Batteries: thermoelectric and photoelectric – Photoelectric – Panel or array
Reexamination Certificate
2000-03-24
2002-08-20
Diamond, Alan (Department: 1753)
Batteries: thermoelectric and photoelectric
Photoelectric
Panel or array
C136S244000, C136S259000, C136S291000, C060S641800, C052S173300
Reexamination Certificate
active
06437235
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a solar cell module having a photovoltaic element provided therein and which has a porous incombustible member having a structural strength and a back face member provided in this order on a back face side of said photovoltaic element, a solar cell-bearing roof in which said solar cell module is used, and a solar cell power generation system in which said solar cell module is used.
2. Related Background Art
In recent years, societal consciousness of the energy resources and the problems relating to the environment has been increasing all over the world. Particularly, apprehensions for possible exhaustion of petroleum and the like and also for heating of the earth because of the so-called greenhouse effect due to an increase of atmospheric CO
2
have been seriously discussing.
Under such circumstance, there is an increased societal demand for early realization of a power generation system capable of providing clean energy without causing CO
2
buildup as in the case of thermal power generation.
As such power generation system, public attention has been focused on a solar cell power generation system in which a solar cell module comprising a photovoltaic element (or a solar cell) provided therein is used, for the reason that it generates clean electric energy (power) by way of directly converting sunlight into said electric energy, without causing environmental destruction, where said sunlight Is evenly accessible at any place in the world.
As typical examples of such photovoltaic element used in the solar cell power generation system, there are known crystalline silicon series photovoltaic elements (solar cells) in which crystalline silicon semiconductor materials are used and amorphous silicon series photovoltaic elements (solar cells) in which amorphous silicon semiconductor materials are used.
Aforesaid solar cell module typically comprises at least a photovoltaic element group comprising a plurality of such photovoltaic elements electrically serialized which is sealed by a sealing resin and a surface protective member comprising a glass plate or a transparent resin film which is provided on the light receiving face side of the photovoltaic element group sealed by the sealing resin As the sealing resin, an organic polymer resin such as EVA (ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer) or the like is generally used.
Such solar cell module is generally used by installing it on a desired installation place such as a roof of a building which is evenly accessible to sunlight, in order to obtain an electric power. The solar cell module used in this way is configured in the form of a roof-integral type solar cell module, an on-roof installation type solar cell module, an on-trestle installation type solar cell module, or the like.
In the case where the installation place is of a large area such as a roof of a building, it generally takes such a manner that a plurality of given solar cell modules are arranged thereon while being electrically connected with each other to establish a solar cell module array thereon.
Now, in the case where a plurality of solar cell modules having such configuration as above described are installed on a roof of a building in such way as above described, there have been pointed out that such problems as will be described below are liable to entail.
That is, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 86066/1996 (hereinafter referred to as document 1) describes that in the case where a plurality of solar cell panels comprising a tempered glass plate, a filler resin (comprising EVA), a photovoltaic element (a photovoltaic element group), a filler resin (comprising EVA) and a layered member (comprising a PVF (polyvinyl fluoride) film/an Al foil/a PVF film) stacked in this order from the light receiving face side are installed on a roof of a building in such way as above described, when a fire is occurred near the building, the fire is spread to the building, and the solar cell panels situated on the eaves side of the roof thereof are exposed to flame or heat radiated from the spreading fire, there is a fear that the glass plates of the solar cell panels involved are broken due to the flame or heat, and their filler resins comprising EVA are heat-fused or burned to flow to the outside.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 148614/1997 (hereinafter referred to as document 2) describes that in the case where a plurality of solar cell modules comprising a tempered glass plate, a filler resin (comprising EVA), a photovoltaic element (a photovoltaic element group), a filler resin (comprising EVA) and a layered member(comprising a PVF film/an Al foil/a PVF film) stacked in this order from the light receiving face side are installed on a roof of a building in such way as above described, when a fire is occurred near the building and the fire Is spread to the building, there Is a fear that for the solar cell modules which are exposed to heat radiated from or flame of the spreading fire, their glass plates as the front side protective member are broken due to the heat or flame, and the broken glass plates are scattered or their filler resins comprising EVA are heat-fused to flow to the outside to cause firing at the roof bed.
Those problems mentioned in documents 1 and 2 and other problems which will inferred therefrom can be summarized as follows.
For the solar cell modules having such configuration as above described which are installed on the roof of the building, when a fire is occurred near the building and the fire is spread to the building, (i) their glass plates are broken due to heat radiated from or flame of the spreading wire, where the broken glass plates are scattered; (ii) when the glass plates are broken, the filler resins comprising EVA are heat-fused due to the heat to burn or flow to the outside; (iii) when the heat-fused EVA are flown to reach the roof bed, the roof bed will catch fire and burn; (iv) when the filler resins comprising EVA are heat-fused and burned, not only the scattered glass plate particles but also the photovoltaic elements which are sealed by the filler resins are dropped out to the roof bed.
Now, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 64396/1997 (hereinafter referred to as document 3) discloses a solar cell module which comprises a body comprising a solar cell having an electrically conductive transparent film bonded to the surf ace thereof and an electrically conductive film bonded to the back face thereof provided between a transparent glass plate and an incombustible back member, and a sealing member provided so as to waterproof a peripheral portion of said body. However, in the production of the solar cell module described in document 3, after the solar cell is produced, the incombustible back member is bonded by means of an adhesive. Thus, there are disadvantages such that the productivity of the solar cell module is inferior and the solar cell module is costly.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 69646/1997 (hereinafter referred to as document 4) discloses a solar cell module comprising a solar cell covered by a transparent plate situated on the light receiving face side thereof and a back cover situated on back face side thereof, wherein a mesh body impregnated with an adhesive resin comprising EVA or the like is provided between said solar cell and said transparent plate or/and between said solar cell and said back cover. As said mesh body, there are mentioned a glass fiber unwoven material and the like in document 4. Document 4 describes that because an adhesive resin comprising EVA or the like is impregnated in the mesh body comprising a glass fiber nonwoven material or the like, the adhesive resin is prevented from being dropped and is prevented from being burned in the combustion test, and therefore, the solar cell module is flame resistant or incombustible; and thus, the solar cell module can be used as a roofing material. However, for the solar cell module described in document 4, there is a disadvantage in that when the so
Inoue Yuji
Itoyama Shigenori
Komori Ayako
Makita Hidehisa
Mimura Toshihiko
Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
Diamond Alan
Fitzpatrick ,Cella, Harper & Scinto
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