Methods of hermetically sealing photovoltaic modules
In various embodiments, photovoltaic modules are hermetically sealed by providing a first glass sheet, a photovoltaic device disposed on the first glass sheet, and a second glass sheet, a gap being defined between the first and second glass sheets, disposing a glass powder within the gap, and heating the powder to seal the glass sheets.
1. A photovoltaic module comprising:
a first glass sheet;
a photovoltaic device disposed on the first glass sheet;
a second glass sheet disposed over the photovoltaic device, the first glass sheet and the second glass sheet thereby defining a gap at least a portion of which is spanned by the photovoltaic device;
a layer of melted glass powder sealing the gap between the first and second glass sheets at an edge region thereof, the layer of melted glass powder consisting essentially of glass and being free of glass frit, frit material, organic fillers, binders, and solvents; and
a plurality of conductive bus ribbons electrically coupled to the photovoltaic device and extending out from the first and second glass sheets through the sealed edge region,
wherein (i) at the sealed edge region, each of the conductive bus ribbons is disposed in direct mechanical contact with both the first and second glass sheets, and (ii) the plurality of conductive bus ribbons that are each electrically coupled to the photovoltaic device and extend out through the sealed edge region are the only conductive bus ribbons disposed between the first and second glass sheets that extend out through the sealed edge region.
2. The photovoltaic module of claim 1 , wherein the photovoltaic device is a thin-film photovoltaic device comprising CdTe, chalcopyrite (Cu(In,Ga)(S,Se) 2 ), or kesterite (Cu 2 (Zn,Fe)Sn(S,Se) 4 ).
3. The photovoltaic module of claim 1 , wherein the photovoltaic device comprises at least one of silicon, GaAs, or solid-state dye-sensitized perovskite material.
4. The photovoltaic module of claim 1 , wherein the layer of melted glass powder is free of glass solder, lead, and melting-point reduction agents.
5. The photovoltaic module of claim 1 , wherein the photovoltaic device is in direct mechanical contact with the first glass sheet or the second glass sheet but not both of the first and second glass sheets.
6. The photovoltaic module of claim 1 , wherein:
the photovoltaic device comprises one or more active regions each comprising one or more p-n or p-i-n junctions.
7. The photovoltaic module of claim 6 , wherein the photovoltaic device comprises (i) a first substrate layer disposed between each active region and the first glass sheet, (ii) a second substrate layer disposed between each active region and the second glass sheet, or (iii) a first substrate layer disposed between each active region and the first glass sheet and a second substrate layer disposed between each active region and the second glass sheet.
8. The photovoltaic module of claim 7 , wherein (i) the first substrate layer comprises a metal foil or a polymer layer, (ii) the second substrate layer comprises a metal foil or a polymer layer, or (iii) both the first and second substrate layers comprise a metal foil or a polymer layer.
9. A photovoltaic module comprising:
a first glass sheet;
a photovoltaic device disposed on the first glass sheet;
a second glass sheet disposed over the photovoltaic device, the first glass sheet and the second glass sheet thereby defining a gap at least a portion of which is spanned by the photovoltaic device; and
a layer of melted glass powder sealing the gap between the first and second glass sheets at an edge region thereof, the layer of melted glass powder consisting essentially of glass and being free of glass frit, frit material, organic fillers, binders, and solvents,
wherein a composition of the powder is the same as a composition of the first glass sheet and/or a composition of the second glass sheet.
10. The photovoltaic module of claim 9 , further comprising a conductive bus ribbon electrically coupled to the photovoltaic device and extending out from the first and second glass sheets through the sealed edge region.
11. The photovoltaic module of claim 9 , wherein the photovoltaic device is a thin-film photovoltaic device comprising CdTe, chalcopyrite (Cu(In,Ga)(S,Se) 2 ), or kesterite (Cu 2 (Zn,Fe)Sn(S,Se) 4 ).
12. The photovoltaic module of claim 9 , wherein the photovoltaic device comprises at least one of silicon, GaAs, or solid-state dye-sensitized perovskite material.
13. The photovoltaic module of claim 9 , wherein the layer of melted glass powder is free of glass solder, lead, and melting-point reduction agents.
14. The photovoltaic module of claim 9 , wherein the photovoltaic device is in direct mechanical contact with the first glass sheet or the second glass sheet but not both of the first and second glass sheets.
15. The photovoltaic module of claim 9 , wherein:
the photovoltaic device comprises an active region comprising one or more p-n or p-i-n junctions; and
the photovoltaic device comprises (i) a first substrate layer disposed between the active region and the first glass sheet, (ii) a second substrate layer disposed between the active region and the second glass sheet, or (iii) a first substrate layer disposed between the active region and the first glass sheet and a second substrate layer disposed between the active region and the second glass sheet.
16. The photovoltaic module of claim 15 , wherein (i) the photovoltaic device comprises the first substrate layer and the second substrate layer, and (ii) both the first and second substrate layers comprise a polymer layer.
17. A photovoltaic module comprising:
a first glass sheet;
a photovoltaic device disposed on the first glass sheet;
a second glass sheet disposed over the photovoltaic device, the first glass sheet and the second glass sheet thereby defining a gap at least a portion of which is spanned by the photovoltaic device;
a layer of melted glass powder sealing the gap between the first and second glass sheets at an edge region thereof, the layer of melted glass powder consisting essentially of glass and being free of glass frit, frit material, organic fillers, binders, and solvents; and
a conductive bus ribbon electrically coupled to the photovoltaic device and extending out from the first and second glass sheets through the sealed edge region, the conductive bus ribbon (i) extending into the sealed edge region at a first surface of the sealed edge region facing the photovoltaic device and (ii) extending out of the sealed edge region at a second surface of the sealed edge region opposite the first surface and facing away from the photovoltaic device,
wherein, at the sealed edge region, the conductive bus ribbon is disposed in contact with the layer of melted glass powder, but not with the first or second glass sheets.
18. The photovoltaic module of claim 17 , wherein the photovoltaic device is a thin-film photovoltaic device comprising CdTe, chalcopyrite (Cu(In,Ga)(S,Se) 2 ), or kesterite (Cu 2 (Zn,Fe)Sn(S,Se) 4 ).
19. The photovoltaic module of claim 17 , wherein the photovoltaic device comprises at least one of silicon, GaAs, or solid-state dye-sensitized perovskite material.
20. The photovoltaic module of claim 17 , wherein the layer of melted glass powder is free of glass solder, lead, and melting-point reduction agents.
21. The photovoltaic module of claim 17 , wherein the photovoltaic device is in direct mechanical contact with the first glass sheet or the second glass sheet but not both of the first and second glass sheets.
22. The photovoltaic module of claim 17 , wherein:
the photovoltaic device comprises an active region comprising one or more p-n or p-i-n junctions; and
the photovoltaic device comprises (i) a first substrate layer disposed between the active region and the first glass sheet, (ii) a second substrate layer disposed between the active region and the second glass sheet, or (iii) a first substrate layer disposed between the active region and the first glass sheet and a second substrate layer disposed between the active region and the second glass sheet.
23. The photovoltaic module of claim 22 , wherein (i) the photovoltaic device comprises the first substrate layer and the second substrate layer, and (ii) both the first and second substrate layers comprise a polymer layer.