Frameless pressure-bearing photovoltaic panels

What is a holistic approach to photovoltaic module frame improvement?

We present a holistic approach for the photovoltaic (PV) module frame improvement that considers mechanical, electrical, economic, and ecological aspects for different frame designs. In a comprehensive study, the approach is applied to exemplary PV module frame designs.

Does frame design affect the electrical performance of PV module?

Regarding the electrical side of the analyses, results show that the frame design has a small impact on the electrical performance of PV module. Increasing the front frame width to 20 mm results in decrement of 0.92 W and 0.05% regarding power and efficiency respectively compared with the PV module with the reference frame design.

Do light structures of frameless PV modules have refined manufacturing technology?

To sum up, the present paper concerns light structures of frameless PV modules with refined manufacturing technology. As an extension of the small-scale investigations known from the literature, it can be useful for those who design and prepare production of such structures of standard size.

What size frame should a PV module have?

Like common PV module designs, we assume that the rear side frame width frame,r is equal or bigger than the front frame width frame,f with a fixed frame thickness frame of 1.8 mm and rubber seal thickness rubber of 2 mm.

What are the advantages of a PV module compared to a reference frame?

Compared to the PV module with the reference frame, the optimized design has a 2.6% lower deflection at 2400 Pa push load while saving 0.9% weight. The design reduces the PV module cost by 0.1% but also the PV module power by about 0.4 Wp.

What makes a 50 kW solar facade a frameless design?

The frameless design of the 50 kW facade was made possible by a concealed suspension technology that, according to its creators, eliminates the need for additional edging at the edge of the module. The installation was built with 135 W CIGS solar modules. The solar facade installed on HZB's new research building.