Encapsulation of Photovoltaic Modules in Composite Material through HP-RTM Process
| Autor: | Aizpurua, J., Cambarau, W., Arrizabalaga, I., Imbuluzqueta, G., Hernandez, J.M., Yurrita, N., Ollo, O., Cano, F.J., Zubillaga, O. |
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| Jazyk: | angličtina |
| Rok vydání: | 2020 |
| Předmět: | |
| DOI: | 10.4229/eupvsec20202020-1bv.4.48 |
| Popis: | 37th European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference and Exhibition; 103-105 Fiber reinforced composite materials have been reported as a valid solution for PV module manufacturing. This approach allows replacing the whole standard encapsulation system by the composite as the only structural and protective material, leading to lightweight monolithic devices. Vacuum resin infusion, prepreg based processes or resin transfer moulding (RTM) are potential manufacturing processes for this purpose, with their corresponding adaption to the presence of PV cells in the reinforcement stack. Mini-modules consisting of four crystalline silicon cells were manufactured with high pressure RTM (HP-RTM) process. A 0/90º fabric of glass fiber was used as reinforcement, whereas the resin system was composed by a clear bisphenol-A based epoxy resin and an amine curing agent. Process parameters and resin system composition were modified to avoid cell breakage during manufacturing. Incorporation of release compounds were found to be critical to smooth the demoulding step and minimize cell cracking. Modules were manufactured varying the content of the release agent. The PV performance was measured through current-voltage curves obtained by a lab solar simulator. The reliability of the modules was tested in accelerated aging tests comprising damp-heat, thermal cycling and ultraviolet radiation exposure, under conditions indicated in IEC 61215 standard. The results showed that the presence of the demoulding agent in the resin composition affected significantly to the durability of the modules. After 1000 hours of damp-heat exposure, the modules without this compound presented a power loss of 0.4%, whereas the ones containing 4% of releasing agent reached up to 3.2% power loss. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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