Unitarily Formed PV Busbars with Nonlinear Curvature
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional busbars in photovoltaic modules suffer from increased voltage drop due to long electrical paths, high manufacturing costs, and potential physical failure from multiple solder or welding joints, which can cause stress on PV cells and reduce efficiency.
Innovation Solution
Unitarily formed busbar components with nonlinear configurations and reduced coupling joints, utilizing a single sheet of conductive material to create interconnect buses and bus tabs without separate solder joints, and incorporating expansion joints for thermal accommodation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If conventional busbars use linear components and multiple solder or welding joints, then the busbar can be easily manufactured and assembled, but the electrical path length increases resulting in increased voltage drop
Solution Approach 1:
The busbar is formed with a nonlinear configuration that curves along the electrical path from the PV cell to the junction box, rather than using linear segments. This curved design shortens the electrical path length while maintaining ease of manufacture through forming processes, thereby reducing voltage drop without sacrificing manufacturability
2Ease of manufacture
If conventional busbars use multiple solder or welding joints, then the busbar can be assembled with standard components, but the number of joints increases leading to potential physical failure and stress on PV cells
Solution Approach 1:
The busbar is formed as a unitary structure where the interconnect bus and bus tabs are integrated into a single piece of conductive material. This merging eliminates the need for multiple solder or welding joints between components, reducing potential failure points and stress on PV cells while maintaining ease of manufacture through forming processes
3Adaptability or versatility
If conventional busbars use multiple ribbon sizes, then the design flexibility increases, but the inventory costs of purchasing, storing, and handling various ribbon sizes increase
Solution Approach 1:
The busbar is formed from a single ribbon size with varying local thicknesses and widths created through forming processes. Different sections of the busbar have different cross-sectional dimensions optimized for their specific functions (interconnect bus vs. bus tabs), achieving design flexibility equivalent to using multiple ribbon sizes while maintaining the cost benefits of a single ribbon specification
4Device complexity
If conventional busbars use linear configuration, then the busbar structure is simple, but the busbar extends beyond the edge of PV cells creating stress and potential breakage
Solution Approach 1:
The busbar is formed with a nonlinear configuration that curves to follow the contour of the PV cell edges, preventing the busbar from extending beyond the cropped corners of PV cells. This curved design maintains structural simplicity while eliminating the stress and breakage issues associated with linear configurations that protrude beyond cell boundaries
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~5
Figure 6
AI summary
A method and apparatus directed to busbar components for photovoltaic modules.