SOLARAWARDS2011 SHORTLISTED
Vincent Industrie & Appollon Solar
New Industrial Cells Encapsulation (NICE)
New Industrial Cells Encapsulation (NICE) process represents an innovative and alternative to the module encapsulation. The key elements of this technology, compared to the state-of-the-art EVA based lamination technology for the manufacturing of PV modules, are:
Implementation of an air and humidity tight sealing technology with an organic material derived from the family of poly-isobutylene, that is deposited in form of a narrow ribbon around the perimeter of the module’s supporting sheets (glass/glass, or glass/metal), creating a strong adhesive contact between these two sheets.
Solder free, low resistivity serial interconnection of the cells by creating an under pressure within the sealed-off space between the two supporting sheets of the module, which establishes a pressure contact between metal interconnectors and the conducting paths of the interconnected solar cells.
Suppression of EVA lamination: inert gas inside the module to avoid cells and connectors’ corrosion
The major advantages of this technology are following: 30% direct cost reduction of module manufacturing
100% automation, cycle time reduction per module from > 10 to 2 minutes
New sealing process and material for improved humidity tightness
Better long term module performance stability than EVA lamination Full recyclable modules
The Nice Module production line is designed to produce double glass and glass/metal modules up to 6x10 cells with front and back contracts or with back contacts only, as well as thin modules.
Meier Solar Solutions GmbH
STACOLAM
The STACOLAM is a highly efficient encapsulation system for solar modules and PV equipment. This Meier Solar Solutions innovation is a 10-level stack laminator for thin-film and crystalline processes that replaces more than four conventional laminators.
Challenge
Solar module material is extremely sensitive. However, laminating the modules can ensure a longer service life. The aim is to protect them from the negative effects of weather.
Problem solved
The laminator encapsulates and laminates the sensitive material of the modules, thereby providing long-term protection of the solar modules from the negative effects of weather.
Rehm Thermal Oxidiser
A new thermal oxidation process from Rehm Thermal Systems has eliminated the challenge of residue contamination from photovoltaic metallization. In order to minimise maintenance and provide a cleaner process chamber, Rehm has created the Thermal Oxidiser to enhance the performance of its RDS Drying Systems. Thermal oxidation is a process during which the volatile organic constituents and the hydrocarbons (VOCs) in the metallization pastes react with oxygen, and are decomposed. The goal is to burn the long-chain molecules in the vapour or smoke and transform them into readily volatile, non- condensable substances. These are then easily discharged from the system, to significantly reduce the potential of condensation and in turn, minimise system maintenance.
Noteworthy The new STACOLAM stack laminator is the most effective laminator worldwide, capable of laminating 1.1 million modules in a single year.
Customers benefit The new STACOLAM provides our customers with immense advantages in terms of space, speed and encapsulating capacity, whilst improving environmental and working conditions for our partners and clients.
Due to the arrangement of the heater and the granulate pack in Rehm’s RDS Drying Systems results in a very compact, thermal reactor which requires little additional energy to reduce energy consumption even further. Rehm’s thermal oxidation process involves heating the gas to a temperature greater than 500°C.
The molecules crack at these high temperatures and combine with atmospheric oxygen which is present within the system. In order to oxidise hydrocarbons in an energy-efficient manner at low reaction temperatures of approximately 500°C, catalyzers are installed downstream from the heating chamber. This results in a thermal reactor which is dimensioned for solar dryers such that a gas exchanger of greater than 40-fold assures reliable removal of the vapour or smoke which occurs in the process chamber.
Solar Awards presented on 6th September 2011
Challenge
During the 200°C to 350°C curing process involved in metallization, significant quantities of vapour and smoke are
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www.solar-pv-management.com Issue VII 2011
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