Batteries: thermoelectric and photoelectric – Photoelectric – Panel or array
Reexamination Certificate
2000-06-19
2001-05-15
Chapman, Mark (Department: 1753)
Batteries: thermoelectric and photoelectric
Photoelectric
Panel or array
C136S251000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06232544
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a solar cell module, a production method thereof, and an installation method of solar cell modules. More particularly, the invention concerns a solar cell module that has improved productivity and mountability and has little damage to the surface of solar cell module during production of the solar cell module or during installation of the solar cell module, a production method thereof, and an installation method of solar cell modules.
2. Related Background Art
There has been a global increase in the level of awareness of about environmental issues in recent years, and there is growing, apprehension regarding is the warming phenomenon of the earth due to CO
2
emission and desires for clean energy are becoming stronger and stronger. As a result of such environmental concerns, solar cells have received a lot of attention, as a clean energy source.
There are various forms of the solar cells, and typical examples thereof are as follows.
(1) Single-crystal silicon solar cells
(2) Polycrystal silicon solar cells
(3) Amorphous silicon based solar cells
(4) Copper indium selenide solar cells
(5) Compound semiconductor solar cells
These solar cells need to be coated with a coating material on the light incident side surface and on the bottom surface in order to protect the solar cells from mechanical stress and various environmental stresses such as temperature, humidity, and solar radiation. As the coating material on the light incidence side, normally glass, a transparent resin or the like is used. As the coating material on the bottom side, a resin, a metal, a composite thereof or the like is used.
In the conventional solar cell modules having the above-stated solar cells coated, in addition to the above coating materials, a transparent protective film as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 4-325531 or No. 8-306942 is stuck on the light incidence side in order to further protect the modules from external impact or chemical corrosion. In these examples, as shown in
FIG. 1
, a solar cell module
70
is constructed in the structure where crystal solar cell devices
75
are encapsulated by a bottom film
74
, a transparent resin
73
, and glass
72
and a protective sheet
71
is further stuck on the surface of glass
72
. Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 7-30139 discloses that a detachable protective cover is attached to a solar cell module to protect the solar cell module and prevent an electric shock during installation.
In the past, there has not been, much awareness of problems arising when the solar cell modules underwent formation working in part of the manufacturing process thereof (i.e., in the state before completion). However, a new problem has been identified regarding how the solar cell surface should be protected during the formation working. A further new problem relates to how difficult it is to discriminate among different solar cell module production lots or among different types of solar cell modules without additional cost under the condition where many solar cell modules were flowing in the process. Another problem relates to how difficult it was to install many modules of different types without damage to the solar cell modules and without confusion during installation of the solar cell modules.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a production method and an installation method of solar cell modules having such structure that the surface thereof is unlikely to receive damage due to mechanical impact or the like in the production process, transport, and mounting of the solar cell modules. Another object of the present invention is to provide a production method wherein in production of solar cell modules, solar cell modules can be readily discriminated among different production lots or among different types, thereby improving production workability, and also to provide an installation method wherein in installation of solar cell modules, modules of different types or different strings can be readily discriminated from each other, thereby improving installation workability.
An object of the present invention is to provide a production method of solar cell module wherein a formation working step of a solar cell module is carried out after an adhesive film is stuck to at least a part of a light-receiving surface side and/or a non-light-receiving surface side of the solar cell module.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an installation method of solar cell modules for forming a part or the whole of a solar cell array by connecting a plurality of solar cell modules to each other in series, in parallel, or in series and parallel in every block, the method comprising a step of installing solar cell modules wherein adhesive films of different colors among respective blocks are stuck on a part or the whole of a light-receiving surface side and then a step of removing the adhesive films.
An additional object of the present invention is to provide a solar cell module having an outermost surface of a peelable, colored, light-transmissive, protective member.
In the production method according to the present invention, it is preferable to further employ either one of the following:
the adhesive film is stuck to an area except for an area undergoing the formation working;
the adhesive film is stuck to the light-receiving surface side;
the adhesive film is a transparent/translucent film;
inspection of electric output is carried out by exposing the solar cell module to light while the adhesive film is kept stuck thereon;
among different production lots of solar cell modules, colors of the adhesive films are different from each other;
a color of the adhesive film corresponds to a sheet for record of management information of each production lot of solar cell module, for example, the color of the adhesive film is the same as a color of the sheet;
the formation working is a roll former working;
a solar cell device of the solar cell module is an amorphous silicon based solar cell device formed on a stainless steel substrate;
the light-receiving surface side of the solar cell module is made of a transparent weatherproof resin and the solar cell module has a formable reinforcing plate on the non-light-receiving surface side, and so on.
In the installation method according to the present invention, it is preferable to further employ either one of the following:
the plurality of solar cell modules are divided in blocks according to their types;
the adhesive films are stuck in production of the solar cell modules;
the adhesive films are transparent/translucent films;
after installation of the solar cell modules, inspection of electric output of the solar cell modules is carried out while the adhesive films is kept stuck thereon;
solar cell devices used in the solar cell modules are amorphous silicon based solar cell devices formed on a stainless steel substrate;
the light-receiving surface side of the solar cell modules is made of a transparent weatherproof resin and the solar cell modules have a formable reinforcing plate on the non-light-receiving surface side.
According to the production method of solar cell module of the present invention, at least a part of the solar cell module is subjected to the formation working during the production process thereof. At this time, damage or the like to the module surface due to the working can be prevented by sticking the adhesive film to a part or the whole of the solar cell module. When the formation working is a roll former working, the working can be furthermore improved by sticking the adhesive film to only a part of the light-receiving surface side, a part of the non-light-receiving surface side, or each part of the both side of the solar cell module and thereafter carrying out the formation working of the area where the adhesive film is not stuck, taking account of variation in the finished size after the working, peeling of the adhesive film, and so on when the adhesive f
Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
Chapman Mark
Fitzpatrick ,Cella, Harper & Scinto
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