Method of making solar collector assemblies with optical concentrator encapsulant
View Patent ↗Disclosed is a method of making solar collector assemblies for photovoltaic conversion. The method comprises providing a mold for receiving encapsulant, the mold having serially arranged, alternating peaks and valleys. A respective PV solar cell is placed into each of a series of the valleys such that the light-receiving surfaces of the PV solar cells face upwards. Uncured encapsulant is delivered into the mold and onto the light-receiving surfaces, and from the light-receiving surfaces to a level at least as high as the peaks so as to form, above the light-receiving surfaces, optical concentrators for concentrating light received by the optical concentrators and directing the light to the light-receiving surfaces. The encapsulant is then cured.
1. A method of making solar collector assemblies for photovoltaic conversion, comprising:
a) providing a continuous, flexible mold for receiving encapsulant; the mold having serially arranged, alternating peaks and valleys;
b) placing a respective PV solar cell into each of a series of the valleys such that light-receiving surfaces of the PV solar cells face upwards by passing the respective PV solar cell in a direction from a position between a pair of said adjacent peaks towards a valley between the peaks;
c) delivering uncured encapsulant into the mold and—
i) onto said light-receiving surfaces; and
ii) from said light-receiving surfaces to a level at least as high as said peaks so as to form, above said light-receiving surfaces, respective optical concentrators for concentrating light received by the optical concentrators and directing said light to said light-receiving surfaces; and
d) curing the uncured encapsulant.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein each optical concentrator is shaped so as to obtain at least about 80 percent of the photons that would be obtained from an ideally shaped non-imaging concentrator having the same input and output areas.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the uncured encapsulant comprises greater than 90 percent by weight polymeric material.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the uncured encapsulant comprises crosslinkable polymeric material.
5. The method of claim 4 , further comprising applying a cover-plate to the top of the encapsulant while the encapsulant is in the process of curing;
the cover-plate sealing the encapsulant from the environment.
6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the step of curing the uncured encapsulant comprises directing UV radiation onto the uncured encapsulant to activate crosslinking agents in the uncured encapsulant.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the mold is a releasable mold, and further comprising removing the mold from the PV solar cells and cured encapsulant.
8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising the step of mounting the PV solar cells onto a circuit board.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein said optical concentrators concentrate light received by the optical concentrator by a factor greater than 2.
10. The method of claim 9 , wherein said factor is about 7.
11. The method of claim 1 , wherein providing a mold comprises providing a mold folded in accordion style and unfolding the mold so that it assumes a desired final shape.
12. A solar collector assembly made by the method of claim 1 .
13. A solar collector assembly made by the method of claim 3 .
14. A solar collector assembly made by the method of claim 5 .
15. A solar collector assembly made by the method of claim 8 .