Patterned photovoltaic cell arrangements in solar module laminations
A photovoltaic module incorporates a lamination including a back-sheet, an array of solar cells supported on the back-sheet, and a transparent protective covering over the array of solar cells. The solar cells are arranged in offset or staggered patterns on the back-sheet to present a more random and less rigid industrial appearance to an observer. In some cases, cleaved solar cell segments are arranged into groups that are staggered on the back-sheet. This allows for finer control of the net voltage produced by a module. In other embodiments, full single wafer solar cells are arranged into larger groups, which themselves are staggered on the back-sheet. In either case, the result is a photovoltaic module with an appearance that is more organic and acceptable to homeowners and architects than traditional modules having cells arranged in rigid aligned rows and columns.
1 . A system, comprising:
a plurality of solar modules installed on a roof deck, wherein each of the plurality of solar modules includes:
a back-sheet; and
a plurality of solar cells on the back-sheet,
wherein the plurality of solar cells includes at least two rows of solar cells,
wherein the at least two rows of solar cells are spaced apart along the back-sheet and extending substantially parallel to each other in a first direction across the back-sheet,
wherein the at least two rows of solar cells are arranged to form groups of solar cells positioned along the back-sheet,
wherein each of the at least two rows of solar cells includes at least two groups of solar cells,
wherein each of the at least two groups of solar cells includes full size solar cells, cell segments, or combinations thereof, and
wherein the groups of solar cells are arranged on the back-sheet in a non-aligned pattern comprising a staggered arrangement of the at least two groups of solar cells in a second direction along the back-sheet.
2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein each of the groups of solar cells are spaced from other groups of solar cells at a spacing greater than a spacing between the solar cells within each group of solar cells.
3 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the solar cells of each of the at least two rows of solar cells are electrically interconnected in series along the back-sheet to define a current flow path configured to aggregate electrical energy produced by the plurality of solar cells.
4 . The system of claim 1 , further comprising at least one solar panel incorporating at least one of the plurality of solar modules.
5 . The system of claim 1 , wherein one or more of the at least two rows of solar cells is shifted across the back-sheet with respect to at least one adjacent row of solar cells.
6 . The system of claim 1 , wherein at least some of the cell segments have a width that is less than a width of the full size solar cells, and wherein at least some of the cell segments are located at ends of one or more shifted rows of solar cells so as to fill spaces left by the shifting of the at least two rows of solar cells.
7 . The system of claim 6 , wherein at least some of the full size solar cells, the cell segments, or a combination thereof, comprise dummy cell segments that do not produce electrical energy.
8 . The system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein at least some of the solar cells of each group of solar cells comprise dummy solar cells that are adapted to not produce electrical energy, and at least some of the solar cells of each group of solar cells are adapted to produce electricity.
9 . The system of claim 1 wherein at least some of the groups of solar cells comprise at least two full size solar cells of the full size solar cells.
10 . A system, comprising:
a plurality of solar modules, each of the plurality of solar modules comprising:
a back-sheet; and
a plurality of solar cells on the back-sheet,
wherein the plurality of solar cells is arranged in a plurality of rows extending across the back-sheet in a first direction,
wherein the solar cells of the plurality of rows are arranged in groups of solar cells,
wherein each row of solar cells includes at least two groups of solar cells,
wherein each of the at least two groups of solar cells includes full size solar cells, cell segments, or combinations thereof, and
wherein at least some of the groups of solar cells of at least some of the plurality of rows of solar cells comprise groups of two or more solar cells, and at least some of the groups of solar cells of some of the plurality of rows of solar cells comprise groups of four or more solar cells, and
wherein the groups of solar cells are arranged on the back-sheet in a non-aligned pattern comprising a staggered arrangement of the groups of two solar cells and the groups of four or more solar cells in a second direction along the back-sheet.
11 . The system of claim 10 , wherein the plurality of rows comprises at least three rows of solar cells extending across a width of the back-sheet and spaced along a length of the back-sheet, with each row of solar cells being shifted across the width of the back-sheet with respect to at least one adjacent row of solar cells.
12 . The system of claim 10 , wherein at least some of the solar cells of at least some of the plurality of rows of solar cells comprise dummy cells configured to not produce electrical energy, and at least some of the solar cells are configured to produce electricity.
13 . The system of claim 10 , wherein unfilled spaces are defined at ends of at least some of the plurality of rows of solar cells, wherein some of the unfilled spaces are filled with half-cell sized segments and some of the unfilled spaces are filled with the full sized cells; and wherein some of the half-cell sized segments and some of the full sized cells comprise dummy cell segments that do not produce electrical energy when exposed to sunlight.
14 . A solar module, comprising:
a back-sheet; and
a plurality of solar cells arranged on the back-sheet,
wherein the plurality of solar cells includes at least two rows of solar cells,
wherein the at least two rows of solar cells are spaced apart along the back-sheet and extending substantially parallel to each other in a first direction across the back-sheet,
wherein plurality of solar cells is arranged to form groups of solar cells positioned along the back-sheet,
wherein each of the at least two rows of solar cells includes at least two groups of solar cells,
wherein each of the at least two groups of solar cells includes full size solar cells, cell segments, or combinations thereof, and
wherein the groups of solar cells are arranged on the back-sheet in a non-aligned pattern comprising a staggered arrangement of the at least two groups of solar cells in a second direction along the back-sheet.
15 . The solar module of claim 14 , wherein each of the groups of solar cells are spaced from other groups of solar cells at a spacing greater than a spacing between the solar cells within each group of solar cells.
16 . The solar module of claim 15 , wherein the solar cells of each of the at least two rows of solar cells are electrically interconnected in series along the back-sheet to define a current flow path configured to aggregate electrical energy produced by the plurality of solar cells.
17 . The solar module of claim 14 , further comprising a solar panel incorporating the solar module.
18 . The solar module of claim 14 , wherein one or more of the at least two rows of solar cells is shifted across the back-sheet with respect to at least one adjacent row of solar cells.
19 . The solar module of claim 14 , wherein at least some of the cell segments have a width that is less than a width of the full size solar cells, and wherein at least some of the cell segments are located at ends of one or more shifted rows of solar cells so as to fill spaces left by the shifting of the rows of solar cells.
20 . The solar module of claim 14 , wherein at least some of the solar cells of each group of solar cells comprise dummy solar cells that are adapted to not produce electrical energy, and at least some of the solar cells of each group of solar cells are adapted to produce electricity.