Reliability of compliant electrically conductive adhesives for flexible PV modules

Lightweight flexible Photovoltaic (PV) modules are an attractive product option in variety of markets including portable (to power IoT devices) and low load-bearing rooftop applications. The ease of transport, installation, integration, cost, and reliability/ruggedness are the primary drivers towards penetration of the lightweight flexible PV products in the market. Factors that enable the lightweight and flexibility features include the absence of a frame, no-glass encapsulation, and flexible interconnection. The impact of these factors on reliability needs careful attention as they significantly deviate from the traditional silicon PV module package. In this paper, we focus on the area of robustness of interconnections in thin film lightweight flexible PV modules. The use of flexible and more permeable polymer coversheets in these modules (rather than glass) present a greater challenge on the mechanical integrity and environmental stability of the interconnects.

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