Photovoltaic module

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10972047-B2
Application number	US-201715443455-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 27, 2017
Priority date	Feb 27, 2017
Publication date	Apr 6, 2021
Grant date	Apr 6, 2021

Abstract

The present invention is notably directed to a photovoltaic module, or PV module, comprising an array of photovoltaic cells, or PV cells, and electrical interconnects. The array of PV cells comprises N portions, N≥2, where the portions comprise, each, disjoint sets of PV cells of the array. The electrical interconnects connect the PV cells and the N portions of the array so as for PV cells within each of said portions to be electrically connected in parallel and the N portions to be connected in series. The PV cells and the portions are connected, via said interconnects, so to output an electrical current, in operation. The electrical interconnects are otherwise configured to provide electrical signals from each of the N portions. The invention is further directed to related systems and methods of fabrication and operation.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A photovoltaic (PV) module comprising: an array of photovoltaic cells, or PV cells, where the array consisting of N portions, N>=2, the portions comprising disjoint sets of PV cells of the array, N being even; and electrical interconnects, connecting the PV cells and the N portions of the array so as for PV cells within each of said portions to be electrically connected in parallel and the N portions to be connected in series, to output an electrical current, in operation, where the electrical interconnects are further configured to provide electrical signals from each of the N portions, the electrical interconnects consisting of N−1 number of peripheral conductors, N number of top electrode elements, and N number of bottom electrode elements positioned below the top electrode elements;
wherein all of the PV cells in the array are arranged to be circumscribed within a boundary;
wherein the peripheral conductors are positioned along predefined edges of the boundary so as to circumscribe all of the PV cells therein and such that there is no overlap between the PV cells being circumscribed within the boundary and the peripheral conductors along predefined edges of the boundary;
wherein each of the top electrode elements has an end part and an opposite end part, the end part being positioned within the predefined edges of the boundary and the opposite end part extending over the peripheral conductors along the predefined edges of the boundary for only N−1 number of the top electrode elements;
wherein each of the peripheral conductors crosses two adjacent portions of the N portions, each of the peripheral conductors comprising a piece that extends under the opposite end part of only one of the top electrode elements, the peripheral conductors on different edges of the predefined edges being physically separated from one another such that one peripheral conductor on one side of one of the PV cells is physically separated from another peripheral conductor on an adjoining side of the one of the PV cells.

2. The photovoltaic module according to claim 1 , where:
said electrical interconnects are further configured for measuring a voltage and/or a current produced by each of the N portions.

3. The photovoltaic module according to claim 1 , where:
the N portions adjoin at a center of the array of PV cells.

4. The photovoltaic module according to claim 3 , where:
the array of photovoltaic cells is rectangular and decomposes into N=4 rectangular portions of distinct sets of cells, each of the portions meeting two contiguous ones of the portions at meeting edges extending parallel to symmetry axes of the array.

5. The photovoltaic module according to claim 4 , where:
each of the top electrode elements and each of the bottom electrode elements comprising elongated contact elements, where:
the elongated contact elements of the top electrode elements are rotated by π/2 with respect to the elongated contact elements of the bottom electrode elements, so as to form crosspoint structures that electrically connect PV cells within said each of the N portions in parallel.

6. The photovoltaic module according to claim 5 , where the bottom electrode element of a n th portion of said N portions is in electrical communication with the top electrode element of a n+1 th portion of said N portions, n∈[1, N−1], where the n th portion and the n+1 th portion are contiguous in the array, whereby the N portions are electrically connected in series.

7. The photovoltaic module according to claim 6 , where:
the N−1 peripheral conductors are configured to each connect the bottom electrode element of the n th portion with the top electrode element of the n+1 th portion.

8. The photovoltaic module according to claim 7 , where:
the top electrode element further comprise, each, a lug protruding in-plane, outwardly from the array, in electrical contact with one of the N−1 peripheral conductors.

9. A photovoltaic system, comprising:
an array of photovoltaic cells, or PV cells, where the array consisting of N portions, N>=2, N being even, the portions comprising disjoint sets of PV cells of the array; and
electrical interconnects, connecting the PV cells and the N portions of the array so as for PV cells within each of said portions to be electrically connected in parallel and the N portions to be connected in series, to output an electrical current, in operation, where the electrical interconnects are further configured to provide electrical signals from each of the N portions, the electrical interconnects consisting of N−1 number of peripheral conductors, N number of top electrode elements, and N number of bottom electrode elements positioned below the top electrode elements;
wherein all of the PV cells in the array are arranged to be circumscribed within a boundary;
wherein the peripheral conductors are positioned along predefined edges of the boundary so as to circumscribe all of the PV cells therein and such that there is no overlap between the PV cells being circumscribed within the boundary and the peripheral conductors along predefined edges of the boundary;
wherein each of the top electrode elements has an end part and an opposite end part, the end part being positioned within the predefined edges of the boundary and the opposite end part extending over the peripheral conductors along the predefined edges of the boundary for only N−1 number of the top electrode elements;
wherein each of the peripheral conductors crosses two adjacent portions of the N portions, each of the peripheral conductors comprising a piece that extends under the opposite end part of only one of the top electrode elements, the peripheral conductors on different edges of the predefined edges being physically separated from one another such that one peripheral conductor on one side of one of the PV cells is physically separated from another peripheral conductor on an adjoining side of the one of the PV cells.

10. A photovoltaic system according to claim 9 , further comprising
a monitoring unit, in electrical communication with the electrical interconnects of the module, and configured to monitor electrical signals provided from each of the N portions, via the electrical interconnects.

11. The photovoltaic module of claim 1 , wherein the top electrode elements comprise elongated contact elements perpendicular to a base.

12. The photovoltaic module of claim 1 , wherein the N portions each comprise an equal number of the PV cells such that the equal number of the PV cells are electrically connected by the peripheral conductors along the predefined edges.

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Loertscher Emanuel
• Michel Bruno
• Oggioni Stefano S
• Paredes Stephan
• Ruch Patrick
• Spreafico Mauro
• Viero Giorgio

Classifications

• H10F77/937 Primary

  Busbar structures for modules · CPC title

• H10F19/902

  for series or parallel connection of photovoltaic cells · CPC title

• H02S40/22

  Light-reflecting or light-concentrating means (directly associated with the PV cell or integrated with the PV cell H10F77/42) · CPC title

• H02S20/24

  specially adapted for flat roofs · CPC title

• H02S50/00 Primary

  Monitoring or testing of PV systems, e.g. load balancing or fault identification · CPC title