Variable-Thickness Encapsulant Film for Solar Module Welding Strips
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing solar cell modules face challenges in reducing the amount of encapsulant film used while maintaining efficiency and reliability, particularly in preventing Potential Induced Degradation (PID) and water vapor infiltration, which affects the back surface of P-type crystalline silicon solar cells.
Innovation Solution
An encapsulant film with varying thickness regions is used, where the thicker region aligns with welding strips to prevent encapsulant flow and ensures complete coverage between the back plate and solar cells, reducing the overall encapsulant amount and enhancing bonding strength.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If a double-glass module structure is used to improve power generation efficiency, then light utilization from front and back surfaces is improved, but the amount of encapsulant film used increases and the structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The encapsulant film is designed with different thicknesses in different regions: a first thickness in the first region (corresponding to welding strip positions) and a second thickness in the second region (corresponding to solar cell positions). This local differentiation allows the film to provide enhanced protection where needed while reducing material usage in other areas, thereby resolving the contradiction between maintaining protective function and reducing encapsulant quantity.
2Quantity of substance
If the amount of encapsulant film is reduced to lower cost and improve efficiency, then material usage and module thickness are reduced, but the reliability and anti-PID performance may deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The encapsulant film implements local quality differentiation with a first thickness region positioned to cover welding strips and a second thickness region covering solar cells. The welding strip region maintains sufficient thickness to ensure reliable encapsulation and anti-PID performance, while the solar cell region can be optimized for reduced thickness. This localized approach allows reduction of overall encapsulant quantity while preserving reliability where it is most critical.
3Length of stationary object
If the encapsulant film thickness is uniformly reduced to decrease module thickness, then the distance between back plate and solar cells is reduced, but the protective coverage and bonding strength may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The encapsulant film is designed with a first thickness in the first region (welding strip area) and a second thickness in the second region (solar cell area), where the first thickness is greater than the second thickness. This local differentiation ensures that the welding strips, which require strong bonding and protection, are covered by a thicker encapsulant layer, while the overall module thickness is reduced by thinning the film in the solar cell region. Thus, the contradiction between reducing module thickness and maintaining bonding strength is resolved.
Data Source
AI summary
An embodiment of the present disclosure provides an encapsulant film and a manufacturing method thereof, and a solar cell module and a manufacturing method thereof. the encapsulant film is configured for a solar cell module, the solar cell module includes a plurality of welding strips, the encapsulant film includes a first region, an orthogonal projection of the first region on a surface where the solar cell module is located overlaps at least partially an orthogonal projection of at least one of the plurality of welding strips, and a film thickness of the first region is different from a film thickness of an other region of the encapsulant film. The solar cell module using the encapsulant film can reduce the amount of encapsulant used and fully protect the welding strip.