Pushing the boundaries: Challenges that arise in manufacturing and designing photovoltaic modules for new application areas

This work discusses challenges arising from the trends in the photovoltaic (PV) market, for new cell types and for modules used for special applications such as vehicle-integrated photovoltaic (VIPV), building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV), and road-integrated photovoltaic (RIPV). In contrast to standard modules, modules for new applications often must fulfill additional requirements, and the sensitivity of new cell types makes the situation not easier. These requirements include aesthetical look, dealing with 3D curved shapes, shading resilience and mitigating sun reflectance of modules used as noise barriers on highways etc. To meet these points and to handle the new cell technologies the bill of materials (BOM) also may need to be adjusted. With the shift in solar cells from PERC to more efficient Tandem cells, the manufacturing process of modules requires adaptation of process parameters. Our study demonstrates that PERC cells can be laminated at temperatures up to 180 °C in a short duration process. In contrast, Perovskite Si-tandem cells (PVST) are more sensitive to high temperatures, necessitating the use of low-temperature lamination processes. We have developed an in-house simulation tool that helps to optimize the process parameters by modeling the temperature and gel-content profile in the module during the lamination process. This research aims to show the challenges of the new technologies and focuses on possible solutions in terms of their manufacturing process and design phase.