Power generator

Abstract

To provide an apparatus for a window of a building or a structure.SOLUTION: An apparatus includes a panel having a region transparent to at least a portion of visible light, and having opposing first and second main surfaces. The first main surface is a light receiving surface of a panel. The apparatus further comprises at least one string of a solar battery cell. Each solar battery cell has the light receiving surface facing the second main surface of the panel and is directly or indirectly bonded to the panel at the second main surface in such a way that light can be received by the light receiving surface of the solar battery cell without propagating through the gap between the panel and the light receiving surface of the solar battery cell. The at least one string of the solar battery cell is arranged along an edge of the panel at the edge and between the edge and the region transparent to at least a portion of the visible light. The solar battery cell is only disposed along the one or more edges of the panel at the edge and not in a region transparent to at least the portion of the visible light.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE The present disclosure relates to power generation devices, and particularly, but not exclusively, to panels, such as window panels, that include solar cells. [Background technology]

[0002] Buildings such as office towers, residential high rises, and hotels use large amounts of exterior window panels and / or facades that incorporate glass panels.

[0003] These glass panels allow a lot of sunlight to penetrate the interior space, warming it and necessitating the use of air conditioning, which uses a lot of energy worldwide.

[0004] PCT International Application Nos. PCT / AU2012 / 000778, PCT / AU2012 / 000787 and PCT / AU2014 / 000814 (owned by the present applicant) disclose spectrally selective panels that can be used as window glass and are transparent to visible light but have solar cells that absorb light, such as infrared light, to generate electricity.

[0005] The present invention provides a further improvement. Summary of the Invention

[0006] In a first aspect, the present invention provides an apparatus for a window in a building or structure, the apparatus comprising: a panel having an area transparent to at least a portion of visible light and having opposing first and second main surfaces, the first main surface being a light-receiving surface of the panel; and at least one string of solar cells, each of a plurality of solar cells having a light-receiving surface facing the second main surface of the panel, the second main surface being bonded directly or indirectly to the panel such that light is received by the light-receiving surface of the solar cell without propagating through a gap between the panel and the light-receiving surface of the solar cell; At least one row of solar cells is positioned along the edge of the panel and between the edge and the area transparent to at least a portion of visible light, and the solar cells are only positioned along the edge of the panel and not in the area transparent to at least a portion of visible light.

[0007] Since gaps such as air gaps between the panel and the solar cell are avoided, the loss of intensity of light propagating from the panel into the solar cell is reduced.

[0008] The panel may be a window panel for a building or vehicle, and the apparatus may further include a frame structure for supporting the panel. In one embodiment, the apparatus is provided in the form of a window unit for a building, such as a monolithic glazing unit.

[0009] The solar cells of at least one solar cell string may be directly or indirectly bonded to the panel using an adhesive. In one embodiment, the adhesive may have a refractive index at least close to that of the panel material, which may be, for example, glass or a suitable polymer material. Alternatively, the solar cells may have an outer layer of a polymer material, such as polyvinyl butyral (PVB) or ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) or another suitable material. In this embodiment, the solar cells may be directly bonded to the second major surface of the panel. For example, if the solar cells include a layer of EVA or other suitable material, the PVB, EVA, or other suitable material may be slightly softened and then directly bonded to the second major surface of the panel (by using the PVB, EVA, or other material as an adhesive), typically without additional adhesive.

[0010] The solar cells of the at least one solar cell string may be arranged parallel to the panel. Adjacent solar cells may be at least generally adjacent to one another. Alternatively, each solar cell may have a pair of opposing major surfaces with opposite electrical polarities, and each solar cell may overlap one other solar cell to form a "shingled" solar cell string.

[0011] The device may include a plurality of strings of solar cells, which may be arranged around (and may completely surround) an area that is transparent to at least a portion of visible light, and which may be arranged at the edge of the panel such that the panel is largely transparent to at least a portion of visible light, and the area that is transparent to at least a portion of visible light is a central area that is 5, 10, 15, 20, 50, 100, or 500 times larger than the area of ​​the panel in which the strings of solar cells are arranged.

[0012] The panel may have four edges, and at least one string of solar cells may be disposed at each edge of the panel.

[0013] The region that is at least partially transparent to visible light may be transmissive to at least 60%, 70%, 80%, 90%, or at least 95% of visible light that strikes the light-receiving surface at normal incidence.

[0014] The panel may be a first panel, and the device may include a second panel. The second panel may be positioned substantially parallel to the first panel such that light received by the light-receiving surface of the first panel first propagates through the first panel before being received by the second panel. The second panel may also have an area transparent to at least a portion of visible light and have opposing first and second major surfaces, the first major surface being the light-receiving surface of the second panel.

[0015] In this embodiment, each solar cell may have a back surface that is bonded directly or indirectly to a second panel, such that each solar cell is bonded directly or indirectly to both the first panel and the second panel, such that each solar cell is sandwiched between the first and second panels. In this embodiment, both the front and back surfaces of the device are surfaces of the first or second panel (which may be glass panels), which has the advantage of protecting the solar cells and also providing a reliable (vacuum) sealing surface for window applications.

[0016] The at least one solar cell string may be a string of at least one first solar cell, and the device may further include at least one second solar cell string disposed on the second panel. Each solar cell in the second solar cell string has a light-receiving surface facing the second panel and may be directly or indirectly bonded to the second panel at its second main surface so that light can be received by the light-receiving surface of the solar cell without propagating through a gap between the second panel and the light-receiving surface of the solar cell. Here, the at least one solar cell string is disposed along an edge of the second panel and between the edge and the region transparent to at least a portion of visible light, and the solar cells are only disposed along and adjacent to one or more edges of the second panel, but are not disposed in the region transparent to at least a portion of visible light.

[0017] The second panel may have four edges and may include at least one string of second solar cells disposed at each edge of the second panel.

[0018] The area that is transparent to at least some visible light may be transmissive to at least 60%, 70%, 80%, 90%, or at least 95% of the visible light incident on the second panel.

[0019] The second panel may further comprise diffractive elements and / or luminescent materials to facilitate redirection of incident infrared light towards the edges of the second panel.

[0020] The device may further include at least one row of third solar cells disposed on at least one end surface of the second panel and oriented substantially perpendicular to a major surface of the second panel, whereby the at least one row of third solar cells is oriented substantially perpendicular to the row of first solar cells in the first panel. The row of third solar cells is positioned to receive at least a portion of the light redirected by the diffractive element and / or luminescent material. Deflection of infrared radiation by the diffractive element can reduce transmission of infrared radiation into a building (if the panel is used as window glass), which has the further advantage of reducing overheating of spaces within the building and reducing air conditioning costs.

[0021] The solar cell may be a silicon-based solar cell, but may alternatively be based on any other suitable material, such as CIGS or CIS, GaAs, CdS or CdTe.

[0022] In one specific embodiment, the plurality of solar cells in the cell string of the first solar cell and the plurality of solar cells in the cell string of the second solar cell are silicon-based, and the cell string of the third solar cell is CIS-based or CIGS-based.

[0023] The present invention will be more fully understood from the following description of specific embodiments thereof, the following of which is made with reference to the drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0024] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic top view of a power generating device according to one embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a portion of an apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 3]1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a portion of an apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0025] Referring initially to Figure 1, a schematic top view of a power generation system 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention is shown. The power generation system 100 includes a panel 102, and in this embodiment, four solar cell strings 104, 106, 108, 110 are disposed at each end of the panel 102. The four solar cell strings 104, 106, 108, 110 face the light-receiving surface of the panel and together enclose an area of ​​the panel that is at least mostly light-transmitting. The panel 102 may, for example, form a window panel for a building or other structure, and the four solar cell strings 104, 106, 108, 110 may be disposed in a frame structure that supports the panel 102 and one or more other panels for the window unit.

[0026] The panel 102 is transparent to at least 70% of incident visible light (limited by the transmittance of the panel material, such as glass). The solar cells are located only at the edges of the panel 102 so that the transmission of incident light is blocked by the solar cells only at the edges of the panel 102.

[0027] Each solar cell in solar cell string 104 106, 108, 110 has its light-receiving surface facing panel 100 and is bonded to panel 102 so that there is no air gap between the solar cell and panel 102. In this example, solar cell 112 includes an outer ETA layer. Before bonding solar cell 112 to panel 102, the ETA is softened slightly (by careful heating), and then solar cell 112 is pressed against panel 102. Once the softened ETA has hardened again, the solar cell is bonded to panel 102 without the need for additional adhesive.

[0028] The panel 102 can have any shape, but in one particular embodiment is rectangular, and may be square. The panel 102 may be formed from a suitable glass or polymer material.

[0029] In this embodiment, the solar cell strings 104, 106, 108, 110 are arranged in an overlapping relationship and electrically connected using a conductive adhesive. The solar cells 112 have a pair of opposing major surfaces, each with a different polarity, and are oriented so that only the major surface of the same polarity faces the panel 102. The conductive adhesive bonds the back surface of one solar cell 112 to the front surface of an adjacent solar cell 112. As a result, the solar cells in the solar cell string are electrically connected in series.

[0030] Alternatively, the solar cells may be arranged in an abutting relationship.

[0031] Referring now to Figure 2, there is shown a cross-sectional view of a portion of a window unit according to one embodiment of the present invention. The window unit 200 comprises a panel 102 having first solar cell (shingle) cell strings 104, 106, 108, and 110, which are encapsulated by an ETA layer 109. The panel 102 has a light-receiving surface 103. In this embodiment, the panel 102 is the first panel, and the window unit 200 also comprises a second panel 202 positioned parallel to and spaced apart from the first panel 102. The second panel 202 has solar cell strings 204 that are bonded to the second panel 202 in a manner similar to that described above with reference to Figure 1 for the first panel 102. In this embodiment, the panels 102 and 202 are rectangular and each comprise four solar cell strings. Four solar cell strings are glued to the edges of the panels 102, 202 and arranged as shown in FIG.

[0032] 1, the second panel 202 is transparent to at least 70% of incident visible light (limited by the transparency of the panel material, such as glass). The solar cells are located only at the edges of the panel 202 such that the transmission of incident light is blocked by the solar cells only at the edges of the panel 202.

[0033] The window unit 200 also includes a frame structure 205 that is configured to hold the panels 102 and 202 and the solar cell strings in place.

[0034] In this embodiment, panels 102 and 204 comprise respective panes of glass that are each highly transparent to visible light. In one embodiment, the glass panes forming panels 102 and 204 are formed from low-iron, ultra-clear glass panes, and panel 204 further has a low-emissivity (low-E) coating.

[0035] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, panel 204 is a laminated structure having three sub-panes 204a, 204b, and 204c. Sub-pane 204a is formed of 4 mm thick low-iron, extra-clear glass, and second and third panes 204b and 204c are each formed of extra-clear glass having a thickness of 4 mm. Sub-panes 204a, 204b, and 204c are mated to form a stack of substantially parallel sub-panes. A polyvinyl butyral (PVB) interlayer 210 is distributed between glass panes 204a and 204b. PVB interlayer 212 is also disposed between sub-panels 204b and 204c, and PVB interlayer 212 also includes light-scattering elements. In this embodiment, the light-scattering elements include luminescent scattering powder embedded in the PVB, which is an epoxy that also provides adhesion. The panel 204 also includes a diffraction grating that is configured to facilitate redirection of light toward the edge regions of the panel 204 (i.e., toward the frame 205) and to facilitate light extraction by total internal reflection.

[0036] It should be understood that the panel 204 may have any number of panes with any number of interlayers. In some embodiments, the panel 204 may comprise a single piece of optically transmissive material, such as glass.

[0037] The panel 204 has an edge 211 with a plane that intersects with the light receiving surface 103. In the embodiment of Figure 2, the angle between the edge 211 and the light receiving surface 103 is 90°.

[0038] The window unit 200 also includes a third solar cell row 114. The third solar cell row 114 faces the edge 211 and the cavity between the first panel 102 and the second panel 204. The third solar cell row 114 substantially surrounds the second panel 204 and is positioned to receive light that is redirected by a scattering material and / or a diffractive element (not shown) toward the edge (such as edge 211) of the second panel 204. The third solar cell row 214 also receives light in an area facing the cavity between the first panel 102 and the second panel 204.

[0039] In this embodiment, the first solar cell string and the second solar cell string 104, 106, 108, 110, 208 may be silicon-based solar cells, but may alternatively be based on any other suitable material, such as CdS, CdTe, GaAs, CIS, or CIGS. The third solar cell string 214 may be CIS-based or CIGS-based, but may alternatively be based on any other suitable material, such as SI, CdS, CdTe, or GaAs.

[0040] Figure 3 shows a power generating device according to a further embodiment of the present invention. Figure 3 shows a device 300 having a first panel 302 and a second panel 304. The first panel 302 and the second panel 304 are transparent to at least 70% of incident visible light (limited by the transmittance of the panel material, such as glass).

[0041] The device 300 includes a plurality of solar cells 306. Each of the solar cells 306 has a light-receiving surface facing the panel 302 and is bonded to the panel 302 so that there is no gap between the solar cell 306 and the first panel 302. Furthermore, each of the solar cells 306 has a back surface facing the panel 304 and is bonded to the panel 304. In this example, the solar cells 306 include an outer polyvinyl butyral (PVB) layer or an ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) layer on the front surface. A sheet of excluded-volume-branched polymer (EVB) or ethylene tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE) is disposed between the panels 302 and 304 such that the sheet is also disposed between the solar cell 306 and the back surface of the panel 304. Before bonding the solar cells 306 to the panels 302, 304 (and to each other), the PVB, ETA, EVB, or ETFE is softened slightly (by careful heating), and then the panels 302, 304 are pressed together so that the solar cells 306 are positioned between the panels 302, 304. Once the softened PVB, ETA, EVB, or ETFE has hardened again, the string of solar cells is sandwiched and bonded between the panels 302, 304 without the need for additional adhesives, thereby forming a laminated structure. The panels 302, 304 protect the solar cells 306 and also provide a reliable sealing surface on both the front and back of the device, which is advantageous for window applications.

[0042] While several specific embodiments have been described, it should be understood that the disclosed unit 200 may be embodied in many other forms. For example, the unit 200 need not necessarily be rectangular, but may instead have any other suitable shape (e.g., circular or rounded, etc.). Furthermore, the panel 204 may include any suitable number of sub-panels. Furthermore, the window unit may include a third panel such that a triple-glazed unit is formed.

[0043] Any discussion of background art throughout this specification should in no way be taken as an admission that such background art is prior art or that such background art is widely known or forms part of the common general knowledge in the art in Australia or throughout the world.

Claims

1. 1. An apparatus for a window of a building or structure, comprising: a panel having an area transparent to at least a portion of visible light and having opposing first and second major surfaces, the first major surface being a light-receiving surface of the panel; at least one solar cell row, wherein each of a plurality of solar cells has a light-receiving surface facing the second main surface of the panel, and is directly or indirectly bonded to the panel at the second main surface such that light is received by the light-receiving surface of the solar cell without propagating through a gap between the panel and the light-receiving surface of the solar cell; Equipped with the at least one string of solar cells is disposed along an edge of the panel and between the edge and the region transparent to at least a portion of visible light; a plurality of solar cells are disposed only at and along the edges of the panel and not in the area transparent to at least a portion of visible light; Device.

2. 10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the panel is a window panel for a building or vehicle, the apparatus further comprising a frame structure for supporting the panel.

3. 3. The device of claim 2, wherein the device is provided in the form of a window unit for a building including an integrated glass unit.

4. 4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a plurality of solar cells of the at least one solar cell string are directly or indirectly bonded to the panel using an adhesive.

5. 5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the adhesive has a refractive index at least close to that of the panel material.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of solar cells have an outer layer of a polymeric material.

7. 7. The device of claim 6, wherein the polymeric material is ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) or polyvinyl butyral (PVB).

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of solar cells are directly bonded to the second major surface of the panel.

9. 9. An apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 7 or 8 dependent on claim 6, wherein EVA or other suitable material is softened slightly and then bonded directly to the second major surface of the panel without any additional adhesive.

10. The device includes a plurality of solar cell strings; the plurality of solar cell rows are arranged around (and may entirely surround) the area that is transparent to at least a portion of visible light; 10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of strings of solar cells are arranged at the edges of the panel such that the panel is largely transparent to at least a portion of visible light, the area transparent to at least a portion of visible light being a central area that is 5, 10, 15, 20, 50, 100, or 500 times larger than the area of ​​the panel on which the strings of solar cells are arranged.

11. 11. The device of claim 1, wherein the region that is transparent to at least a portion of visible light is transmissive to at least 60%, 70%, 80%, 90%, or at least 95% of visible light incident on the light-receiving surface at normal incidence.

12. the panel is a first panel and the device comprises a second panel; the second panel is positioned substantially parallel to the first panel in such a way that light received by the light receiving surface of the first panel first propagates through the first panel before being received by the second panel; the second panel has a region transparent to at least a portion of visible light and has a first main surface and a second main surface facing each other, the first main surface being a light-receiving surface of the second panel; 12. Apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 11.

13. 13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein each solar cell has a backside that is directly or indirectly bonded to the second panel such that each solar cell is sandwiched between the first panel and the second panel, and each solar cell is directly or indirectly bonded to both the first panel and the second panel.

14. the at least one string of solar cells is a string of at least one first solar cell, and the apparatus further includes a string of at least one second solar cell disposed on the second panel; each solar cell in the cell row of the second solar cell has a light-receiving surface facing the second panel, and is directly or indirectly joined to the second panel at the second main surface so that light can be received by the light-receiving surface of the solar cell without propagating through a gap between the second panel and the light-receiving surface of the solar cell; the at least one string of solar cells is disposed along an edge of the second panel and between the edge and the region transparent to at least a portion of visible light; a plurality of solar cells are disposed only along and adjacent to one or more edges of the second panel, and not in the area transparent to at least a portion of visible light; 14. Apparatus according to claim 12 or claim 13.

15. 14. The device of claim 12 or claim 13, wherein the region that is transparent to at least some visible light may be transmissive to at least 60%, 70%, 80%, 90%, or at least 95% of visible light incident on the second panel.

16. 16. The device of claim 13, wherein the second panel further comprises diffractive elements and / or luminescent material to facilitate redirection of incident infrared light towards the edges of the second panel.

17. the device further includes at least one cell row of third solar cells disposed on at least one end surface of the second panel and oriented substantially perpendicular to a major surface of the second panel, whereby the at least one cell row of the third solar cells is oriented substantially perpendicular to the cell row of the first solar cells in the first panel; the third solar cell row is positioned to receive at least a portion of the light redirected by the diffractive element and / or the luminescent material.

16. Apparatus according to any one of claims 13 to 15.

18. 18. The device according to claim 12, wherein the plurality of solar cells in the cell string of the first solar cell and the plurality of solar cells in the cell string of the second solar cell are silicon-based, and the cell string of the third solar cell is CIS-based or CIGS-based.

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