Renewable Energy
Fig. 1. A custom-designed solar cell module.
Breaking the mould – alternative materials for solar PV modules
Alex Savidis explica algunas opciones alternativas de materiales y diseños para los paneles solares. Tiene una visión diferente en lo que respecta a aplicaciones y entornos, y explica por qué el material y el diseño no tienen por qué restringir el uso de paneles fotovoltaicos solares en cualquier industria.
Alex Savidis erläutert einige alternative Materialien und Gestaltungsmöglichkeiten für Solarmodule. Er untersucht unterschiedliche Anwendungen und Umgebungen und erklärt, warum Material und Design in keiner Branche Nutzungseinschränkungen für Solarmodule darstellen müssen.
Alex Savidis explains some of the alternative material and design options for solar panels. He looks at different applications and environments and explains why material and design does not need to restrict the use of solar PV in any industry.
Y
ou could be forgiven for thinking that all solar panels have to be flat, rectangular, and made out of glass and a Tedlar backing sheet with an aluminium frame. After
all, that’s the standard formula for domestic and commercial PV modules. And it’s the traditional pattern followed by pretty much all off-the-shelf solar units available to design engineers for other applications, even if they’re not really appropriate for the job. But why? Is there a good reason for the materials used to be limited in this way? Te reality is that there are plenty of
alternatives that are far better suited to equipment design applications that need a different shape, size, weight, appearance or ability to cope in harsh conditions. You just need to know where to look.
A typical PV module used on house roofs, commercial buildings and solar farms is basically a laminate sandwich made up of three components - solar cells, glass and a backing sheet normally made from Tedlar – laminated together with an encapsulant. Tat’s fine for what they need to do. But would they all be right for integration into a traffic bollard, an offshore buoy or the approach lights used to guide a helicopter onto an oil rig? More and more solar panels are finding their way into applications where they’re used for autonomously powering devices that can’t be connected to the grid, or where it’s too expensive to do so. But design engineers are often frustrated by the inflexibility of the standard solar units available from catalogues, and their inability to meet the specific characteristics they need – with the risk that designs end up being seriously compromised.
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