Solar Cell Module and Solar Cell Array
It is an object to provide a solar cell module having a uniform configuration, presenting stable output characteristics, and having a size enabling easy wiring in arrangement and a solar cell array presenting stable output characteristics by employment of said solar cell modules. A solar cell module 10 has a solar cell panel 12 having a length of its longer edges of 900 to 1100 mm. The solar cell panel 12 is constituted by a number of unit solar cells 100 connected in series and has an open-circuit voltage of 100 to 180 volts. The unit solar cell 100 is of a strip-like shape with a length of its shorter edges of 7 to 12 mm and arranged in a longer-edge direction of the panel 12 so that its longer edges extend in a shorter-edge direction of the panel 12 and its shorter edges extend in the longer-edge direction of the panel 12.
1 . A solar cell module having a substantially rectangular shape with longer edges and shorter edges, comprising:
a solar cell panel formed in a substantially rectangular plane with longer edges and shorter edges by electrically connecting a plurality of unit solar cells in series;
a first cable and a second cable being different in length and each having more than one conducting wire;
two connectors consisting of a first connector connected to an end of the first cable and a second connector connected to an end of the second cable and being connectable by engagement with the first connector;
two positive conducting wires in electrical connection with a positive electrode of the solar cell panel; and
two negative conducting wires in electrical connection with a negative electrode of the solar cell panel,
the first cable having two conducting wires consisting of one of the two positive conducting wires and one of the two negative conducting wires and arranged in an insulation tube,
the second cable having two conducting wires consisting of the other of the two positive conducting wires and the other of the two negative conducting wires and arranged in an insulation tube, and
the first and the second cables being pulled out from one of the longer edges of the module,
wherein the solar cell panel has a length L 1 of the longer edges and a length L 4 of the shorter edges, the second cable having a pulled-out portion being of a length X longer than (L 1 / 2 ) and longer than L 4 ,
the first cable having a pulled-out portion being of a length Y shorter than a length of the second cable and shorter than (L 1 / 2 ).
2 . The solar cell module as defined in claim 1 ,
the second cable having the length X longer than a sum of (L 1 / 4 ) and L 4 and shorter than a sum of ((L 1 / 4 )×3) and L 4 .
3 . The solar cell module as defined in claim 1 ,
having a length L 2 of the shorter edges,
the first cable having the length Y shorter than the length L 2 .
4 . The solar cell module as defined in claim 1 ,
wherein the first and the second connectors each comprises a positive terminal connected to the positive conducting wire, a negative terminal connected to the negative conducting wire, a male portion, and a female portion connectable by engagement with the male portion,
the first and the second connectors are composed of one provided with the positive terminal formed in the male portion and the negative terminal formed in the female portion and the other provided with the negative terminal formed in the male portion and the positive terminal formed in the female portion.
5 . The solar cell module as defined in claim 1 ,
having a plus electrode-connecting terminal in electrical connection with the positive electrode of the panel and a minus electrode-connecting terminal in electrical connection with the negative electrode of the panel,
wherein the two positive conducting wires are connected to the plus electrode-connecting terminal and the two negative conducting wires are connected to the minus electrode-connecting terminal.
6 . The solar cell module as defined in claim 1 ,
wherein the first connector and the second connector are different in pattern and/or color.
7 . The solar cell module as defined in claim 1 ,
wherein the first cable and the second cable are different in pattern and/or color.
8 . The solar cell module as defined in claim 1 ,
wherein the positive conducting wires and the negative conducting wires are different in pattern and/or color.
9 . The solar cell module as defined in claim 1 ,
the solar cell panel being of a substantially rectangular shape,
wherein the first and the second cables are pulled out from a substantial center part of the longer edge of the panel, and
wherein, when two solar cell modules are arranged by adjacently connecting the shorter edges of the panels, the first connector of one of the modules is unconnectable to the first connector of the other of the modules because the cables are not long enough.
10 . The solar cell module as defined in claim 1 ,
having a space for accommodating the connected cables and connectors in a back of the module.
11 . The solar cell module as defined in claim 1 ,
having grooves through which the cables are inserted in a shorter-edge direction in the back of the module.
12 . A solar cell module with a plurality of unit solar cells formed inside thereof so as to constitute a solar cell as a whole, comprising:
two connectors; and
cables each having more than one conducting wire and pulled out from a center part of a longer edge of the module,
the two connectors each having more than one individual terminal and being connected to the respective cables,
wherein the one terminal of each connector is a positive terminal connected to a positive electrode of the solar cell and the other terminal of each connector is a negative terminal connected to a negative electrode of the solar cell,
wherein the cable connected to the one connector is shorter than the cable connected to the other connector,
wherein, when a plurality of the modules are arranged in a plane in a plurality of rows each consisting of the modules, the cables have a length relationship in which the connectors connected to the short cables are unconnectable to each other because the cables are not long enough,
wherein the connector connected to the long cable and the connector connected to the short cable are connected to each other with the positive terminals of the both connectors connected to each other and with the negative terminals of the both connectors connected to each other, so as to electrically connect the modules in parallel, and
wherein the long cable passes through a back of and to an outside of a solar cell module in an adjacent row, so as to connect the connector connected to the long cable with the connector connected to the short cable of the module in the adjacent row.
13 . The solar cell module as defined in claim 12 ,
wherein the short cable has a length being unable to come through the back of and to the outside of the module in the adjacent row.
14 . The solar cell module as defined in claim 12 ,
wherein the cables connected to the one and the other connectors each consists of two conducting wires arranged in an insulation tube.
15 . The solar cell module as defined in claim 1 ,
wherein the connectors have the same configuration but are different in color.
16 . The solar cell module as defined in claim 1 ,
wherein the long cable and the short cable are different in color.
17 . The solar cell module as defined in claim 1 ,
wherein the long cable has a length of 50% or more of a total length of the solar cell module and the short cable has a length of less than 50% of the total length thereof.
18 . An arrangement structure of solar cell modules,
arranging a plurality of the solar cell modules as defined in claim 1 in a plurality of rows,
wherein the one or the first connector and the other or the second connector each having the positive terminal and the negative terminal, and
wherein the terminals having the same polarity of the first connector of one of adjacent solar cell modules and of the second connector of the other of the adjacent modules are connected to each other, so that the adjacent solar cell modules are electrically connected in parallel so as to form a solar cell block.
19 . The arrangement structure as defined in claim 18 ,
having a service cable for connecting a plurality of the solar cell blocks in series and drawing wirings in a building.
20 . The arrangement structure as defined in claim 19 comprising two of the solar cell blocks,
wherein the service cable comprises a first serial connector connected to the first connector unused in one of the solar cell blocks; a second serial connector connected to the second connector unused in the other of the solar cell blocks; an output connector for outputting electricity converted by the solar cell panels; a first outdoor cable including positive and negative conducting wires and connected to the first serial connector; a second outdoor cable including positive and negative conducting wires and connected to the second serial connector; and an indoor cable including positive and negative conducting wires and connected to the output connector,
the one conducting wire of the first outdoor cable being connected to the one conducting wire with a reversed polarity of the second outdoor cable,
the other conducting wire of the first outdoor cable being connected to the one conducting wire with the same polarity of the indoor cable, and
the other conducting wire of the second outdoor cable being connected to the other conducting wire of the indoor cable.
21 . The arrangement structure as defined in claim 20 ,
wherein the first serial connector and the second serial connector are different in pattern and/or color.
22 . The arrangement structure as defined in claim 21 ,
wherein the first outdoor cable and the second outdoor cable are different in pattern and/or color.
23 . An arrangement structure of solar cell modules,
using solar cell modules each being of a rectangular shape and having a plurality of unit solar cells formed inside thereof so as to constitute a solar cell as a whole, and
being for arranging the solar cell modules on a building,
wherein the solar cell modules each comprise two connectors and cables, the cables each having more than one conducting wire and pulled out from a center part of a longer edge of the module,
the two connectors each having more than one individual terminal and being connected to the respective cables,
wherein the one terminal of each connector is a positive terminal connected to a positive electrode of the solar cell and the other terminal of each connector is a negative terminal connected to a negative electrode of the solar cell,
wherein the cable connected to the one connector is shorter than the cable connected to the other connector,
wherein, when the modules are arranged in a row, the cables have a length relationship in which the connectors connected to the short cables are unconnectable to each other because the cables are not long enough, and
wherein the modules are arranged in a row on a building, the connector connected to the long cable of one of adjacent modules and the connector connected to the short cable of the other of the adjacent modules being connected to each other at outside of the row of the modules with the positive terminals of the both connectors connected to each other and with the negative terminals of the both connectors connected to each other, thereby electrically connecting a plurality of the modules in parallel.
24 . The arrangement structure as defined in claim 23 ,
wherein the cables connected to the one and the other connectors each consists of two conducting wires arranged in an insulation tube.
25 . The arrangement structure as defined in claim 23 ,
wherein the connectors provided in the module have the same configuration but are different in color.
26 . The arrangement structure as defined in claim 23 ,
wherein the long cable and the short cable of the module are different in color.
27 . The arrangement structure as defined in claim 23 ,
wherein the long cable of the module has a length of 50% or more of a total length of the module and the short cable thereof has a length of less than 50% of the total length thereof.
28 . The arrangement structure as defined in claim 23 ,
wherein the connectors consist of a first connector and a second connector,
either the first connector or the second connector having no connection with the service cable among the first or the second connector unused in the solar cell block being attached with a terminal protector.
29 . The arrangement structure as defined in claim 23 ,
wherein the module has a space for accommodating the connected cables and connectors in a back thereof, and
wherein a plurality of the modules are arranged in a plane in a plurality of rows each consisting of the modules,
the long cable of one of adjacent modules being connected to the short cable of the other of the adjacent modules with the long cable and the short cable housed in the space of the module in an adjacent row.
30 . The arrangement structure as defined in claim 23 ,
wherein a plurality of the modules are arranged in a plane in a plurality of rows each consisting of the modules,
the long cable being pulled to the right toward a roof so as to be connected to the short cable of the panel located to the immediate right in one row, and the long cable being pulled to the left toward the roof so as to be connected to the short cable of the panel located to the immediate left in the adjacent row.
31 . The arrangement structure as defined in claim 29 ,
the long cable of the solar cell module located at an end of the row coming through a back of and to an outside of the module in the adjacent row, so as to be connected to the short cable of the module located at an end of the adjacent row.
32 . The arrangement structure as defined in claim 29 ,
the long cable of the module located at the end of the row and the short cable of the module located at the end of the adjacent row being connected and housed in the space of the module of the next row but one.
33 . A method for arranging solar cell modules,
using the solar cell modules constituting the arrangement structure is described in claim 18 , the two connectors provided in each of the modules consisting of a first connector and a second connector, and
attaching the terminal protector to the unused first connector or second connector when the arrangement work of the arrangement structure is interrupted.