Title :
Light-trapping in solar modules using extra-white textured glass
Author :
Blieske, U. ; Doege, T. ; Gayout, P. ; Neander, M. ; Neumann, D. ; Prat, A.
Author_Institution :
Saint Gobain Glass, Herzogenrath, Germany
Abstract :
The objective of this work is the development of a front cover glass for all types of PV modules allowing a significant reduction of optical losses at the glass-air and the polymer-cell interface. The annual relative gain in transmission between a plane surface and a inverse pyramidal-textured (half-angle=45/spl deg/) surface has been calculated to be 8.1% for direct radiation and 6.1% for diffuse radiation for a standard year in Cologne (Germany). This glass has been manufactured on an industrial cast glass furnace during an extra-white campaign. It allows an annual efficiency improvement of 3.1% (2.9% at normal incidence and 9.4% at 70/spl deg/) compared to flat glass with the same composition and measured with polycrystalline Si solar cells. After 9 months outdoor testing (on a dusty test site, 60/spl deg/ tilted to a horizontal surface), a significant advantage of the pyramidal glass (compared to flat glass) is still present.
Keywords :
elemental semiconductors; glass; light transmission; optical losses; silicon; solar cells; surface texture; 2.9 percent; 6.1 percent; 8.1 percent; 9 month; 9.4 percent; SiO/sub 2/-Si; annual relative gain; diffuse radiation; direct radiation; extra-white textured glass; front cover glass; glass-air interface; inverse pyramidal-textured surface; optical losses; photovoltaic module; plane surface; polymer-cell interface; pyramidal glass; solar module;
Conference_Titel :
Photovoltaic Energy Conversion, 2003. Proceedings of 3rd World Conference on
Conference_Location :
Osaka, Japan
Print_ISBN :
4-9901816-0-3
