] The at least one second cutout portion is preferably arranged at a position different from a corner of the rear substrate.

[0051] The at least one connection box comprises a second surface of the connection box opposite to the first surface of the connection box. The first surface and the second surface of the connection box are positioned along the thickness direction of the substrate or substrate stack. The second surface of the connection box can form a part of the back side of the substrate stack and can be adhered to the frame, or as described above about the second surface of the connection box, in different embodiments, it can also be adhered to the isolation substrate. The at least one connection box further comprises at least the first side surface and the second side surface of the connection box, and the first side surface and the second side surface are each perpendicular to the first surface and the second surface of the connection box. The first side surface of the connection box faces the back substrate. The second side surface of the connection box is arranged at the edge of the substrate stack, facing the outside and in direct contact with the surrounding environment. Therefore, the second side surface of the connection box forms a part of the edge of the substrate stack.

[0052] In an embodiment, the at least one connection box comprises two terminals for electrically contacting each of the two submodules and an electrical conductor, such as a wire, for electrically connecting the two terminals. In this case, the connection box is internally connected to the two submodules.

[0053] In an embodiment, the at least one connection box further comprises at least one wire or at least one female connector or one male connector arranged at the second side surface of the connection box for connecting to other devices. In this case, the at least one connection box is formed as a junction box as described above and can be used to electrically connect at least one of the two submodules to other devices.

[0054] Of course, the connection box may include more than two terminals for electrical contact with more than two submodules, and may also include more than one electrical conductor or more than two wires or more than two female or male connectors for connection with other submodules or devices.

[0055] The size and shape of the at least one connection box are the same as the size and shape of the at least one second cutout portion of the back substrate, and the at least one connection box is arranged in the at least one second cutout portion of the back substrate. Therefore, the edge of the connection box is formed at least by the second side surface of the connection box, and the edge of the connection box forms a part of the edge of the substrate stack, and the connection box forms a part of the substrate stack. In an embodiment, the at least one second cutout portion is square (especially rectangular) or circular or elliptical when viewed in the direction of the thickness of the back substrate.

[0056] In an embodiment, the at least one terminal of the at least one connection box may be formed as a welded joint. In a further embodiment, the electrical terminals of the at least two submodules are arranged on a surface of the cell substrate or the at least one photovoltaic cell cell facing the rear substrate. The electrical terminals of the two submodules may be formed on or beside the respective submodules and may be formed as side busbars or cell connectors.

[0057] In an embodiment, the junction box comprises a box frame having a width in the range of 3 mm to 20 mm. The width refers to the extension of the box frame perpendicular to the side surface of the junction box. In an embodiment, the width of the box frame is in the range of 10 mm to 20 mm.

[0058] The box frame is part of the junction box body, the box frame forming the side surface of the junction box, or forming the edge of the junction box. Advantageously, a wide box frame improves the adhesion between the junction box and the surface of the cell substrate or the photovoltaic cell, and between the junction box and the frame or the isolation substrate (if present), because the wide box frame increases the first surface and the second surface of the junction box. In addition, a wide box frame improves the mechanical stability of the junction box.

[0059] In an embodiment, at least at the side surface of the junction box facing outward and in direct contact with the surrounding environment, that is, at least at the second side surface, the width w of the box frame is 1 In the range of 3 mm to 20 mm, preferably in the range of 10 mm to 20 mm. In a further embodiment, the box frame also has a width w at the first side surface and / or further side surface of the junction box. 1.

[0060] In another embodiment, at least at the first side surface of the junction box adhered to the rear substrate, the width w of the box frame is 2 Smaller than width w 1 .

[0061] In another embodiment, the box frame is formed as a double-walled box frame. The double-walled box frame in the present invention refers to a box frame having at least an inner wall and an outer wall, and the distance between the inner wall and the outer wall is in the range of 3mm to 30mm. The width or thickness of the inner wall and the outer wall can be in the range of 2mm to 10mm, wherein the thickness of the inner wall can be different from or equal to the thickness of the outer wall. For different side surfaces of the junction box formed by the box frame, the thickness of the inner wall and the outer wall and the distance between each other can vary. The inner wall of the box frame faces the inside of the junction box, and the outer wall faces the outside of the junction box and is in direct contact with the rear substrate or the surrounding environment. The outer wall forms the side surface of the junction box or the edge of the junction box. In another embodiment, the inner wall and the outer wall of the double-walled box frame are connected by at least one cross brace, wherein the at least one cross brace is molded on the inner wall and / or the outer wall of the double-walled box frame of the junction box. Advantageously, the stability of the double-walled box frame is improved. In another embodiment, the inner wall and the outer wall of the double-wall box frame of the junction box are connected by a plurality of cross braces, thereby forming a plurality of compartments within the distance between the inner wall and the outer wall.

[0062] In an embodiment, the distance between the inner wall and the outer wall of the double-walled box frame or the plurality of compartments may be filled with a potting material, such as a polymer potting material, for example but not limited to a 2-component silicone compound, a thermosetting plastic, an epoxy resin, an acrylic and butyric resin, a silicone rubber gel or similar materials known in the prior art. Thereby, a first portion of the second surface of the junction box may be formed. In an embodiment, the cover of the junction box is attached to the double-walled box frame by a snap closure, thereby forming at least a portion of the second surface of the junction box. In an embodiment, the cover of the junction box is attached to the inner wall of the double-walled box frame of the junction box by a snap closure, thereby forming a second portion of the second surface of the junction box.

[0063] Furthermore, any combination of different embodiments of the box frame is possible, for example using a box frame with a width w at the first side surface of the junction box. 1 A solid box frame is used, and a double-wall box frame with or without cross braces is used at the other side surface of the junction box facing the outside.

[0064] The junction box body may further include a bottom portion, the bottom portion forming at least a portion of the first surface of the junction box, the bottom portion being connected to or integrally formed with the box frame. The bottom portion may extend over the entire first surface of the junction box except for the terminals of the junction box, or may be smaller. The thickness of the bottom portion may be in the range of 0.5 mm to 4 mm, the thickness being measured in the direction of the thickness of the substrate stack.

[0065] If present, the at least one connection box may comprise a box frame having the same features as the box frame of the junction box described above.

[0066] The present invention also relates to a manufacturing method for producing a photovoltaic module, wherein the method comprises at least the following steps:

[0067] a) providing a transparent cell substrate; at least one photovoltaic cell arranged on the cell substrate; a rear substrate; a junction box comprising terminals for electrical contact with the at least one photovoltaic cell and wires or female or male connectors for connection with other devices; and a frame;

[0068] b) forming a cutout portion at an edge of the rear substrate, wherein the shape and size of the cutout portion are the same as those of the junction box;

[0069] c) bonding the cell substrate and the back substrate to each other so that the at least one photovoltaic cell is arranged between the cell substrate and the back substrate;

[0070] d) applying an adhesive to the first surface and the first side surface of the junction box;

[0071] e) placing the junction box in the cutout portion of the rear substrate and on the battery cell substrate, so that the first surface of the junction box is arranged on the battery cell substrate, the first side surface of the junction box is adjacent to the rear substrate, the wires or the female connector or the male connector is arranged on a second side surface different from the first side surface, forming an edge of the photovoltaic module, and forming an adhesive connection between the first surface of the junction box and the battery cell substrate and between the first side surface of the junction box and the rear substrate;

[0072] f) establishing direct electrical contact between the terminals of the junction box and electrical terminals of the at least one photovoltaic cell;

[0073] g) applying an adhesive on the back side of a substrate stack, said substrate stack comprising at least said cell substrate, said at least one photovoltaic cell, said back substrate and said junction box, or applying an adhesive to said frame; and

[0074] h) Placing the frame on the rear side of the substrate stack and forming an adhesive connection between the rear side of the substrate stack and the frame.

[0075] Advantageously, this approach can simplify the manufacture of photovoltaic modules, employing alternative junction box arrangements, thereby reducing or avoiding some of the disadvantages of the prior art.

[0076] The photovoltaic module manufactured by the method of the present invention can be a crystalline photovoltaic module or a thin-film photovoltaic module, preferably a thin-film photovoltaic module, wherein the crystalline photovoltaic module includes at least one crystalline photovoltaic cell unit arranged on a transparent cell unit substrate, and the thin-film photovoltaic module contains at least one thin-film photovoltaic cell unit arranged on a transparent cell unit substrate.

[0077] In an embodiment, the steps are performed in the following order: a), b), c), d), e), f), g), and h).

[0078] In an embodiment, a glass substrate is provided as a transparent cell substrate in step a). In a further embodiment, the back substrate provided in step a) is a transparent back substrate, preferably a glass substrate. The cell substrate and the back substrate have the same shape and size.

[0079] In an embodiment, the junction box provided in step a) is made of a polymer material. In a further embodiment, the junction box provided in step a) comprises at least a junction box body. The junction box body thereby comprises at least the first surface and the side surface of the junction box. In an embodiment, the junction box further comprises a cover, the cover being arranged with the junction box body and connected to the junction box and forming at least a part of a second surface of the junction box opposite to the first surface of the junction box. In a further embodiment, a snap closure is formed between the junction box body and the cover.

[0080] In a further embodiment, in step b), at least one cutout portion is formed at an edge of the rear substrate by a cutting process, such as a laser cutting process. In a preferred embodiment, the at least one cutout portion is formed at at least one corner of the rear substrate.

[0081] In step c), the cell substrate and the back substrate are bonded to each other by placing a packaging foil on the surface of the cell substrate on which the at least one photovoltaic cell is arranged, and the at least one photovoltaic cell arranged on the cell substrate is located between the cell substrate and the back substrate. The packaging foil has the same shape and size as the cell substrate, and includes at least one packaging foil cutout portion, which is the same in shape and size as the at least one cutout portion of the back substrate. The packaging foil is placed on the cell substrate so that the at least one packaging foil cutout portion of the packaging foil and the at least one cutout portion of the back substrate overlap each other.

[0082] The adhesive in step d) may be a tape, paste, resin, polymer, glue or thermoplastic laminate. The adhesive is applied to the first surface of the junction box at least along the periphery close to the edge of the junction box and to the first side surface of the junction box. Alternatively or in addition, the adhesive in step d) may be applied to the rear surface of the battery cell substrate and the edge of the rear substrate, and in both cases is applied to the cutout portion of the rear substrate. This means that the adhesive may be applied to an area on the rear side of the battery cell substrate, which area may or may not be provided with the at least one photovoltaic cell unit and is not covered by the encapsulation foil or the rear substrate (i.e., an area where the at least one second encapsulation foil cutout portion of the encapsulation foil or the at least one cutout portion of the rear substrate is provided on the battery cell substrate), and the adhesive is also applied to the cut edge of the rear substrate.

[0083] In an embodiment, in step e), an adhesive connection is formed between the first surface of the junction box and the battery cell substrate or the at least one photovoltaic cell arranged on the battery cell substrate, and between the first side surface of the junction box and the rear substrate (i.e., the edge of the cutout portion of the rear substrate) by temperature treatment, radiation treatment or other methods known to those skilled in the art.

[0084] In an embodiment, if the terminals of the junction box are formed as welded joints, in step f), direct electrical contact is formed between the terminals of the junction box and the electrical terminals of the at least one photovoltaic cell by welding. The electrical terminals of the at least one photovoltaic cell are arranged on the rear side of the cell substrate or directly on the photovoltaic cell. The electrical terminals of the at least one photovoltaic cell may be formed as side busbars or cell connectors.

[0085] In an embodiment, before step g), the junction box body may be filled with a potting material, or a cover may be arranged on the junction box, the potting material and the cover each forming a portion of the second surface of the junction box.

[0086] The adhesive in step g) may be a tape, paste, resin, polymer, glue or thermoplastic laminate. The adhesive is applied to the rear side of the substrate stack, and the position of the adhesive corresponds to the position of the frame in the finished photovoltaic module (for example, along the periphery of the substrate stack near the edge of the substrate stack). When the photovoltaic module is in use, the substrate stack has a front side facing the sunlight and a rear side opposite to the front side. In an embodiment, the substrate stack may include additional substrates arranged on the front side and / or the rear side of the battery cell substrate or the rear substrate, respectively. Alternatively or additionally, the adhesive is applied to the frame.

[0087] In step h), the frame is placed on the back side of the substrate stack, for example on the applied adhesive, and an adhesive connection is formed between the back side of the substrate stack and the frame by temperature treatment, radiation treatment or other methods known to those skilled in the art. In an embodiment, the frame is placed overlapping the edge of the substrate stack.

[0088] In an embodiment, the substrate stack is in a square shape, and the cutout portion and the junction box are arranged at corners of the substrate stack.

[0089] In an embodiment, the cutout portions and the junction boxes may be arranged at some or all of the four corners of the square substrate stack.

[0090] In an embodiment, the substrate stack is rectangular, and the photovoltaic module comprises four cutout portions of the rear substrate and four junction boxes, each of which is arranged at a corner of the substrate stack.

[0091] In an embodiment, the method further comprises the steps of providing a front substrate and bonding the front substrate to the cell substrate at a surface opposite to a surface where the at least one photovoltaic cell is arranged, so that the substrate stack further comprises the front substrate.

[0092] In an embodiment, the steps of providing a front substrate and bonding the front substrate to the battery cell substrate are performed after step e).

[0093] In an embodiment, the provided front substrate may be a transparent substrate, such as a glass substrate. Advantageously, a photovoltaic module having three substrates, preferably transparent substrates, such as glass substrates, may be produced.

[0094] The front substrate has the same size and shape as the battery cell substrate, and is bonded to the battery cell substrate such that the front substrate and the battery cell substrate are placed in a superimposed manner.

[0095] In an embodiment, the rear side of the substrate stack is formed by a second surface of the junction box opposite to the first surface of the junction box and a rear side of the rear substrate, and in step h) an adhesive connection is formed between the second surface of the junction box and the frame and between the rear side of the rear substrate and the frame.

[0096] In an embodiment, part of the second surface of the junction box is formed by a cover and / or potting material as described above.

[0097] In an embodiment, the method further comprises the following steps:

[0098] i) providing an isolation substrate;

[0099] j) applying an adhesive to a second surface of the junction box opposite to the first surface of the junction box and arranging a gas-tight and liquid-tight seal to the rear side of the rear substrate or the isolation substrate;

[0100] k) placing the isolation substrate on the rear side of the rear substrate and the second surface of the junction box, forming an adhesive connection between the rear side of the rear substrate and the isolation substrate and between the second surface of the junction box and the isolation substrate, and forming an airtight and liquidtight space between the rear substrate and the isolation substrate;

[0101] wherein steps j) and k) are performed between steps f) and g), and wherein the substrate stack in steps g) and h) further comprises the isolation substrate, the back side of the isolation substrate forming the back side of the substrate stack.

[0102] Advantageously, this enables the manufacture of photovoltaic modules suitable for use as building integration and, for example, can be used to replace ordinary insulating glazing while providing an additional energy generating function.

[0103] In an embodiment, the isolation substrate provided in step i) is a transparent substrate, such as a glass substrate. In a further embodiment, the size and shape of the isolation substrate provided is the same as the size and shape of the battery cell substrate.

[0104] In an embodiment, an edge seal commonly used for insulating windows is used as an airtight and liquid-tight seal. The edge seal is arranged along the peripheral edge of the rear substrate or arranged at a corresponding position of the isolation substrate to ensure an isolation space between the rear substrate and the isolation substrate, and the edge seal is adhered to the rear side of the rear substrate and the front side of the isolation substrate. At the edge of the substrate stack, the edge seal can be sealed with another sealing material (e.g., polysulfide, polyurethane or silicone). In a further embodiment, the isolation space between the rear substrate and the isolation substrate will be filled with an inert gas, such as argon.

[0105] An adhesive connection is formed between the rear side of the rear substrate and the isolation substrate and between the second surface of the junction box and the isolation substrate, and an airtight and liquid-tight space is formed between the rear substrate and the isolation substrate, which may include temperature treatment, radiation treatment or other methods known to technicians in the field.

[0106] In an embodiment, step a) further comprises providing two photovoltaic cells that are not electrically connected to each other and at least one connection box. Then, the method has the following features:

[0107] - Step b) further comprises forming a second cutout portion at an edge of the rear substrate, and a position of the second cutout portion corresponds to a position of an electrical terminal of at least one of the two photovoltaic cell units that are not electrically connected to each other, wherein a size and a shape of the second cutout portion are the same as a size and a shape of the at least one connection box.

[0108] - Step d) further comprises applying an adhesive on a first surface of the at least one connection box and on at least a first side surface of the at least one connection box.

[0109] -Step e) further includes placing the at least one connection box in the second cutout portion of the rear substrate and on the battery cell substrate, so that the first surface of the at least one connection box is arranged on the battery cell substrate, the first side surface of the at least one connection box is adjacent to the rear substrate, and an adhesive connection is formed between the first surface of the at least one connection box and the battery cell substrate and between the first side surface of the at least one connection box and the rear substrate.

[0110] - Step f) further comprises establishing direct electrical contact between an electrical terminal of the at least one connection box and an electrical terminal of one of the two photovoltaic cells that are not electrically connected to each other.

[0111] - said substrate stack in steps g) and h) further comprises said at least one connection box.

[0112] Advantageously, a photovoltaic module can be produced which comprises at least two submodules.

[0113] The at least two photovoltaic cells provided in step a) which are not electrically connected to each other are each arranged on a cell substrate and each form a submodule.

[0114] During the bonding of the battery cell substrate and the rear substrate in step c), the packaging foil arranged between the battery cell substrate and the rear substrate includes at least one second packaging foil cutout portion, which is identical in shape and size to the at least one second cutout portion of the rear substrate. The packaging foil is placed on the battery cell substrate so that the at least one second packaging foil cutout portion of the packaging foil and the at least one second cutout portion of the rear substrate overlap each other.

[0115] If the at least one connection box is formed as a junction box, the at least one connection box may electrically connect the at least two submodules to each other or may electrically connect at least one of the two submodules to another device.

[0116] The other characteristics of the connection box are the same as described above with respect to the photovoltaic module.

[0117] In an embodiment, in step d), the adhesive may be applied alternatively or additionally to the rear surface of the cell substrate and to the edge of the rear substrate, in both cases in the second cutout portion of the rear substrate. This means that the adhesive may be applied to an area on the rear side of the cell substrate, which may or may not be provided with the at least one photovoltaic cell and is not covered by the encapsulation foil or the rear substrate (i.e., an area where the at least one second encapsulation foil cutout portion of the encapsulation foil or the at least one second cutout portion of the rear substrate is provided on the cell substrate), and the adhesive is also applied to the cut edge of the second cutout portion of the rear substrate.

[0118] Placing the at least one connection box in the second cutout portion of the rear substrate on the cell substrate in step e) further comprises: arranging the at least one connection box on the at least one photovoltaic cell on the cell substrate in step f) such that the terminals of the connection box and the terminals of the photovoltaic cell can be electrically connected. The at least one connection box forms part of a substrate stack, i.e., the substrate stack comprises the connection box after an adhesive connection is formed between a first surface of the connection box and the cell substrate and between a first side surface of the connection box and the rear substrate.

[0119] In an embodiment, the at least one terminal of the at least one connection box may be formed as a welded joint. In a further embodiment, the electrical terminal of one of the at least two photovoltaic cells that are not electrically connected to each other is arranged on a surface of the photovoltaic cell where the cell substrate is provided. The electrical terminal of one of the two photovoltaic cells that are not electrically connected to each other may be formed as a side busbar or a cell connector.

[0120] In order to implement the present invention, it is advantageous to combine the features of the above embodiments and claims. However, the embodiments of the present invention described above are examples given as illustrations, and the present invention is not limited thereto. Any modification, variation and equivalent arrangement and combination of embodiments should be considered to be included within the scope of the present invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0121] The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of embodiments of the invention and are incorporated into and constitute a part of this specification. The accompanying drawings illustrate embodiments of the invention and are used together with the specification to explain the principles. Other embodiments of the invention and many of the expected advantages may be better understood by reference to the following detailed description. The elements of the accompanying drawings are not necessarily to scale with respect to each other. The same reference numerals represent corresponding similar parts. Dashed lines refer to components that are not located on the surface of the view shown, but are visible due to the transparency of other components, or the component should be shown relative to the visible components.

[0122] Figure 1A FIG. 4 shows a front view of the photovoltaic module 100 when the photovoltaic module 100 is in use and a light ray enters the photovoltaic module 100 along the z direction.

[0123] Figure 1B Shown is the image viewed from the opposite z direction. Figure 1A 1 is a corresponding rear view of the photovoltaic module 100 .

[0124] Figure 1C The observed value along the y direction is shown Figure 1A and 1B 1 is a side view of a photovoltaic module 100 .

[0125] Figure 1D Shows Figure 1C An enlarged perspective exploded view of the circled details of the photovoltaic module 100 is shown in FIG.

[0126] Figure 2A Shows Figures 1A to 1D Photovoltaic modules along Figure 1B Cross section taken along line CC in FIG.

[0127] Figure 2B Shows something like Figure 2AA cross section of another embodiment of the photovoltaic module 100 observed along the y direction.

[0128] Figure 3 The front view of a specific embodiment of the photovoltaic module 100 is shown when the photovoltaic module 100 is in use and light enters the photovoltaic module 100 along the z direction.

[0129] Figure 4 A side view of a photovoltaic module 100 along the y direction in another embodiment is shown.

[0130] Figure 5A A rear view of another embodiment of the photovoltaic module 100 is shown when in use, along the z direction opposite to the direction in which light enters the photovoltaic module 100 .

[0131] Figure 5B Shows Figure 5A 100 photovoltaic modules along Figure 5A A cross section taken along line AA'.

[0132] Fig. 6A FIG. 1 is a front view showing a photovoltaic module 100 in another embodiment when the photovoltaic module is in use and light enters the photovoltaic module 100 along the z direction.

[0133] Figure 6B shows the observed along the y direction Fig. 6A FIG. 1 is a partial cross section of a photovoltaic module 100 .

[0134] Figure 6C Shows something like Fig. 6A A front view of another embodiment of the photovoltaic module 100 when in use, along the z-direction opposite to the direction in which light enters the photovoltaic module 100 .

[0135] Fig.6D shows the observed along the y direction Figure 6B FIG. 1 is a partial cross section of a photovoltaic module 100 .

[0136] Fig. 7A An exemplary embodiment of the terminal box 20 is schematically shown in a plan view onto the second surface 24 of the terminal box 20 .

[0137] Figure 7B A perspective view of the first side surface 25 and the top or second surface 24 of the junction box 20 in another embodiment is shown.

[0138] Figure 8 An exemplary process flow of a method for manufacturing a photovoltaic module 100 is shown.

[0139] Fig. 9A Shown according to Figure 8 The photovoltaic module 100 produced by the process flow after step S3.

[0140] Fig. 9B Shown according to Figure 8 The photovoltaic module 100 produced by the process flow before step S5.

[0141] Fig. 9C Shown according to Figure 8 The photovoltaic module 100 produced by the process flow after step S8.

[0142] Reference numerals

[0143] 100 Photovoltaic module 23 First surface of junction box

[0144] 101 edge of photovoltaic module 24 second surface of junction box

[0145] 10 substrate stack 25 first side surface of junction box

[0146] 11 Battery cell substrate 26 Second side surface of junction box

[0147] 12, 12a, 12b Photovoltaic cell unit 27 Box frame of junction box

[0148] 121 Electrical terminals of photovoltaic cells 271 Outer wall of double wall box frame

[0149] 13 Rear substrate 272 Inner wall of double wall box frame

[0150] 131, 131a-131d cutout portion 273 cross brace

[0151] 132 Edge of cutout 274 Compartment

[0152] 133 Rear side of rear substrate 28 Cover of junction box

[0153] 134a, 134b Second cutout portion 281 Snap-fit ​​closure

[0154] 14 Front side of substrate stack 30 Frame

[0155] 15 Back side of substrate stack 40 Adhesive

[0156] 16 Edge of substrate stack 50 Seal

[0157] 17 Front substrate 60a, 60b connection box

[0158] 18 Isolation substrate 61 Electrical terminals of the connection box

[0159] 181 Isolation space 62 First surface of connection box

[0160] 182 rear side of the isolation substrate 63 first side surface of the connection box

[0161] 20, 20a-20d Junction box 64 Second surface of the connection box

[0162] 21 Wire 601 Internal connection in the connection box

[0163] 22 Electrical terminals of junction boxes 602 Electrical connections of different junction boxes DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0164] Figure 1A 1 shows a front view of the photovoltaic module 100 when the photovoltaic module 100 is in use, and light enters the photovoltaic module 100 along the z direction. A transparent cell substrate 11 is visible, and at least one photovoltaic cell (the photovoltaic cell is not shown here) is arranged on the transparent cell substrate 11. The junction box 20 and the frame 30 are represented by dotted lines. The junction box 20 includes at least one wire 21 for connecting to other devices. The junction box 20 is arranged at the corner of the photovoltaic module 100.

[0165] Figure 1B Shown is the image viewed from the opposite z direction. Figure 1A 1 is a corresponding rear view of the photovoltaic module 100. Visible is the rear substrate 13 and the frame 30 arranged on the rear substrate 13. The junction box 20 (indicated by a partially dotted line) arranged in at least one cutout portion 131 of the rear substrate 13 is partially visible.

[0166] Figure 1C The observed value along the y direction is shown Figure 1A and 1B The photovoltaic module 100 includes a substrate stack 10, which includes at least a transparent cell substrate 11, at least one photovoltaic cell 12 arranged on the cell substrate, a rear substrate 13, and a junction box 20. The junction box 20 is arranged in a cutout portion 131 of the rear substrate 13, and the cutout portion 131 is as shown in FIG. Figure 1BAs shown in . In addition, the junction box 20 is arranged at the edge 16 of the substrate stack 10. The substrate stack 10 includes a front side 14 and a rear side 15, wherein the rear side 15 of the substrate stack 10 is formed by the rear side 133 of the rear substrate 13 and the second surface 24 of the junction box 20. Sunlight enters the photovoltaic module 100 from the front side 14 of the substrate stack 10, as shown by the arrow. The edge 16 of the substrate stack 10 is a part of the edge 101 of the photovoltaic module 100 and is formed by the edge of the battery cell substrate 11, the second side surface 26 of the junction box 20 and the edge of the rear substrate 13. The battery cell substrate 11 and the rear substrate 13 are connected to each other by an encapsulation foil (not shown), wherein at least one photovoltaic cell unit 12 is located between the battery cell substrate 11 and the rear substrate 13. On the first surface 23 of the junction box 20, the junction box 20 is adhered to the battery cell substrate 11 by an adhesive 40. On a first side surface 25 directed toward the rear substrate 13, the junction box 20 is further bonded to the rear substrate 13 by an adhesive 40, wherein the first side surface 25 is bonded to an edge 132 of a cutout portion of the rear substrate 13. The junction box 20 includes a terminal 22 for electrical contact with at least one photovoltaic cell unit 12 and an electric wire 21 for connection with other devices. The junction box 20 is in direct electrical contact with an electric terminal (not shown) of at least one photovoltaic cell unit 12 by its terminal 22. The electric wire 21 is arranged on a second side surface 26 of the junction box 20 directed toward the surrounding environment. The frame 30 is arranged only on the rear side 15 of the substrate stack 10 and is bonded to the rear side 15 of the substrate stack 10 by an adhesive 40. Although only one adhesive 40 is shown here to realize all bonding of the junction box 20 to the cell substrate 11 and the rear substrate 13, and all bonding of the frame 30 to the rear substrate 13 and the junction box 20, different adhesives may be used for different bondings.

[0167] Figure 1D Shows Figure 1C 1 is an enlarged perspective exploded view of the circled details of the photovoltaic module 100 in FIG. A cell substrate 11, at least one photovoltaic cell 12 arranged on the cell substrate 11, and a rear substrate 13 bonded to the cell substrate 11, wherein at least one photovoltaic cell 12 is located between the rear substrate and the cell substrate. The rear substrate 13 includes a cutout portion 131 arranged at an edge of the rear substrate 13. The junction box 20 is arranged in the cutout portion 131, wherein the junction box 20 includes wires 21. As described above, the frame 30 is arranged only on the rear side of the rear substrate 13 and the second surface of the junction box 20, and is adhered to the rear side of the rear substrate 13 and the second surface of the junction box 20. As can be seen here, the wires 21 may include a connecting member, such as a female connector or a male connector.

[0168] Figure 2A Shows Figures 1A to 1D Photovoltaic modules along Figure 1BCross section taken along line CC in FIG. Figure 1C The components shown in FIG. 2 are not described again. The junction box 20 includes a junction box body and a cover 28. The cover 28 forms at least a portion of the second surface 24 of the junction box 20. The junction box body includes at least Figure 1C The first surface, the first side surface and the second side surface of the junction box are shown. The side surface of the junction box forms a box frame 27. It can be seen that the terminal 22 of the junction box 20 is directly electrically connected to the electrical terminal 121 of at least one photovoltaic cell unit 12 arranged on the surface of the cell substrate 11.

[0169] Figure 2B Shows something like Figure 2A 1 is a cross section of another embodiment of the photovoltaic module 100 observed along the y direction. The figure shows a special embodiment of the frame 30. The frame 30 includes a recessed portion, which is located at the side where the frame 30 is arranged on the junction box 20 and at the corresponding position. That is, the junction box 20 is arranged in this recessed portion of the frame 30. It is particularly advantageous if the height (or thickness) difference between the rear substrate 13 and the junction box 20 is large, for example greater than 0.5 mm.

[0170] Figure 3 1 shows a front view of a specific embodiment of the photovoltaic module 100 when the photovoltaic module 100 is in use, and light enters the photovoltaic module 100 along the z direction. It can be seen that the transparent battery cell substrate 11 and a plurality of photovoltaic battery cells arranged on the rear side of the battery cell substrate 11. For example, the photovoltaic battery cells can be thin film battery cells connected in series. Figure 3In the embodiment, only the first photovoltaic cell unit 12a and the last photovoltaic cell unit 12b in the series connection are referred to. The first photovoltaic cell unit 12a and the last photovoltaic cell unit 12b are each provided with two electrical terminals 121, wherein one terminal 121 is provided at the upper end of the corresponding photovoltaic cell unit 12a, 12b in the y direction, and the other terminal 121 is provided at the lower end of the corresponding photovoltaic cell unit 12a, 12b in the y direction. The two terminals 121 of a single photovoltaic cell unit 12a, 12b can also be connected by a side bus bar. In this specific embodiment, four junction boxes 20a to 20d are provided. As described above, each of the junction boxes 20a to 20d includes an electric wire 21 for connecting to other devices. Each junction box 20a to 20d is arranged in a corresponding cutout portion 131a to 131d of the rear substrate and is arranged at a corner of the photovoltaic module. Each terminal 12 of the photovoltaic cell unit 12a, 12b is connected to a corresponding electrical terminal (not shown) of the corresponding junction box 20a to 20d. There are several advantages to having junction boxes at each corner of the photovoltaic module 100. First, since the frame 30 has the same support point at each corner, the mechanical stability of the entire photovoltaic module 100 is improved. In addition, since there are two electrical connections on each side, the electrical connection of the photovoltaic module 100 to other devices is improved. In addition, each side can be provided with a virtual junction box that is not connected to other devices, such as junction boxes 20b and 20c, which can be used as a replacement when other junction boxes on the same side (i.e., junction boxes 20a or 20d) fail.

[0171] Figure 4 A side view of a photovoltaic module 100 in another embodiment along the y direction is shown. In this embodiment, the photovoltaic module 100 further comprises a front substrate 17, preferably a transparent glass, which is arranged on the front side of the cell substrate 11, directly facing the sunlight entering the photovoltaic module 100 (indicated by the arrows). The size and shape of the front substrate 17 are the same as the size and shape of the cell substrate 11, and are adhered to the cell substrate 11 by an encapsulation foil. The substrate stack 10 comprises a cell substrate 11, at least one photovoltaic cell 12, a rear substrate 13, a junction box 20 and a front substrate 17. The front side of the front substrate 17 forms the front side 14 of the substrate stack. The photovoltaic module 100 in this embodiment is a three-glass photovoltaic module 100, which has enhanced mechanical stability.

[0172] Figure 5AThe figure shows a rear view of the photovoltaic module in another embodiment when in use, along the z direction opposite to the direction in which light enters the photovoltaic module 100. The photovoltaic module 100 in this embodiment further includes an isolation substrate 18, preferably transparent glass. The isolation substrate 18 is arranged on and adhered to the rear substrate, and the frame 30 is arranged on the side of the isolation substrate 18 opposite to the rear substrate. In this embodiment, the photovoltaic module 100 includes four junction boxes 20a to 20d, and the four junction boxes are respectively arranged in the cutout portions 131a to 131d of the rear substrate. In addition, the figure also shows a seal 50, which is actually invisible because it is hidden under the frame 30, but is shown for better understanding. The seal 50 is arranged on the periphery of the photovoltaic module 100, and will be Figure 5B Further explanation in.

[0173] Figure 5B Shows Figure 5A 100 photovoltaic modules along Figure 5A . That is, the left part of the figure shows a cross section at a position where the junction box is not arranged, and the right part of the figure shows a cross section at a position including the junction box 20a. It can be seen that at the surface of the rear substrate 13 opposite to the surface of the connection with the battery cell substrate 11 or at least one photovoltaic cell unit 12, the isolation substrate 18 is arranged on the rear substrate 13 and adhered to the rear substrate, preferably a transparent glass rear substrate 13. The isolation substrate 18 is further arranged on the second surface of the junction box 20a opposite to the first surface 23 of the junction box 20a and adhered to the second surface of the junction box 20a. The substrate stack 10 now includes a transparent battery cell substrate 11, at least one photovoltaic cell unit 12 arranged on the battery cell substrate 11, the rear substrate 13, the junction boxes 20a to 20d and the isolation substrate 18. The size and shape of the isolation substrate 18 are the same as the size and shape of the battery cell substrate 11, and the rear side 182 of the isolation substrate 18 forms the rear side 15 of the substrate stack 10. The seal 50 is an airtight and liquid-tight seal formed on the periphery of the isolation substrate 18, so that an airtight and liquid-tight isolation space 181 is formed between the rear substrate 13 and the isolation substrate 18. That is, the seal 50 is formed between the rear substrate 13 and the isolation substrate 18, and is also formed between the second surface of each junction box 20a to 20d and the isolation substrate 18. The frame 30 is arranged only on the rear side 182 of the isolation substrate 18, and is adhered to the rear side of the isolation substrate 18 by the adhesive 40.

[0174] Fig. 6A1 shows a front view of a photovoltaic module 100 when the photovoltaic module is in use along the z direction. It can be seen that the transparent cell substrate 11 includes at least two photovoltaic cells 12a and 12b, which are not electrically connected to each other through an electrical conductor arranged on the cell substrate 11 or arranged between the cell substrate 11 and the back substrate. In the embodiment shown, each of the at least two photovoltaic cells 12a and 12b means a plurality of photovoltaic cells 12 electrically connected to each other, in particular thin-film photovoltaic cells. Therefore, the photovoltaic cells 12a and 12b can also be referred to as the first submodule and the second submodule, wherein the first submodule and the second submodule are not electrically connected to each other and are each arranged on the cell substrate 11. Four junction boxes 20a to 20d are shown by dotted lines, and the four junction boxes are each arranged at a corner of the photovoltaic module 100 and located in a corresponding cutout portion 131a to 131d of the back substrate. Thus, the rear substrate comprises four cutout portions 131a to 131d which are identical in shape and size to the four junction boxes 20a to 20d. Two connection boxes 60a and 60b can also be seen by dashed lines, each of which is arranged at the edge of the photovoltaic module 100. Thus, the rear substrate comprises two second cutout portions 134a, 134b which are identical in size and shape to the connection boxes 60a, 60b. Also shown in the figure (although not necessarily visible in the front view) are the electrical terminals 121 of the photovoltaic cells 12a, 12b. The junction boxes 20a to 20d and the connection boxes 60a, 60b are connected to the photovoltaic cells 12a, 12b through the electrical terminals ( Fig. 6A (not shown) is directly electrically connected to the electrical terminal 121. In addition, for the sake of clarity, Fig. 6A The frame as a part of the photovoltaic module 100 is omitted.

[0175] Figure 6B shows the observed along the y direction Fig. 6A A partial cross section of a photovoltaic module 100 is shown in FIG. Fig. 6A, i.e., passing through the portion of the photovoltaic module 100 where the second cutout portion 134a and the connection box 60a are arranged. The cell substrate 11 and the rear substrate 13 are visible, wherein the photovoltaic cells 12a, 12b are arranged between the cell substrate and the rear substrate. The photovoltaic cells or submodules 12a, 12b are not electrically connected to each other by electrical conductors arranged on the cell substrate 11 or between the cell substrate 11 and the rear substrate 13. However, the photovoltaic cells 12a, 12b are electrically connected to each other by internal connections 601 within the connection box 60a. In this embodiment, the connection box 60a includes two electrical terminals 61 of the connection box 60a, each of which is used to electrically contact the electrical terminal 121 of one of the at least two photovoltaic cells 12a, 12b. On the first surface 62 of the connection box 60a, the connection box 60a is adhered to the battery cell substrate 11 by the adhesive 40, and on the first side surface 63 of the connection box 60a, the connection box 60a is adhered to the back substrate 13 by the adhesive 40. Here, the first side surface 63 is each side surface of the connection box 60a facing the back substrate 13. The side surface of the connection box 60a that does not face the back substrate 13 but faces the surrounding environment or the outside of the photovoltaic module 100 is called the second side surface of the connection box, however, Fig. 6A and 6B The photovoltaic module 100 shown here does not have a frame arranged on the rear substrate 13 and the second surface 64 of the connection box 60a, the second surface 64 being opposite to the first surface 62. As described above with respect to the junction box, the frame is adhered to the connection box 60a by the adhesive 40.

[0176] Figure 6C Shows something like Fig. 6A A front view of another embodiment of the photovoltaic module 100 when in use, along the z direction opposite to the direction in which light enters the photovoltaic module 100. Fig. 6AIn contrast, the photovoltaic module 100 includes four connection boxes 60a to 60d (shown by dotted lines), wherein typically every two of the four connection boxes 60a to 60d are arranged at the same edge of the rear substrate 13. The rear substrate 13 includes two second cutout portions 134a, 134b arranged at the edge of the rear substrate 13. Each of the second cutout portions 134a, 134b has an appropriate size and shape, and two of the connection boxes 60a to 60d can be arranged therein. In other embodiments, there may be four second cutout portions, each of which has a size and shape suitable for arranging one of the connection boxes 60a to 60d therein. In the embodiment shown here, in each of the two second cutout portions 134a, 134b, two connection boxes 60a, 60d or 60b, 60c are arranged adjacent to each other, and each connection box 60a to 60d forms a portion of the edge of the photovoltaic module 100. Each of the connection boxes 60a to 60d includes at least one wire 21 or at least one female connector or one male connector. That is, each connection box 60a to 60d is formed similar to a junction box and used as a junction box. Electrical connection 602 electrically connects adjacent connection boxes 60a and 60d or 60b and 60c respectively. In other embodiments, separate connection boxes 60a to 60d can be electrically connected to other devices through wires 21.

[0177] Fig.6D shows the observed along the y direction Figure 6B A partial cross section of a photovoltaic module 100 is shown in FIG. Figure 6C The circle portion of FIG. 1 extends in the x direction, that is, passes through the portion of the photovoltaic module 100 where the second cutout portion 134a and the connection boxes 60a and 60d are arranged. The cell substrate 11 and the rear substrate 13 are visible, wherein the photovoltaic cells 12a and 12b are arranged between the cell substrate 11 and the rear substrate 13. Fig.6D and Figure 6B The difference is that two connection boxes 60a and 60d are arranged in the cutout portion 134a, wherein each connection box 60a, 60d includes an electric wire 21 (not shown here), which is electrically connected to the electric terminal 61 of the corresponding connection box 60a or 60d and can be connected to other devices. The two connection boxes 60a, 60d are adhered not only to the battery cell substrate 11 and the rear substrate 13 by the adhesive 40, but also to the other connection boxes 60a, 60d. Similarly, the frame is Fig.6D Although not shown, the frame is present in the photovoltaic module 100 .

[0178] Fig. 7AAn embodiment of the junction box 20 is schematically shown in a top view on a second surface 24 of the junction box 20. The second surface 24 is a surface of the junction box 20 opposite to the surface of the junction box 20 adhered to the battery cell substrate 11. The junction box 20 includes a wire 21 or at least one female connector or one male connector arranged at a second side surface 26 of the junction box 20, and a box frame 27 of the junction box 20. In this embodiment, at least at a side surface of the junction box 20 that points to the outside and is in direct contact with the surrounding environment (e.g., the second side surface 26 of the junction box 20), the width w of the box frame 27 of the junction box is 1 In the range of 3 mm to 20 mm, preferably 10 mm to 20 mm. In addition, the width w of the box frame 27 of the junction box 20 at the first side surface 25 of the junction box 20 is 2 Less than w 1 , wherein the first side surface 25 is a side surface for adhering the junction box 20 to the rear substrate 13. The junction box 20 further includes a cover 28, which closes the junction box 20 at the second surface 24 and is connected to the box frame 27. In other embodiments, the cover 28 may be omitted.

[0179] Figure 7BA stereoscopic view of a first side surface 25 and a top surface or a second surface 24 of a junction box 20 in another embodiment is shown. The first side surface 25 is the side surface facing the rear substrate when the junction box 20 is installed in a photovoltaic module. The second surface 24 is the surface opposite to the first surface connected to the battery cell substrate when the junction box is installed in the photovoltaic module. In this embodiment, the junction box 20 includes a double-walled box frame 27. The double-walled box frame 27 includes at least an outer wall 271 and an inner wall 272, and the distance between the outer wall and the inner wall is in the range of 3 mm to 25 mm. The outer wall 271 points to the outside and is in direct contact with the surrounding environment, forming side surfaces, in particular, the first side surface 25 and the second side surface 26 of the junction box 20, which are the edges of the junction box 20, respectively. The inner wall 272 of the box frame 27 points to the inside of the junction box 20 and is formed only at the side surface that does not face the rear substrate when the junction box 20 is installed, that is, only relative to the second side surface 26. The inner wall 272 and the outer wall 271 of the double-walled box frame 27 are connected by at least one cross brace 273, wherein at least one cross brace 273 is molded on the inner wall 272 and / or the outer wall 271 of the double-walled box frame 27 of the junction box 20. In this embodiment, the inner wall 272 and the outer wall 271 of the double-walled box frame 27 are connected by a plurality of cross braces 273, thereby forming a plurality of compartments 274 in the distance between the inner wall 272 and the outer wall 271. The distance between the inner wall 272 and the outer wall 271 of the double-walled box frame 27 or the plurality of compartments 274 can be filled with a potting material, such as a polymer potting material, for example but not limited to a 2-component silicone compound, a thermosetting plastic, an epoxy resin, a silicone rubber gel or a similar material known in the prior art. The potting material can form a first portion of the second surface 24 of the junction box 20. In this embodiment, the junction box 20 further includes a cover 28, which is attached to the outer wall 271 of the double-walled box frame 27 at the first side surface 25 and the inner wall 272 of the double-walled box frame 27 at the side surface facing the outside (i.e., at least the second side surface 26) by a snap closure 281. The cover 28 forms at least a portion, such as the second portion, of the second surface 24 of the junction box 20. In other embodiments, the cover 28 can be attached to the outer wall 271 of the double-walled box frame 27 at all side surfaces of the junction box 20, such as by a snap closure. In this case, the cover 28 forms the second surface 24 of the junction box.

[0180] Figure 8An exemplary process flow of a method for manufacturing a photovoltaic module 100 is shown. In a first step S1, a transparent cell substrate 11 is provided; at least one photovoltaic cell 12 arranged on the cell substrate 11; a rear substrate 13; a junction box 20, which includes a terminal 22 for electrical contact with at least one photovoltaic cell 12 and a wire 21 or a female connector or a male connector for connection with other devices; and a frame 30. In the following step S2, a cutout portion 131 is formed at an edge of the rear substrate 13, wherein the shape and size of the cutout portion 131 are the same as those of the junction box 20. Thereafter, in step S3, the cell substrate 11 and the rear substrate 13 are bonded to each other by, for example, a packaging foil, so that at least one photovoltaic cell 12 is arranged between the cell substrate and the rear substrate. In step S4, an adhesive 40 is applied to the first surface 23 of the junction box 20 and the first side surface 25 of the junction box 20. In step S5, the junction box 20 is placed in the cutout portion 131 of the back substrate 13 and on the cell substrate 11, so that the first surface 23 of the junction box 20 is arranged on the cell substrate 11, the first side surface 25 of the junction box 20 is adjacent to the back substrate 13, and the wires 21 or the female connector or the male connector are arranged on the second side surface 26 of the junction box 20. The second side surface 26 is different from the first side surface 25, and the second side surface 26 forms the edge of the photovoltaic module 100. In addition, in step S5, an adhesive connection is formed between the first surface 23 of the junction box 20 and the cell substrate 11 and between the first side surface 25 of the junction box 20 and the back substrate 13. In the next step S6, a direct electrical contact is formed between the electrical terminal 22 of the junction box 20 and the electrical terminal 121 of at least one photovoltaic cell 12. Thereafter, in step S7, an adhesive 40 is applied to the back side 133 of the substrate stack 10, wherein the substrate stack 10 comprises at least a cell substrate 11, at least one photovoltaic cell 12, a rear substrate 13 and a junction box 20. In other embodiments, the adhesive 40 is applied to the frame 30. Finally, in step S8, the frame 30 is placed on the back side 133 of the substrate stack 10, and an adhesive connection is formed between the back side 133 of the substrate stack 10 and the frame 30.

[0181] Fig. 9A Shown according to Figure 81. The photovoltaic module 100 produced by the process flow in FIG. 1 after step S3. It can be seen that when the photovoltaic module is in use, the rear view of the photovoltaic module 100 is observed along the z direction opposite to the direction in which light enters the photovoltaic module 100. The cell substrate 11 on which at least one photovoltaic cell 12 (shown by the dotted line) is arranged and the rear substrate 13 have been joined together by an encapsulation foil (not shown). The rear substrate 13 has a cutout portion 131 formed in step S2, and the size and shape of the cutout portion 131 are the same as the size and shape of the junction box 20 provided in step S1. Therefore, the encapsulation foil includes a cutout portion, which is the same in size and shape as the cutout portion 131 of the rear substrate 13 and is arranged on the cell substrate 11, so that the cutout portion of the encapsulation foil and the cutout portion 131 of the rear substrate 13 overlap each other. It can also be seen by the dotted line that the side busbar forms an electrical terminal 121 of at least one photovoltaic cell 12, and the electrical terminal 121 is arranged in the cutout portion 131 of the rear substrate 13.

[0182] Fig. 9B Shown according to Figure 8 The photovoltaic module 100 before step S5 produced by the process of FIG. Fig. 9A The photovoltaic module 100 and the junction box 20 in the embodiment of the present invention are provided, wherein an adhesive (not shown) is applied on a first surface (not shown) of the junction box and a first side surface 25 of the junction box 20. The first surface of the junction box 20 is opposite to the second surface 24 of the junction box 20. In step S5, the junction box 20 will be placed in the cutout portion 131 of the rear substrate 13 as indicated by the arrow, and will be adhered to the battery cell substrate 11 on its first surface and to the rear substrate 13 on its first side surface 25.

[0183] Fig. 9C Shown according to Figure 8 1. Photovoltaic module 100 after step S8 produced by the process flow in FIG. It can be seen that the frame 30 is bonded to the back side of the substrate stack, wherein the substrate stack includes a cell substrate 11, a rear substrate 13, at least one photovoltaic cell 12 located between the cell substrate 11 and the rear substrate 13, and a junction box 20. In this embodiment, the junction box 20 is completely covered by the frame 30 and is therefore not visible.

Claims

1. A photovoltaic module comprising at least the following elements: - a substrate stack, the substrate stack comprising at least a cell substrate, at least one photovoltaic cell arranged on the cell substrate, a rear substrate and a junction box, the junction box comprising terminals for electrical contact with the at least one photovoltaic cell and wires or female or male connectors for connection with other devices; and -frame; wherein the cell substrate and the back substrate are bonded to each other, the at least one photovoltaic cell is located between the cell substrate and the back substrate, and wherein the back substrate includes a cutout portion, the cutout portion being arranged at an edge of the back substrate, Features: - the shape and size of the junction box are the same as the shape and size of the cutout portion of the rear substrate, the junction box is arranged in the cutout portion of the rear substrate, the junction box is directly electrically connected to the electrical terminal of the at least one photovoltaic cell unit through a terminal, the junction box is adhered to the cell substrate on a first surface of the junction box, the junction box is adhered to the rear substrate on a first side surface of the junction box, the wire or the female connector or the male connector is arranged on a second side surface of the junction box different from the first side surface and is located at an edge of the substrate stack, The frame is arranged only on the rear side of the substrate stack and is adhesively bonded to the rear side of the substrate stack.

2. The photovoltaic module according to claim 1, characterized in that: The substrate stack has a square shape, and the cutout portion and the junction box are arranged at corners of the substrate stack.

3. The photovoltaic module according to claim 1, characterized in that: The substrate stack is rectangular, and the photovoltaic module includes four cutout portions of the rear substrate and four junction boxes, each of which is arranged at a corner of the substrate stack.

4. The photovoltaic module according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The substrate stack further includes a front substrate arranged on the cell substrate, the front substrate being bonded to the cell substrate at a surface opposite to a surface on which the at least one photovoltaic cell is arranged.

5. The photovoltaic module according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The rear side of the substrate stack is formed by the rear side of the rear substrate, and the frame is further arranged and adhered on a second surface of the junction box opposite to the first surface of the junction box.

6. The photovoltaic module according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The substrate stack further includes an isolation substrate, wherein the isolation substrate is arranged on the rear substrate, and the isolation substrate is adhered to the rear substrate at a surface opposite to the surface joined to the battery cell substrate. The isolation substrate is also arranged and adhered to a second surface of the junction box opposite to the first surface of the junction box, wherein an airtight and liquid-tight seal is formed at an edge of the isolation substrate, so that an airtight and liquid-tight isolation space is formed between the rear substrate and the isolation substrate, and the rear side of the substrate stack is formed by the rear side of the isolation substrate.

7. The photovoltaic module according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that The photovoltaic module comprises two photovoltaic cells which are not electrically connected to each other via an electrical conductor arranged on the cell substrate or between the cell substrate and the back substrate; - the rear substrate comprises at least one second cutout portion, the at least one second cutout portion is arranged at an edge of the rear substrate, and the position of the at least one second cutout portion corresponds to the position of the electrical terminal of at least one of the two photovoltaic cell units that are not electrically connected to each other; and - the substrate stack further comprises at least one connection box, the at least one connection box comprising at least one terminal for making electrical contact with one of the two photovoltaic cell units that are not electrically connected to each other; The shape and size of the at least one connection box are the same as those of the second cutout portion of the rear substrate, the at least one connection box is arranged in the second cutout portion of the rear substrate, and is directly electrically connected to the electrical terminal of the one of the two photovoltaic cell units that are not electrically connected to each other through the terminal; The at least one connection box is adhered to the battery cell substrate on a first surface of the connection box, and the at least one connection box is adhered to the back substrate on a first side surface of the connection box.

8. The photovoltaic module according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that: The junction box includes a box frame having a width ranging from 3 mm to 20 mm.

9. A method for manufacturing a photovoltaic module, the method comprising at least the following steps: a) providing a cell substrate; at least one photovoltaic cell arranged on the cell substrate; a rear substrate; a junction box comprising terminals for electrical contact with the at least one photovoltaic cell and wires or female or male connectors for connection with other devices; and a frame; b) forming a cutout portion at an edge of the rear substrate, wherein the shape and size of the cutout portion are the same as those of the junction box; c) bonding the cell substrate and the back substrate to each other so that the at least one photovoltaic cell is arranged between the cell substrate and the back substrate; d) applying an adhesive to the first surface and the first side surface of the junction box; e) placing the junction box in the cutout portion of the rear substrate and on the battery cell substrate, so that the first surface of the junction box is arranged on the battery cell substrate, the first side surface of the junction box is adjacent to the rear substrate, the wires or the female connector or the male connector are arranged on a second side surface different from the first side surface, the second side surface forms an edge of the photovoltaic module, and an adhesive connection is formed between the first surface of the junction box and the battery cell substrate and between the first side surface of the junction box and the rear substrate; f) establishing direct electrical contact between the terminals of the junction box and the electrical terminals of the at least one photovoltaic cell, g) applying an adhesive on the rear side of a substrate stack, the substrate stack comprising at least the cell substrate, the at least one photovoltaic cell, the rear substrate and the junction box, or applying an adhesive to the frame; as well as h) Placing the frame on the rear side of the substrate stack and forming an adhesive connection between the rear side of the substrate stack and the frame.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that The substrate stack has a square shape, and the cutout portion and the junction box are arranged at corners of the substrate stack.

11. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that The substrate stack is rectangular, and the photovoltaic module includes four cutout portions of the rear substrate and four junction boxes, each of which is arranged at a corner of the substrate stack.

12. The method according to any one of claims 9 to 11, characterized in that The method further comprises the steps of providing a front substrate, bonding the front substrate to the cell substrate at a surface opposite to the surface on which the at least one photovoltaic cell is arranged, so that the substrate stack further comprises the front substrate.

13. The method according to any one of claims 9 to 12, characterized in that: The rear side of the substrate stack is formed by a second surface of the junction box opposite to the first surface of the junction box and a rear side of the rear substrate, and in step h), an adhesive connection is formed between the second surface of the junction box and the frame and between the rear side of the rear substrate and the frame.

14. The method according to any one of claims 9 to 12, characterized in that The method further comprises the following steps: i) providing an isolation substrate; j) applying an adhesive to a second surface of the junction box opposite to the first surface of the junction box and arranging a gas-tight and liquid-tight seal to the rear side of the rear substrate or the isolation substrate; k) placing the isolation substrate on the rear side of the rear substrate and the second surface of the junction box, forming an adhesive connection between the rear side of the rear substrate and the isolation substrate and between the second surface of the junction box and the isolation substrate, and forming an airtight and liquidtight space between the rear substrate and the isolation substrate; wherein steps j) and k) are performed between steps f) and g), and wherein the substrate stack in steps g) and h) further comprises the isolation substrate, the back side of the isolation substrate forming the back side of the substrate stack.

15. The method according to any one of claims 9 to 14, characterized in that - step a) further comprises providing two photovoltaic cells that are not electrically connected to each other and at least one connection box; - step b) further comprises forming a second cutout portion at an edge of the rear substrate, the position of the second cutout portion corresponding to the position of an electrical terminal of at least one of the two photovoltaic cell units that are not electrically connected to each other, wherein the size and shape of the second cutout portion are the same as the size and shape of the at least one connection box; - step d) further comprises applying an adhesive on a first surface of the at least one connection box and on a first side surface of the at least one connection box; - step e) further comprises placing the at least one connection box in the second cutout portion of the back substrate and on the battery cell substrate, so that the first surface of the at least one connection box is arranged on the battery cell substrate, the first side surface of the at least one connection box is adjacent to the back substrate, and an adhesive connection is formed between the first surface of the at least one connection box and the battery cell substrate and between the first side surface of the at least one connection box and the back substrate; - step f) further comprises establishing direct electrical contact between an electrical terminal of the at least one connection box and an electrical terminal of one of the two photovoltaic cells that are not electrically connected to each other; as well as - said substrate stack in steps g) and h) further comprises said at least one connection box.

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