Pre-mounted Photovoltaic Electrode with Stabilizing Structure

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional photovoltaic cell contact structures cause efficiency losses due to shadowing and increased line resistance, and existing methods for electrically connecting photovoltaic cells are costly and inefficient, particularly in terms of long-term stability and mechanical tension management.

Innovation Solution

A pre-mounted electrode with a plurality of thin electrically conductive wires and a stabilizing structure is used to connect photovoltaic cells, where the wires are fixed to lamellar conductive surface regions with a sheet structure that can be partially removed after soldering, reducing shadowing and mechanical tension while optimizing the contact area.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of energy

If the width of the contact structure is increased, then the line resistance is reduced, but the shadowing effect increases and efficiency decreases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveline resistanceVSAvoidshadowing
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of energyVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The contact structure is divided into multiple thin individual contact structures (fingers) instead of a single wide contact structure. This segmentation allows the current to be distributed across multiple parallel paths, reducing line resistance while maintaining a small total cross-sectional area to minimize shadowing on the active cell area.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Object-affected harmful factors

If the width of the contact structure is reduced, then the shadowing effect is reduced, but the line resistance increases

Engineering Contradiction:
ImproveshadowingVSAvoidline resistance
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-affected harmful factorsVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The contact structure is divided into multiple thin individual contact structures (fingers) instead of a single wide contact structure. This segmentation allows the current to be distributed across multiple parallel paths, reducing line resistance while maintaining a small total cross-sectional area to minimize shadowing on the active cell area.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

3Object-affected harmful factors

If a high number of thin wires are used, then the shadowing is reduced and mechanical tension is minimized, but the handling and positioning becomes difficult

Engineering Contradiction:
ImproveshadowingVSAvoidhandling and positioning
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-affected harmful factorsVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

Multiple thin individual contact structures are merged into a single pre-mounted electrode assembly that integrates all the thin wires and their supporting structure into one unit. This allows the entire assembly to be handled and positioned as a single component, eliminating the difficulty of handling multiple separate thin wires while maintaining the benefits of using many thin contact structures.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

A supporting structure acts as an intermediary carrier that holds and positions the multiple thin contact structures during assembly. This intermediary structure facilitates easy handling and positioning of the thin wires, and can be selectively removed after the contact structures are fixed to the photovoltaic cell, leaving only the functional contact structures in place.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

4Loss of energy

If contact bands with large cross section are used, then resistance losses are reduced, but shadowing of the front side surface increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveresistance lossesVSAvoidshadowing
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of energyVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The contact structure is divided into multiple thin individual contact structures (fingers) instead of a single wide contact structure. This segmentation allows the current to be distributed across multiple parallel paths, reducing line resistance while maintaining a small total cross-sectional area to minimize shadowing on the active cell area.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

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 solution reduces ohmic losses, minimizes shadowing on the active cell area, and enhances the mechanical stability of the connection, leading to improved efficiency and cost-effectiveness in photovoltaic cell modules.

Implementation Method 1

The electrically conductive wires may be soldered, welded, or mechanically fixed to the lamellar electrically conductive surface regions

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectSoldering: Soldering

Implementation Method 2

A photovoltaic cell (e.g. a solar cell) usually includes a substrate having a front side and a rear side

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectPhotovoltaic effect: Photovoltaic Effect

Data Source

PatentEP2348539B1Photovoltaic cell electrode and method for electrically connecting a photovoltaic cell
Publication Date: 2019.05.29 SOLARWORLD IND GMBH
  • EP2348539B1 patent drawingFigure 1A~1B
  • EP2348539B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2348539B1 patent drawingFigure 3A~3B

AI summary

An electrode (200, 600) for electrically connecting two photovoltaic cells is provided. Each photovoltaic cell may include a plurality of lamellar electrically conductive surface regions. The electrode (200, 600) may include a plurality of electrically conductive wires (202, 602) extending adjacent to one other; and a stabilizing structure (204, 208, 604) coupled to the plurality of electrically conductive wires (202, 602) such that the space between the electrically conductive wires (202, 602) to one another is defined until the plurality of electrically conductive wires (202, 602) has been at least partly fixed on the plurality of lamellar electrically conductive surface regions of a photovoltaic cell (100).