Method and device for optimising photovoltaic panels and photovoltaic panels optimised using this method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12407294-B2
Application number	US-202118253087-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 19, 2021
Priority date	Nov 20, 2020
Publication date	Sep 2, 2025
Grant date	Sep 2, 2025

Abstract

A method for optimizing an existing generator system based on photovoltaic cells and provided with an existing photovoltaic panel or a group of existing photovoltaic panels, each panel having a first plurality of cells of a first type interconnected in series or in series/in parallel. The method includes: determining an operating voltage of the panel(s); producing additional panel module(s) having a second plurality of thin-film cells of a second type and having a different band gap width than the cells of the panel(s), the additional module(s) being configured to supply an operating voltage equal, within ±10%, to the voltage of the panel(s); positioning the additional module to overlap on or under the panel or one of the panel(s), the module being connected in parallel to the panel(s), or positioning several additional modules to overlap on or under several panels, the several modules being connected in parallel to panels.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for optimizing an existing generator system based on photovoltaic cells and provided with an existing photovoltaic panel or a group of existing photovoltaic panels, each existing panel being provided with a first plurality P of cells of a first type which are interconnected in series or in series/in parallel, comprising:
determining an operating maximum power point voltage VMPP of said existing panel or group of panels,
producing one or more additional modules comprising a second plurality Q of photovoltaic cells of a second type and having a different band gap width than the cells of the existing panel or of the existing panels of the group of existing panels, said second plurality Q of cells of the additional module(s) being configured to supply an operating voltage V1 equal, to within ±10%, to said maximum power point voltage VMPP of said existing panel or of said group of existing panels once assembled with said one or more additional modules,
positioning said one or more additional modules in an overlapping manner on or under the existing panel, said one or more additional modules being connected in parallel to said existing panel, or positioning said one or more additional modules in an overlapping manner on or under several of said existing panels of said group of existing panels, said one or more additional modules being connected in parallel to at least some of the existing panels or said group of existing panels.

2. The method for optimizing an existing generator system based on photovoltaic cells according to claim 1 , wherein said one or more additional modules comprise a plurality of sub-modules S1, S′1 of cells supplying said operating voltage V1 and said sub-modules being connected in parallel.

3. The method for optimizing an existing generator system based on photovoltaic cells according to claim 1 , wherein the arrangement of the plurality Q of cells of said one or more additional modules is carried out according to a different electrical and spatial configuration than the plurality P of cells of the existing panel or of the panels of the group of existing panels.

4. The method for optimizing an existing generator system based on photovoltaic cells according to claim 1 , wherein the existing panel having a width 1 and a length L and wherein said plurality Q of photovoltaic cells of the second type being arranged parallel to the length L of the existing panel, said method comprises one or more of the following steps:
determining the maximum power point voltage VMPP of the existing panel or of the group of existing panels;
calculating the number N1 of photovoltaic cells of the second type to be placed in series to create a sub-module S1 of the additional module that is suitable for supplying said voltage V1;
calculating a height Hcell of said cells of the sub-module S1 and calculating the number M1 of sub-modules S1 that can be fitted in parallel over the width 1 of the existing panel so as to maximize the power of said module overlapping the existing panel at voltage V1; and
producing the additional module with photovoltaic cells of the second type comprising M1 sub-modules S1 in parallel, encapsulating the additional module, and installing the additional module so that it overlaps the existing panel.

5. The method for optimizing an existing generator system based on photovoltaic cells according to claim 1 , wherein the existing panel having a width 1 and a length L and wherein said plurality Q of photovoltaic cells of the second type being arranged parallel to the width 1 of the existing panel, said method comprises one or more of the following steps:
determining the maximum power point voltage VMPP of the existing panel or of the group of existing panels;
calculating the number N′1 of photovoltaic cells of the second type to be placed in series to create a sub-module S′1 of the additional module that is suitable for supplying said voltage V1;
calculating a height H′cell of said cells of the sub-module S′1 and calculating the number M′1 of sub-modules S′1 that can be fitted in parallel over the length L of the existing panel so as to maximize the power of the module overlapping the existing panel at voltage V1; and
producing the additional module with photovoltaic cells of the second type comprising M′1 sub-modules S′1 in parallel, encapsulating the additional module, and installing the additional module so that it overlaps the existing panel.

6. The method for optimizing an existing generator system based on photovoltaic cells according to claim 1 , wherein, said band gap width of the cells of the second type being less than the band gap width of the cells of the first type, said at least one additional module is installed overlapping a face of the existing panel that is opposite to a face exposed to the sun of such existing panel.

7. The method for optimizing an existing generator system based on photovoltaic cells according to claim 1 , wherein an optical interface material that is transparent to wavelengths active for the existing panel and whose refractive index is adapted to minimize reflections at the interface between the additional module and the existing panel is placed between the additional module and the existing panel.

8. A method for optimizing an existing generator system based on photovoltaic cells and provided with an existing photovoltaic panel or a group of existing photovoltaic panels, each existing photovoltaic panel being provided with a first plurality P of cells of a first type that are interconnected in series or in series/in parallel, comprising:
determining an operating maximum power point voltage VMPP of said existing panel or group of panels, producing one or more additional modules comprising a second plurality Q of photovoltaic cells of a second type and having a different band gap width than the first plurality P of cells of the existing photovoltaic panel or of the existing photovoltaic panels of the group of existing photovoltaic panels, said second plurality Q of cells of the one or more additional modules being configured to supply an operating voltage V1 equal, to within ±10%, to said maximum operating power point voltage VMPP of said existing photovoltaic panel or of said group of existing photovoltaic panels once assembled with said one or more additional modules,
positioning said one or more additional modules in an overlapping manner on or under the existing photovoltaic panel, said one or more additional modules being connected in parallel to said existing photovoltaic panel, or positioning said one or more additional modules in an overlapping manner on or under several of said existing photovoltaic panels of said group of existing photovoltaic panels, said one or more additional modules being connected in parallel to at least some of the existing photovoltaic panels or said group of existing photovoltaic panels, and
wherein said band gap width of the second plurality Q of photovoltaic cells of the second type being greater than the band gap width of the first plurality P of cells of the first type, said one or more additional modules are installed overlapping a face of the existing photovoltaic panel that is exposed to the sun or overlapping a face of the existing photovoltaic panel that is opposite to the face exposed to the sun.

9. The method for optimizing an existing generator system based on photovoltaic cells according to claim 8 , wherein said one or more additional modules comprise a plurality of sub-modules S1, S′1 of cells supplying said operating voltage V1 and said sub-modules being connected in parallel.

10. The method for optimizing an existing generator system based on photovoltaic cells according to claim

Assignees

• Electricite De France
• Inst Photovoltaique Dile De France Ipvf
• Centre National De La Rech Scientifique—Cnrs
• Totalenergies Onetech
• Ecole Polytech
• Totalenergies Se

Inventors

• Jutteau Sébastien
• Grand Pierre-Philippe
• Guerard Cédric
• Drahi Etienne

Classifications

• H02S50/10

  Testing of PV devices, e.g. of PV modules or single PV cells (testing of semiconductor devices during manufacturing {H10P74/00}) · CPC title

• H02S40/36

  characterised by special electrical interconnection means between two or more PV modules, e.g. electrical module-to-module connection · CPC title

• H10W90/00

  Package configurations · CPC title

• H02S30/00 Primary

  Structural details of PV modules other than those related to light conversion (semiconductor device aspects of modules of electrolytic light sensitive devices H01G9/20, of inorganic PV modules H10F10/00, H10F19/00, of organic PV modules H10K30/00) · CPC title

• H10F77/935

  for photovoltaic devices or modules · CPC title