586 results about "Photovoltaic solar cell" patented technology

An improved laminated photovoltaic solar cell module and method of manufacture are provided which are characterized by use of a zinc-based ionomer encapsulant to avoid chemical reaction degradation by residues of acidic solder flux at soldered solar cell connections.

Solar panels and assembled arrays thereof include a collection of relatively compact, high-capacity power units. Optical components of each power unit include a front window or surface glazing, a primary mirror, secondary mirror and receiver assembly. Primary and secondary mirrors are defined by respective perimeters, at least a portion of which may be substantially coplanar and in contact with the front window. Some primary mirrors are configured with a perimeter of alternating full and truncated sections, and are curved to a base portion forming a pilot hole therein. Receiver assembly mechanical components include an alignment tube for mating with the primary mirror's pilot hole and for housing a photovoltaic solar cell. A base plate provided adjacent to the alignment tube serves to radiate heat emitted by the solar cell, and in some embodiments an additional heat sink provides further passive cooling. A tapered optical rod also provided within the receiver assembly directs received sunlight to the solar cell where electrical current is generated.

A method and system for manufacturing solar panels using an integrated solar cell using a plurality of photovoltaic regions. The method includes purchasing a first photovoltaic solar cell from a first entity for a first value. The method includes dicing the photovoltaic solar cell into a plurality of photovoltaic regions that may be characterized as a photodiodes. The method includes assembling a second photovoltaic solar cell. The second photovoltaic solar cell includes a first substrate member including a first substrate surface, one or more photovoltaic regions spatially disposed overlying the first substrate surface. One or more concentrator elements are respectively coupled to the one or more photovoltaic regions. An encapsulating material is provided between each of the photovoltaic regions and each of the concentrator elements. The method includes transferring the second photovoltaic solar cell to a second entity for a second value that is less than 79% of the first value.

A system and method to optimize the overall power output of a photovoltaic solar array. The solar panels are connected to software adjustable power optimizing devices, which in turn are connected to a mesh network with individual router devices. The individual router devices will send and receive data packets by creating or detecting vibrations in a solid vibration conducting media (such as the solar power wiring) that connects the individual photovoltaic solar panels. Often at least one centralized control device is used to periodically request sensor data packets from the individual router devices and solar panels. The centralized control device will typically compute the proper adjustments for the individual adjustable power optimizing devices that will optimize the overall power output from the photovoltaic solar array. The control device will then send adjustment data packets back to the individual router devices through the mesh network, thus optimizing overall power output.

A Group II-VI photovoltaic solar cell comprising at least two and as many as five subcells stacked upon one another. Each subcell has an emitter layer and a base layer, with the base of the first subcell being made of silicon, germanium, or silicon-germanium. The remaining subcells are stacked on top of the first subcell and are ordered such that the band gap gets progressively smaller with each successive subcell. Moreover, the thicknesses of each subcell are optimized so that the current from each subcell is substantially equal to the other subcells in the stack. Examples of suitable Group II-VI semiconductors include CdTe, CdSe, CdSeTe, CdZnTe, CdMgTe, and CdHgTe.

An apparatus and method for attaching photovoltaic solar panels to a roof system surface. Thin film flexible panels are attached using a hook and loop system in which either the hook or loop material is attached to the underside of panel, and the other of the hook and loop material is attached the roof. Solar panels that are encased in a frame are attached using the hook and loop material directly to the roof system structure, or to an intermediate structure, which is in turn attached to the roof system surface. The method also determines the amount of mated hook and loop material that must be attached to each installed panel to ensure that the installed panels will be able to withstand the wind pressure uplift force required, and to ensure that in the event unexpected and exceessive uplift force is ever encountered, the panels separate at the hook and loop interface

A solar cell includes a substrate having a horizontal surface, and an electrode layer on the substrate. The electrode has a plurality of vertical surfaces substantially perpendicular to the horizontal surface, and light-harvesting rods are coupled to the vertical surface of the electrode.

A mounting system for photovoltaic solar panels providing support for different sized panels, and/or panels having mounting holes located in different locations. A universal panel clamp includes at least one elongated hole or slot to attach to a mounting hole on a solar panel frame. A clamp is attached to an upper hole, and a second clamp is attached to a lower mounting hole. The upper clamps are attached to an upper lateral support member, and the lower clamps are attached to a lower lateral support member. This assembly may be supported by A-shaped support members having adjustable tilt arms, or posts with specially configured brackets.

A racking system for photovoltaic solar panels greatly reduces material, weight, labor and system profile as compared to previous mounting systems. Special pedestals are secured to a roof at far larger spacings and fewer number than required in previous systems. The pedestals are configured for efficient and dependable flashing for waterproofing the roof. In assembly the extruded aluminum components are fitted together quickly with efficient and strong connections, with the photovoltaic panels retained in a compact array and fully supported along the length of each panel. The fittings provide for field adjustment of the height of the uprights, helping accommodate uneven roof surfaces, such as flat roofs.

The invention relates to a solar cell containing a semiconductor (1) with an intermediate band (2) that is half filled with electrons, located between two layers of ordinary n type (3) and p type (4) semiconductors. When lighted, electron-hole pairs are formed either by a photon that absorbs the necessary energy (5) or by two photons (6,7) that absorb less energy which pump an electron from the valence band to the intermediate band (8) and from the latter to the conductance band (9). An electrical current is generated that exits on the p side and returns via the n side. The n and p layers also prevent the intermediate band from contacting the outer metal connections, which would have resulted in a short-circuit. Said cell converts solar energy into electricity in a more efficient manner than conventional cells and contributes to improvement of the photovoltaic devices.

A system of method for automated deployment of a plurality photovoltaic solar panels carried as a unit by a carrier. The system includes an installation trailer, a robot having a mechanism for picking up a carrier and a push actuator. Carriers carrying a plurality of solar panels as a unit may be installed using the system by carrying a plurality of carriers on an installation trailer to a row of rails onto which the carriers are to be installed. The robot picks up each carrier and aligns and places the carrier on the rail system. The push actuator pushes the carrier down the rail system, making space for the next carrier to be installed.

An improved micro-inverter apparatus is disclosed for intelligently controlling energy harvest from photovoltaic solar panels based on one or more adjustable, user-defined variables. The improved micro-inverter apparatus may include a microcontroller configured to monitor the operating temperature of its micro-inverter and control the power harvested from associated solar panels in order to ensure the operating temperature of the micro-inverter does not approach a level that would damage the micro-inverter's circuitry or other components. Similarly, the micro-inverter apparatuses' microcontroller may be configured to monitor the total harmonic distortion of the micro-inverter's AC power output and control the power harvested from associated solar panels in order to ensure the total harmonic distortion of the AC power output does not exceed a threshold level.

A hybrid optical component that collects and concentrates incident light. The hybrid component includes both refractive and reflective elements. In preferred embodiments, refractive and reflective components focus rays on a common focal plane generally located at the bottom of the reflector where they are absorbed by a device such as a photovoltaic (solar) cell. Additionally, the optical component combines both imaging and non-imaging optical elements into a single device, for improved overall performance.

In a photovoltaic solar cell module assembly of the present invention, a plurality of photovoltaic solar cell modules that receive light irradiation and generate a predetermined power output are connected in series, and each of positive and negative electrodes located on both ends of a row of the series-connected photovoltaic solar cell modules is bifurcated.

A photovoltaic (PV) cell device comprises a first semiconductor substrate; a second semiconductor substrate bonded to the first semiconductor substrate; an insulating layer provided between the first and second substrates to electrically isolate the first substrate from the second substrate; a plurality of PV cells defined on the first substrate, each PV cell including a n-type region and a p-type region; a plurality of vertical trenches provided in the first substrate to separated the PV cells, the vertical trenches terminating at the insulating layer; a plurality of isolation structures provided within the vertical trenches, each isolation structure including a first isolation layer including oxide and a second isolation layer including polysilicon; and an interconnect layer patterned to connect the PV cells to provide X number of PV cells in series and Y number of PV cells in parallel. The n-type regions are formed by performing ion implantation of arsenic to provide shallow junction depths for the n-type regions, so that PV cell device is optimized for sunlight.

A solar concentrator receives sunlight for generating solar power with the concentrator including holographic optical element (HOE) separators for separating sunlight into separated bands, including HOE concentrators for concentrating the separated bands into concentrated bands, including HOE reflectors for reflecting the concentrated bands as reflected bands onto a multiple junction photovoltaic solar cell for generating the solar power with reduced aberrations of the bands for improved conversion of the solar light into the generator solar power, all of which can be constructed in an integrated structure using spacers, waveguides, and a substrate, where the HOEs use chirp Bragg gratings for reducing optical aberrations of the separated, concentrated, and reflected optical bands, with the option of multiple HOE separators for receiving sunlight from various angles of incidence.

A method for producing a backside contact of a single p-n junction photovoltaic solar cell is provided. The method includes the steps of: providing a p-type substrate having a back surface; providing a plurality of p+ diffusion regions at the back surface of the substrate; providing a plurality of n+ diffusion regions at the back surface of the substrate in an alternate pattern with the p+ diffusion regions; providing an oxide layer over the p+ and n+ regions; providing an insulating layer over the back surface of the substrate; providing at least one first metal contact at the back surface for the p+ diffusion regions; and providing at least one second metal contact at the back surface for the n+ diffusion regions.

Solar electricity generation methods and apparatus are disclosed. In one general aspect, a solar cell is positioned to receive concentrated solar radiation and convert part of it into electricity and part of it into heat. A first heat exchanger is thermally coupled to the solar cell and includes microchannels that have a cross-sectional dimension to the center of the channel that is about equal to or less than the thermal boundary layer thickness for a working fluid. The heat exchanger transfers heat from the photovoltaic solar cell to the working fluid in the microchannels, and a second heat exchanger can then receive the transferred heat via a conduit. This heat can be used to generate additional electricity.

An apparatus and method for attaching photovoltaic solar panels to a roof system surface. Thin film flexible panels are attached using a hook and loop system in which either the hook or loop material is attached to the underside of panel, and the other of the hook and loop material is attached the roof. Solar panels that are encased in a frame are attached using the hook and loop material directly to the roof system structure, or to an intermediate structure, which is in turn attached to the roof system surface. The method also determines the amount of mated hook and loop material that must be attached to each installed panel to ensure that the installed panels will be able to withstand the wind pressure uplift force required, and to ensure that in the event unexpected and excessive uplift force is ever encountered, the panels separate at the hook and loop interface. For roof system surfaces using a multiply layer membrane material, the hook or loop material can be directly attached to the membrane during its manufacturing process to eliminate the need of doing so at the job site.

A portable solar power system, comprises a plurality of photovoltaic solar panels; storage batteries for storing energy generated by the photovoltaic solar panels; a charger operably connected to the photovoltaic solar panels for charging the storage batteries; a plurality of inverters operably connected to the respective photovoltaic solar panels for generating an AC output for connection to an outlet for feeding into an electric grid; and a switching circuit for automatically disconnecting the photovoltaic solar panels from the inverters and connecting the photovoltaic solar panels to the charger when power in the electric grid is down.

An improved interface for renewable energy systems is disclosed for interconnecting a plurality of power sources such as photovoltaic solar panels, windmills, standby generators and the like. The improved interface for renewable energy systems includes a multi-channel micro-inverter having novel heat dissipation, novel mountings, electronic redundancy and remote communication systems. The improved interface for renewable energy systems is capable of automatic switching between a grid-tied operation, an off grid operation or an emergency power operation. The interface provides for monitoring and for detecting performance and/or faults in power sources such as photovoltaic solar panels.