Centre of Expertise Urban Education

An Architectural Approach for Improving Aesthetics of PV

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In order to improve the social acceptance of photovoltaic modules, the choice in panel color and size should be enlarged. Although various approaches have been reported to change the appearance of PV modules, it often adds complexity to the manufacturing process. Here an approach is presented in which a design module can be manufactured on standard module lines, by adding a print interlayer to the module. First results are shown on small PV panels, including performance and stability tests. Also full size panels are shown with an aluminum back panel including mounting structures for easy mounting on roofs and facades. The results show that although there is a drop in conversion efficiency by applying a print, the overall drop is lower than expected based on the print coverage. The stability tests show promising results after thermal cycling, damp heat, UV degradation and outdoor exposure.

Reference Slooff, L. H., van Roosmalen, J. A. M., Okel, L. A. G., de Vries, T., Minderhoud, T., Gijzen, G., Sepers, T., Versluis, A., Frumau, F., Rietbergen, M., Polinder, L., Heller, E. M. B., & de Vries, F. (2017). An Architectural Approach for Improving Aesthetics of PV. In Proceedings of 33rd European PV Solar Energy Conference and Exhibition ECN Solar Energy. https://www.eupvsec-proceedings.com/proceedings?tagged
Published by  Kenniscentrum Techniek 1 January 2017

Publication date

Jan 2017

Author(s)

L.H Slooff
J.A.M. van Roosmalen
L.A.G. Okel
T. de Vries
T. Minderhoud
G. Gijzen
T. Sepers
A. Versluis
F. Frumau
M. Rietbergen
L. Polinder
L.H. Slooff

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