Horizontal Solar Cell Substrings for Snow-Tolerant Panels
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Solar panels face reduced productivity due to snow coverage and partial shading, which can impede the functioning of lower substrings, leading to overall efficiency losses.
Innovation Solution
The substrings of solar cells are oriented horizontally within the solar panel layout, allowing higher substrings to operate even when lower substrings are shaded, and the use of bypass diodes and optimizers to manage power distribution and prevent hot-spots, ensuring maximum energy harvesting.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If substrings are arranged in conventional vertical orientation, then manufacturing and installation are simplified, but productivity is reduced due to snow coverage and partial shading blocking lower substrings
Solution Approach 1:
The solar panel is divided into multiple independently connected substrings arranged in parallel, where each substring can operate independently. This segmentation allows higher substrings to continue producing energy even when lower substrings are blocked by snow or shading, thereby maintaining overall productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The substrings are arranged in a horizontal fashion across the panel surface rather than vertically stacked, creating a dimensional layout where higher substrings are positioned above lower ones. This spatial arrangement ensures that when lower substrings are blocked, higher substrings remain exposed to sunlight and can continue generating energy.
2Power
If substrings are connected in series to form strings, then voltage output is increased, but reliability is reduced when partial shading occurs on any substring
Solution Approach 1:
The electrical connection structure is segmented into multiple parallel substrate paths, where each substrate contains series-connected solar cells. This allows the system to maintain voltage output while providing redundant pathways, so if one substrate is shaded, current can still flow through other substrates.
Solution Approach 2:
Each substrate is designed with localized series connections of solar cells, creating independent current paths with different shading characteristics. This local quality variation ensures that shading affecting one area does not propagate to the entire panel, maintaining reliability while preserving power output capability.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This configuration enhances the overall productivity of the solar panel by allowing shaded substrings to bypass blocked areas, maintaining energy production even under partial shading conditions and ensuring reliable operation.
Implementation Method 1
Due to the photovoltaic effect, solar panels are able to use light energy from the sun to generate electricity
Data Source
AI summary
Apparatus, systems, and methods for designing photovoltaic panels are described herein. The photovoltaic panels are composed substrings of photovoltaic cells. The substrings of photovoltaic cells may be oriented in a horizontal fashion with respect to a layout of the photovoltaic panels. In the event of snow coverage, partial shading, mutual shading, and so forth, orienting the substrings of the photovoltaic cells in this manner enables those substrings which are disposed higher up in the photovoltaic panel to resume operation even while those substrings which are disposed lower down in the photovoltaic panel remain covered, shaded or otherwise blocked or impeded from functioning. Accordingly, the overall productivity of a photovoltaic panel designed as described herein is increased. Related apparatus, systems, and methods are also described.