Patent Application
20140216520
The invention relates to a solar cell module and fabricating method thereof. In particular, the invention relates to a solar cell module embedded with a dye sensitized cell layer for improving the photoelectric conversion efficiency thereof. The fabricating method thereof is also described.
In recent years, with the rapid development in energy-saving technology and environmental consciousness, the solar cell has become one of the most popular industries.
In general, the traditional solar cell module makes use of monocrystalline silicon, polycrystalline silicon, or amorphous silicon to convert optical energy into electrical energy. One dopes in the semiconductor impurities to form P-type and N-type semiconductors for photoelectric conversion. However, because its photoelectric conversion efficiency has a close relation with sunlight irradiation area and incident angle, the conventional solar cell module cannot make use of reflected sunlight, causing the problem of the poor photoelectric conversion efficiency.
In view of this, some manufacturers propose the multiple reflection cavity. The solar cell layers are disposed in parallel or with a small angle, so that sunlight can undergo multiple reflections within the solar cell module. In this way, one can further use reflected sunlight to improve the photoelectric conversion efficiency. However, the reflection of sunlight may not be able to exhaust by all of the solar cell layers in the compact solar cell module. This results in a waste of energy. Therefore, the above-described method still cannot effectively solve the problem of poor photoelectric conversion efficiency.
In summary, the prior art has long had poor photoelectric conversion efficiency. It is thus imperative to have an improved means to solve this problem.
In view of the foregoing, the invention discloses a solar cell module and its fabricating method.
The disclosed solar cell module comprises: a first substrate, a first solar cell layer, a second substrate, a second solar cell layer, and a dye-sensitized cell layer. The first solar cell layer is disposed on the upper surface of the first substrate. The second substrate is disposed in parallel above the first substrate. The second solar cell layer is disposed on the lower surface of the second substrate. The first solar cell layer and the second solar cell layer form a multiple reflection cavity. The dye-sensitized solar cell fills the multiple reflection cavity.
The disclosed fabricating method of the solar cell module comprises the steps of: providing a first substrate having a first solar cell layer disposed thereon; providing a second substrate in parallel with the first substrate and providing a second solar cell layer on the lower surface of the second substrate, so that the first solar cell layer and the second solar cell layer form a multiple reflection cavity; and filling the multiple reflection cavity with a dye-sensitized solar cell layer.
The invention disclosed above differs from the prior art in that the invention uses two parallel solar cell layers to form a multiple reflection cavity, filled with a dye-sensitized solar cell layer in order to improve the sunlight exhaustion, leading to the increase of photoelectric conversion efficiency.
Using the technical means described above, the invention can achieve the goal of enhancing the photoelectric conversion efficiency.
The invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description given herein below illustration only, and thus is not limitative of the present invention, and wherein:
The present invention will be apparent from the following detailed description, which proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein the same references relate to the same elements.
The first solar cell layer 12 is disposed on the upper surface of the first substrate 11. For example, using physical vapor deposition (PVD), vacuum vapor deposition, spin coating, and so on, the first substrate 11 is formed with the first solar cell layer 12 that includes a semitransparent electrode, an active layer, and an high reflective electrode. In an embodiment of the invention, the first solar cell layer 12 is an organic solar cell. However, the invention does not have any restriction on this. Any means that can be disposed on the first substrate 11 to perform photoelectric conversion should be included by the invention. In practice, the top semitransparent electrode can be made of silver (Ag) with a thickness of 12.5 nm. The active layer can be composed of poly (3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT), [6,6]-phenyl-C61 butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM). And the highly reflective bottom electrode can be made of Ag with a thickness of 100 nm. It should be noted that in practice, the top semitransparent electrode as an anode when a buffer layer of Molybdenum trioxide (MoO3) disposed on the top semitransparent electrode, or the high reflective bottom electrode as an anode when the buffer layer of MoO3 disposed on the high reflective bottom electrode. In other words, the anode may depend on the buffer layer of MoO3 is disposed on the top semitransparent electrode or the high reflective bottom electrode.
The second substrate 13 is disposed in parallel above the first substrate 11. Since the second substrate 13 and the first substrate 11 are the same. It is not further described herein. In practice, one can first form the second solar cell layer 14 on the surface of the second substrate 13, and then put the side of the second solar cell layer 14 side toward the first solar cell layer 12 of the first substrate 11.
The second solar cell layer 14 is provided on the lower surface of the second substrate 13, so that the first solar cell layer 12 and the second solar cell layer 14 form a multiple reflection cavity. The multiple reflection cavity is a structure that can repeatedly reflect sunlight. Since the multiple reflection cavity belongs to the prior art, it is not further described herein. Likewise, the second solar cell layer 14 includes but is not limited to the organic solar cell.
The dye-sensitized solar cell layer 15 fills the multiple reflection cavity. In practice, the dye-sensitized solar cell layer 15 is the encapsulation layer of the first solar cell layer 12 and the second solar cell layer 14, such as a transparent conductive glass substrate, flexible organic polymer foil. It is used as the substrate of the dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC). It is further filled with titanium dioxide (TiO2) semiconductor particles, electrolyte for promoting conductivity, as well as a dye having a sensitizing effect on sunlight, such as metal complexes of ruthenium (Ru), to form a dye-sensitized solar cell layer 15.
It should be noted that in practice, the disclosed solar cell module 10 can further contain reflectors. The reflectors are disposed on the same sides of the first substrate 11 and the second substrate 13, respectively, for guiding the sun light to the multiple reflection cavity. The configuration of the reflectors will be detailed later with reference to the accompanying figures. Moreover, the anodes and cathodes of the first solar cell layer 12, the second solar cell layer 14, and the dye-sensitized solar cell layer 15 are electrically connected to one set of wires, which are then electrically connected to the anode and cathode of a secondary cell to charge it. Likewise, the electrical connection of the solar cell module 10 and the secondary cell will be described layer with reference to the corresponding drawings.
In practice, step 230 can be followed by the steps of: disposing reflectors on the same sides of the first substrate and the second substrate, respectively, for guiding sunlight into the multiple reflection cavity (step 240); and electrically connecting the anodes and cathodes of the first solar cell layer, the second solar cell layer and the dye-sensitized solar cell layer to a set of wires, which are then electrically connected to a secondary cell (step 250).
In summary, the difference between the invention and the prior art is in that two parallel solar cell layers form a multiple reflection cavity, and that the dye-sensitized solar cell layer is filled in the multiple reflection cavity. This technical means can solve the problems in the prior art, and achieves the goal of enhancing the photoelectric conversion efficiency.
Although the invention has been described with reference to specific embodiments, this description is not meant to be construed in a limiting sense. Various modifications of the disclosed embodiments, as well as alternative embodiments, will be apparent to persons skilled in the art. It is, therefore, contemplated that the appended claims will cover all modifications that fall within the true scope of the invention.
