solar module

Abstract

Flexible solar module (2) for a photovoltaic system (50) with a flexible carrier layer (4) which forms a fastening surface on an underside (6) and on which a plurality of solar cells (10) are held on an upper side (8) facing away from the underside (6), which solar cells (10) can be exposed to light via an outer side (12) facing away from the carrier layer (4), and with an electrical connection (16) which is held on the outside (12) of the solar module (2) and has a negative connection and a positive connection, characterized in that a mounting edge region (32) without a solar cell (10) is arranged on a side edge (28) of the flexible carrier layer (4), in which mounting edge region cable guide means (34) for the parallel laying of at least two connecting cables (40) which can be electrically connected to the electrical connection (16) are arranged.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a flexible solar module for a photovoltaic system, in particular a mobile photovoltaic system, for example of a vehicle such as a boat, a mobile home or a caravan, according to the preamble of claim 1. For this purpose, the solar module has a flexible carrier layer which is made, for example, from fiberglass and / or another fiber-reinforced plastic and has an underside and an upper side facing away from the underside. On the underside, the carrier layer forms a fastening surface to which, for example, an adhesive connection can be made to a storage surface, such as a deck area of ​​a boat or a roof area of ​​a mobile home or caravan. Several strings of solar cells are held on the upper side of the carrier layer, which strings can be exposed to sunlight from an outer side of the solar module facing away from the carrier layer in order to generate electricity.To protect the solar cells, they are usually embedded in an encapsulation material. In addition, the solar module can have an outer protective layer on the outside, which consists for example of ETFE. Furthermore, the solar module has an electrical connection which is electrically connected to the solar cell strings and is attached to the outside and comprises for example one, two or more junction boxes. In any case, the electrical connection has at least one negative connection or negative connection plug, which forms for example a male plug, and at least one positive connection or positive connection plug, which forms for example a female plug. Both plugs can be connected to the electrical connection or its at least one junction box via a connection cable.The negative connection plug and the positive connection plug can also be designed, for example, as MC3, MC4, T4 plugs or other known and suitable connection plugs.

[0002] Such flexible solar modules are frequently used for photovoltaic systems on vehicles. On boat decks or on the roofs of mobile homes or caravans, for example, the mounting surface is used to permanently attach and secure the solar module to the vehicle in question, for example by gluing. This allows the connecting cables and connectors, as well as the connecting cables for the electrical connection to an adjacent solar module or to a converter / control device, such as an inverter and / or a charge controller or a hybrid inverter, to be laid only on the outside of the solar module. Care must be taken to ensure that the connecting cables and connectors, as well as the connecting cables, are only picked up and secured around the solar cell strings to avoid interference.

[0003] To ensure sufficiently stable positioning of the connecting cables and connectors, and to avoid damage or disturbing noise, especially during operation, a relatively high level of installation effort is required. Furthermore, the mechanical stresses associated with such installations often lead to damage to the installed cables or electrical interference between the positive and negative lines, which can impair the efficiency of the photovoltaic system.

[0004] The object of the invention is to avoid the aforementioned disadvantages in a flexible solar module and to ensure convenient installation and safe and efficient operation of a photovoltaic system made from it.

[0005] This object is achieved by a flexible solar module having the features of claim 1. The flexible carrier layer has a mounting edge region on one side edge in which no solar cells are arranged or into which no solar cells extend, and in which cable routing means are arranged for the parallel laying of at least two connecting cables electrically connectable to the electrical connection. This allows the connecting cables, which connect the electrical connection to an inverter or a charging controller, and / or their plug connections to the negative terminal plug or positive terminal plug, to be laid and fastened particularly conveniently and stably, as well as at a distance from the solar cells, on the outside of the solar module.In this way, damage to the photovoltaic system or noise caused by inadequate cabling can be avoided while the vehicle is in operation, and malfunctions of the solar cells caused by the connection and connecting cables can be eliminated during power generation. To provide sufficient space for laying and securing the connecting cables, the mounting edge area should preferably be at least 10 cm wide.

[0006] In a particularly advantageous embodiment, the mounting edge area extends across a full side length of the solar module, allowing the connecting cables to be secured along the entire length of the solar module. Furthermore, this provides sufficient space for laying and securing the connection and connecting cables, particularly in conjunction with the aforementioned minimum width of the mounting edge area. Particularly when several solar modules are mounted side by side, the mounting edge areas can also be arranged in a row, allowing the connecting cables to be secured along them, as far as possible, over their entire length and continuously in a line.

[0007] It is advantageous if the cable guide means have at least one cable duct held on the outside, which enables the respective connecting cable to be securely enclosed and thus ensures particularly good protection against mechanical stress, UV radiation and moisture.

[0008] Advantageously, the cable duct has a one-piece cross-section that can be moved from an open position to a closed position. This allows for particularly easy installation and fastening of a connecting or connecting cable to be accommodated in the cable duct.

[0009] In addition, it is advantageous if the cable guide means have at least one cable clamp held on the outside, which enables particularly quick laying of the connecting cables in question.

[0010] Advantageously, the cable routing means define two parallel, straight installation sections that have at least a minimum installation spacing. This ensures that a predetermined installation spacing is maintained in the installation edge area between two adjacently installed connecting cables, thus preventing disruptive mutual interference during power generation.

[0011] Furthermore, it is advantageous if the cable guide means define at least one curved installation section that has at least a minimum installation radius. This can prevent damage, such as a cable break, resulting from an excessively tight installation radius when installing a connecting cable with a change in direction.

[0012] In a further advantageous embodiment, the cable routing means define at least three parallel, straight installation sections. This allows, in addition to the negative and positive connection plugs of the electrical connection of the respective solar module, at least one section of another connecting cable, which is routed, for example, from a neighboring solar module, to be installed on the module.

[0013] Furthermore, the above-mentioned object is achieved by a photovoltaic system with at least two flexible solar modules in one of the above-described embodiments, wherein the at least two solar modules are connected in parallel. This makes it possible to provide a particularly mobile photovoltaic system that enables continuous operation even in the event of uneven shading or damage to a solar module.

[0014] It is pointed out that all features of the subject matter according to the invention described above are interchangeable or combinable with one another, unless an exchange or combination thereof is excluded for technical reasons.

[0015] The figures illustrate an exemplary embodiment of the invention. They show: Fig. 1 a plan view of a solar module according to the invention with loose connection cables, Fig. 2 a sectioned view in plane II-II from Fig. 1, Fig. 3 a plan view of a photovoltaic system with a solar module according to Fig. 1 and with connecting cables and connection cables laid on cable management devices and Fig. 4 a plan view of a photovoltaic system with parallel-connected solar modules and with an alternative embodiment of the cable routing means.

[0016] The Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 shows a flexible solar module 2 for a photovoltaic system (not shown in detail), particularly for use on a vehicle, such as a boat, a mobile home, or a caravan. The solar module 2 has a carrier layer 4 made of a flexible material, such as fiberglass and / or another fiber-reinforced plastic material. The carrier layer 4 forms a bottom side 6, which serves as a mounting surface for connection to a substrate or a storage area of ​​a vehicle.

[0017] On an upper side 8 of the carrier layer 4 facing away from the underside 6, several strings of solar cells 10 are held, which are, for example, accommodated in a common embedding material. The solar cells 10 can be exposed to light via an outer side 12 facing away from the carrier layer 4, wherein an outer protective layer 14 can be provided for further protection of the solar cell 10, as shown in Fig. 2 can be seen.

[0018] As from Fig. 1, an electrical connection, designated overall by 16, is provided on the outside, which comprises two junction boxes 18. As an alternative to the illustrated structure of the solar module, the electrical connection 16 can also have just one junction box or multiple junction boxes. In any case, the electrical connection 16 is connected via at least one negative connection cable 20 to at least one negative connection plug 22 and via at least one positive connection cable 24 to a positive connection plug 26. The connection plugs 22, 26 can be formed, for example, by MC3, MC4 and / or T4 plugs or any other known plug suitable for solar systems.

[0019] According to the Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, the flexible solar module 2 has a mounting edge region 32 on a side edge 28 of a first longitudinal side 30 of the carrier layer 4, into which no solar cells 10 extend. Attached to this edge region are several cable routing means 34, which, for example, have two or more cable ducts 36 and / or several cable clamps 38. In order to provide a sufficient area, the mounting edge region 32 has a width b of preferably at least 10 cm. Furthermore, the mounting edge region 32 extends over the entire length of the first longitudinal side 30.

[0020] The cable ducts 36 have, as can be seen Fig. 2, preferably have a one-piece cross-section Q with a cover D by means of which they can be adjusted between an open position for laying cables and a closed position for protecting the cables accommodated.

[0021] As from Fig. 3, the cable guide means 34 serve to accommodate and securely lay the connecting cables 20, 24 and to lay, at least in sections, connecting cables 40 that can be connected to the electrical connection 16 or to its connector plugs 22, 26. The cable guide means 34 define at least two parallel, straight laying sections 42 that are spaced apart by at least a minimum laying distance a, which corresponds to at least an electrically necessary minimum distance, by which mutual interference or disturbances can be substantially excluded. Furthermore, the cable guide means 34 can define at least one curved laying section 44 with at least a minimum laying radius r, which corresponds to at least a necessary minimum radius, by which damage to a accommodated cable can be avoided.

[0022] The connecting cables 40 can serve to connect the solar module 2 or its electrical connection 16 to a converter / control device 46, such as an inverter and / or a charging controller or to a hybrid inverter.

[0023] As can be seen from the Fig. As can also be seen from Figure 3, the cable routing means 34 can have additional cable ducts 36B and / or cable clamps 38B, which serve at least one additional parallel, straight routing section 42B for the secure routing of additional connecting cables 36B. The additional routing sections 42B can be routed over the entire length of the solar module 2 or the mounting edge area 32 past the electrical connection 16 of the respective solar module 2. The cable routing means 34 thus have at least three parallel, straight routing sections 42, 42B.

[0024] Fig.Figure 4 shows the photovoltaic system 50 with two solar modules 2, which are glued to the underside (6) of a vehicle F via their respective mounting surfaces in a storage area 48, such as on the roof of a mobile home or caravan, or on the deck of a boat. The photovoltaic system 50 has a parallel connection of the solar modules 2, which enables continuous power generation even in the event of uneven shading or a malfunction of one of the modules.

[0025] It is pointed out that all elements and features of the various embodiments of the subject matter according to the invention described above are interchangeable or combinable with one another, unless an exchange or combination thereof is excluded for technical reasons.

Claims

[1] Flexible solar module (2) for a photovoltaic system (50) with a flexible carrier layer (4) which forms a fastening surface on an underside (6) and on which a plurality of solar cells (10) are held on an upper side (8) facing away from the underside (6), which solar cells (10) can be exposed to light via an outer side (12) facing away from the carrier layer (4), and with an electrical connection (16) which is held on the outside (12) of the solar module (2) and has a negative connection and a positive connection, characterized by that on a side edge (28) of the flexible carrier layer (4) there is arranged a mounting edge region (32) without a solar cell (10), in which cable guide means (34) are arranged for the parallel laying of at least two connecting cables (40) which can be electrically connected to the electrical connection (16). [2] Flexible solar module according to claim 1, characterized bythat the mounting edge area (32) extends continuously over one side (30) of the solar module (2). [3] Flexible solar module according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by that the cable guide means (34) have at least one cable duct (36) held on the outer side (12). [4] Flexible solar module according to claim 3, characterized by that the cable duct (36) has a one-piece cross-section (Q) which can be moved from an open position to a closed position. [5] Flexible solar module according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized by that the cable guiding means (34) have at least one cable clamp (38) held on the outer side (12). [6] Flexible solar module according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized by that the cable guide means (34) define two parallel, straight laying sections (42) which have at least a minimum laying distance (a). [7] Flexible solar module according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized by that the cable guide means (34) define at least one arcuate laying section (44) which has at least one minimum laying radius (r). [8] Flexible solar module according to claim 7, characterized by that the cable guide means (34) define at least three parallel, straight laying sections (42). [9] Photovoltaic system with at least two flexible solar modules 82) according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized by that at least two solar modules (2) are connected in parallel.

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