阅读说明：本技术 弯曲太阳能电池模块 (Curved solar cell module ) 是由 田峻昊 金正根 宋龙 禹正勋 黄彦柱 于 2018-03-26 设计创作，主要内容包括：根据本公开的一个实施方式的弯曲太阳能电池模块包括：弯曲透明基板，该弯曲透明基板包括具有第一曲率的第一区域和具有不同于第一曲率的第二曲率的第二区域；第一输出单元，该第一输出单元包括在第一区域中根据第一曲率设置以便具有第一斜率且相互连接的多个第一太阳能电池；以及第一优化器，该第一优化器连接至第一太阳能电池以便调节其输出电力；以及第二输出单元，该第二输出单元包括在第二区域中根据第二曲率设置以便具有不同于第一斜率的第二斜率且相互电连接的多个第二太阳能电池；以及第二优化器，该第二优化器连接到第二太阳能电池以便调节其输出电力；以及连接单元，该连接单元连接在第一输出单元和第二输出单元之间。(A curved solar cell module according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes: a curved transparent substrate including a first region having a first curvature and a second region having a second curvature different from the first curvature; a first output unit including a plurality of first solar cells disposed according to a first curvature in a first region so as to have a first slope and connected to each other; and a first optimizer connected to the first solar cell so as to adjust its output power; and a second output unit including a plurality of second solar cells disposed according to the second curvature in the second region so as to have a second slope different from the first slope and electrically connected to each other; and a second optimizer connected to the second solar cell so as to adjust its output power; and a connection unit connected between the first output unit and the second output unit.)

1. A curved solar cell module, comprising:

a curved transparent substrate comprising a first region having a first curvature and a second region having a second curvature different from the first curvature;

a first output unit including a plurality of first solar cells disposed along the first curvature at the first region and having a first slope and connected to each other, and a first optimizer connected to the plurality of first solar cells to adjust output power of the plurality of first solar cells;

a second output unit including a plurality of second solar cells disposed along the second curvature at the second region and having a second slope different from the first slope and electrically connected to each other, and a second optimizer connected to the plurality of second solar cells to adjust output power of the plurality of second solar cells; and

a connection unit connected between the first output unit and the second output unit.

2. The curved solar cell module of claim 1, wherein the second curvature is greater than the first curvature.

3. The curved solar cell module of claim 1, wherein the second slope is greater than the first slope.

4. The curved solar cell module of claim 1, wherein a number of the plurality of first solar cells connected to the first optimizer is greater than a number of the plurality of second solar cells connected to the second optimizer.

5. The curved solar cell module of claim 1, wherein the processing power of the first optimizer is greater than the processing power of the second optimizer.

6. The curved solar cell module of claim 1, wherein the curved transparent substrate is divided into the first region and the second region based on a reference line in a first direction to which each of the plurality of first solar cells and the plurality of second solar cells is connected.

7. The curved solar cell module of claim 6, wherein the plurality of first solar cells and the plurality of second solar cells are arranged together to form an m x n matrix, and

the total number of strings disposed in the first and second regions is greater than the number of the plurality of first solar cells or the plurality of second solar cells belonging to each string.

8. The curved solar cell module of claim 7, wherein the number of strings disposed in the first region is greater than the number of strings disposed in the second region.

9. The curved solar cell module of claim 8, wherein the string disposed in the first region comprises a plurality of strings connected to one another in series, and

the plurality of strings are connected to a single first optimizer.

10. The curved solar cell module of claim 8, wherein the strings disposed in the first region comprise a plurality of string groups in which at least two adjacent strings are connected in series, and

the first optimizer includes a plurality of optimizers, each optimizer connected to the plurality of strings.

11. The curved solar cell module of claim 1, wherein the first plurality of solar cells are electrically connected to the second plurality of solar cells only through the first optimizer and the second optimizer.

12. The curved solar cell module of claim 6, wherein the plurality of first solar cells and the plurality of second solar cells are arranged together to form an m x n matrix, and

the total number of strings disposed in the first region and the second region is less than the number of the plurality of first solar cells or the plurality of second solar cells belonging to each string.

13. The curved solar cell module of claim 1, wherein the second region is an edge region comprising a side of the curved transparent substrate.

14. A curved solar cell module, comprising:

a curved transparent substrate comprising a first region and a second region different from the first region;

a first output unit including a plurality of first solar cells disposed to have a slope in a first direction along a curved surface at the first region, and a first optimizer connected to the plurality of first solar cells to adjust output power of the plurality of first solar cells;

a second output unit including a plurality of second solar cells arranged to have a slope in a second direction different from the first direction at the second region, and a second optimizer connected to the plurality of second solar cells to adjust output power of the plurality of second solar cells; and

a connection unit connected between the first output unit and the second output unit.

15. The curved solar cell module of claim 14, wherein the plurality of first solar cells and the plurality of second solar cells are arranged together to form an m x n matrix.

16. The curved solar cell module of claim 15, wherein each of the plurality of first solar cells and the plurality of second solar cells form a series-connected string, and

the string is connected to a single first optimizer and a single second optimizer.

17. The curved solar cell module of claim 15, wherein the first and second regions divide the curved transparent substrate in a direction that intersects a longitudinal direction of the string.

18. The curved solar cell module of claim 17, wherein the first output unit located in the first region and the second output unit located in the second region are each formed in plurality.

19. The curved solar cell module of claim 18, wherein each of the plurality of first solar cells and the plurality of second solar cells are connected in series at a corresponding first output unit or second output unit to form a string, and

the strings disposed in the first region and the strings disposed in the second region are located on the same line in the longitudinal direction of the strings.

20. The curved solar cell module of claim 19, wherein the total number of strings is greater than the number of the plurality of first solar cells or the plurality of second solar cells belonging to the string.

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to a curved solar cell module mounted and used on a curved surface.

Background

Recently, as exhaustion of existing energy sources such as petroleum and coal is expected, interest in alternative energy sources to replace the existing energy sources is increasing. Among these alternative energy sources, solar cells generate electric energy from solar energy, and are receiving attention because of their abundant energy resources and lack of problems of environmental pollution.

A typical solar cell includes a substrate and an emitter layer made of semiconductors of different conductivity types (such as p-type and n-type), and electrodes connected to the substrate and the emitter layer, respectively. At this time, a p-n junction is formed in the interface of the substrate and the emitter layer.

When light is incident on the solar cell, a plurality of electron-hole pairs are generated in the semiconductor, the generated electron-hole pairs are separated into electrons and holes, the electrons and holes move toward the n-type semiconductor and the p-type semiconductor (e.g., the emitter layer and the substrate), respectively, the electrons and holes are collected by electrodes electrically connected to the substrate and the emitter layer, and the electrodes are connected through wires to obtain power.

Such a solar cell has been used by packaging a plurality of solar cells in a module form to increase output power.

In recent years, such solar cell modules have satisfied the needs of consumers in various forms, such as being supplied to solar power plants or homes.

The solar cells mounted in the solar cell module may be connected to each other in series (e.g., a string). When the output current of one solar cell included in the string is low, the total output current of the string converges to the lowest output current value due to the characteristics of the series circuit. In this case, since the output current value of the solar cell module converges to the minimum value, there arises a problem that the output of the entire module decreases.

On the other hand, when the solar cell module is used in a roof of a vehicle having a curved shape, a wing of an airplane, an exterior of a building, or the like, the solar cell module is also mounted to have a curved surface in accordance with a mounting position.

However, in this case, since the installation angle of the solar cell is changed due to the shape of the curved surface itself, the value of the current generated by the solar cell must be changed according to the position, with the result that there is a problem in that the output of the solar cell module is lowered.

Disclosure of Invention

Technical problem

The present disclosure has been made in view of the above-mentioned technical background, and improves the overall output of a curved solar cell module by effectively managing the output of solar cells disposed along a curved surface.

Technical scheme

The curved solar cell module according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes: a curved transparent substrate comprising a first region having a first curvature and a second region having a second curvature different from the first curvature; a first output unit including a plurality of first solar cells disposed along a first curvature at a first region and having a first slope and connected to each other; and a first optimizer connected to the plurality of first solar cells to adjust output power thereof; a second output unit including a plurality of second solar cells disposed along the second curvature at the second region and having a second slope different from the first slope and electrically connected to each other; and a second optimizer connected to the plurality of second solar cells to adjust output power thereof; and a connection unit connected between the first output unit and the second output unit.

A curved solar cell module according to another embodiment of the present disclosure includes: a curved transparent substrate comprising a first region and a second region different from the first region; a first output unit including a plurality of first solar cells disposed to have a slope in a first direction along a curved surface at a first region; a first optimizer connected to a plurality of first solar cells to adjust output power thereof; a second output unit including a plurality of second solar cells disposed to have a slope in a second direction different from the first direction at a second region; and a second optimizer connected to the plurality of second solar cells to adjust output power thereof; and a connection unit connected between the first output unit and the second output unit.

Advantageous effects

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the string is divided for each zone and connected to an optimizer that adjusts the output power to configure the output unit. Therefore, even if the solar cells form an m × n matrix, the output power of each solar cell can be adjusted for each region having a different inclination angle, and as a result, the output power of the entire module can be effectively adjusted.

Drawings

Fig. 1 illustrates a curved solar cell module mounted on a roof of a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 2 shows a transparent substrate constituting a curved solar cell module.

Fig. 3 illustrates a state in which a plurality of solar cells are disposed by cutting the bent solar cell module in a column direction, and a traveling direction of light incident on the bent solar cell module according to a position of the sun.

Fig. 4 is a graph for illustrating the slope of the solar cell according to the region.

Fig. 5 is a diagram for explaining the arrangement of solar cells and the configuration of an output unit according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 6 is a diagram for explaining a configuration in which the first region is divided into a plurality of regions.

Fig. 7 is a view showing a state in which a plurality of solar cells are provided by cutting and bending a solar cell module in a row direction.

Fig. 8 is a diagram for explaining the arrangement of the solar cell and the configuration of the output unit according to fig. 7.

Fig. 9 and 10 are diagrams for explaining solar cells whose oblique directions are different in the column direction.

Fig. 11 is a diagram for explaining the arrangement of the solar cell and the configuration of the output unit according to fig. 10.

Fig. 12 is a diagram for explaining solar cells whose inclination directions are different in the row direction.

Fig. 13 is a diagram for explaining the arrangement of the solar cell and the configuration of the output unit according to fig. 12.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail so that those skilled in the art can easily implement the present disclosure with reference to the accompanying drawings.

This disclosure may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. In the drawings, portions irrelevant to the description may be simply described or omitted to clearly describe the present disclosure. In addition, for convenience of description, the various embodiments shown in the drawings are presented by way of example and are illustrated by simplified components (not as actual).

In the following detailed description, the same reference numerals are assigned to the same components, there is no difference with respect to the embodiments, and the description thereof will not be repeated.

In the following description of the embodiments, the bent solar cell module according to the embodiments of the present disclosure is described in the embodiment mounted on the roof of the vehicle, but the bent solar cell module may be used to be mounted on the appearance of a roof such as a building or an airframe of an airplane. Hereinafter, a solar cell according to the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 1 and 2 illustrate a curved solar cell module mounted on a roof of a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, and fig. 2 illustrates a transparent substrate constituting the curved solar cell module. Fig. 3 shows a state in which a plurality of solar cells are arranged by cutting the bent solar cell module in a column direction (y-axis direction in the figure), and a traveling direction of light incident on the bent solar cell module according to the position of the sun. Fig. 4 is a graph for illustrating the slope of the solar cell according to the region.

Referring to these drawings, the curved solar cell module 1 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure may be mounted on a roof of a vehicle having a curved surface to generate electric power for driving the vehicle.

Modern automobiles are designed to use many curved surfaces to reduce air resistance and improve the design. The roof of the vehicle also has a substantially convex shape at the top, and a portion connected to the vehicle body may be formed to have a larger curved surface than other portions.

The curved solar cell module 1 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure should be formed to have at least two different curved surfaces to correspond to the shape of a roof of a vehicle. Therefore, the curved shape of the curved solar cell module 1 (particularly, the transparent substrate 10 forming the appearance) may be variously modified according to the radius of curvature, the shape of the curved surface, and the like depending on the object to be mounted.

In an embodiment, the solar cells 20 may form an m × n matrix (m and n are natural numbers) in rows and columns, so that a large number of solar cells may be disposed on the roof of the vehicle. The connections between the solar cells 20 are configured to be physically connected to each other only within the string, which will be described in detail later. Here, if the columns are in the first direction and the rows are in the second direction, the roof of the vehicle has an approximately rectangular shape, wherein the columns are longer than the rows, so the solar cells are preferably arranged accordingly. That is, it is preferable that the solar cells may be disposed such that the number of solar cells arranged in a first direction (y-axis direction in the drawing) with reference to one column is greater than the number of solar cells arranged in a second direction with reference to one row.

The transparent substrate 10 may have a substantially rectangular shape in which a longitudinal direction of the vehicle (y-axis direction in the drawing, hereinafter referred to as a first direction) is longer than a width direction of the vehicle (x-axis direction in the drawing, hereinafter referred to as a second direction of the vehicle).

Further, the transparent substrate 10 may have a circular shape that bulges upward as a whole with respect to the floor surface 100, and particularly, the transparent substrate 10 may have different curvatures (or curved surfaces) according to its position.

As shown, the transparent substrate 10 may be divided into a first region S1 having a first curvature and a second region S2 having a second curvature greater than the first curvature to correspond to a roof shape of a vehicle. Accordingly, the transparent substrate 10 may be composed of the first curved surface 10a having the first curvature at the first region S1 and the second curved surface 10b having the second curvature at the second region S2. Here, since the curvature of the second curved surface 10b is different from that of the first curved surface 10a, the second curved surface 10b may be configured to have a different slope. For example, if the curvature of the second curved surface 10b is large, the second curved surface 10b may have a steeper slope than the first curved surface 10a, and if the curvature of the second curved surface 10b is small, the second curved surface 10b may have a smaller slope than the first curved surface 10 a.

In a preferred form, the second region S2 may be an edge region including side portions of the transparent substrate 10 that connect the roof to the vehicle body, and the first region S1 may be a middle region between the second regions. Here, since the division of the region of the transparent substrate 10 is based on the theoretical classification of curvature, the division as shown in the figure may not be performed. Only examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Therefore, the first region S1 shown in the drawing may not necessarily correspond to the middle of the transparent substrate 10, and the second region S2 may not correspond to the edge of the transparent substrate 10.

Since the solar cells 20 are arranged according to the curved surface of the transparent substrate 10, the slope of the solar cells 20 may vary according to the region. Referring to fig. 4, it may be assumed that the first solar cells C1 disposed at the first region S1 are concentrated on a plane because the curvature of the transparent substrate 10 is small, so that the first solar cells C1 may be parallel to the ground 100. In contrast, the second solar cell C2 disposed at the second region S2 having a curved surface with a greater curvature or a greater curved surface than the first region S1 may be installed to be inclined with respect to the ground 100 than the first solar cell C1.

In the second region S2, since the transparent substrate 10 is positioned to be inclined with respect to the ground 100 according to the curved surface of the transparent substrate 10, the second solar cell C2 may be inclined with respect to the ground 100 by the first angle θ 1. In addition, the inclination angle of the second region S2 may be different. That is, when the inclination angle of the second region S2 located near the front of the vehicle and the inclination angle of the second region S2 located near the rear of the vehicle are referred to as a first angle θ a and a second angle θ b, respectively, the first angle θ a and the second angle θ b may be different from each other.

Here, the first and second solar cells C1 and C2 are used to distinguish solar cells belonging to the first and second regions S1 and S2 among solar cells arranged in an m × n matrix. That is, the first solar cell C1 refers to a solar cell disposed in a region having a small curvature, and the second solar cell C2 refers to a solar cell disposed in a region having a larger curvature than the first solar cell C1 and disposed to be more inclined than the first solar cell C1.

Since the solar cell 20 has a different inclination angle according to a position, the amount of light incident on the solar cell may be different.

Referring to fig. 3, it is assumed that light enters the bent solar cell module 1 through the first path a1 to the third path A3 at point (a). Here, the first path a1 refers to a path substantially perpendicular to the first region S1, and the second and third paths A3 and A3 refer to paths of light incident to the second region S2 located at both sides of the first region S1.

On the other hand, the light traveling along the first path a1 at the point (a) is perpendicularly incident to the first solar cell C1, and on the other hand, the light may be obliquely incident because the second solar cell C2 is inclined. Accordingly, the amount of light incident on the first solar cell C1 may be greater than the amount of light incident on the second solar cell C2.

At point (B), it is assumed that the light enters the bent solar cell module 1 through the first path B1 to the third path B3. Here, the first path B1 refers to a path of light directed to the first region S1 directly, and the second path B2 and the third path B3 refer to paths of light directed to the second region S2 and the third region S3, respectively. The light traveling along the first path B1 to the third path B3 reaches the first solar cell C1, and on the other hand, some light cannot properly reach the second solar cell C2 due to the inclination of the second solar cell C2. Accordingly, the amount of light incident on the first solar cell C1 may be greater than the amount of light incident on the second solar cell C2.

Similarly, at the point (C), light may be less incident on the obliquely disposed second solar cell C2 than on the non-inclined first solar cell C1.

When light enters the solar cells C1 to C3 as described above, the current value output from the second solar cell C2 is smaller than the current value output from the first solar cell C1, the output current of the module is determined to be the lowest output current value by the characteristics of the series circuit due to the deviation of the output current values, and the efficiency of bending the solar cell module 1 may be reduced.

In order to prevent such a problem, the bent solar cell module 1 of the present embodiment is configured to control the output of each of the solar cells C1, C2. This will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 5 is a diagram for explaining the arrangement of solar cells of a bent solar cell module and the configuration of an output unit according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

The curved solar cell module 1 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure includes: a first output unit 100, the first output unit 100 including a plurality of first solar cells C1 disposed along a first curvature at a first region S1 and having a first slope and connected to each other; a first optimizer CT1, the first optimizer CT1 being connected to the plurality of first solar cells C1 to adjust output power thereof; and a second output unit 200 including a plurality of second solar cells C2 disposed along the second curvature at the second region S2 and having a second slope different from the first slope and electrically connected to each other; and a second optimizer CT2, the second optimizer CT2 being connected to the plurality of second solar cells C2 to adjust output power thereof.

Optimizers CT1 and CT2 periodically monitor the input power generated by the connection string, operate when the input power for the current period is lower than the input power for the past period, and actively increase the power for the current period. Optimizers CT1 and CT2 include, for example, a buck converter circuit that changes the duty cycle of the converter to find MPPT and decrease the voltage V when the input power decreases, and on the other hand, increases the current I to prevent the input power from decreasing.

In fig. 5, the solar cells 20 are connected in series with each other in a row direction (z-axis direction in the drawing) to form first to tenth strings ST1 to ST10, and form an m × n matrix as a whole.

Here, the solar cells are preferably connected in the row direction (z-axis direction in the drawing) rather than in the column direction (y-axis direction in the drawing). By arranging the first string ST1 to the tenth string ST10 by connecting the solar cells, the outputs of the solar cells may be adjusted according to the regions S1 and S2, respectively.

That is, in the case where strings are formed by connecting solar cells arranged in the column direction (y-axis direction in the drawing), a part of the strings is located in the second region S2, and another part is located in the first region S1. Therefore, it is practically impossible to control the output of the solar cell for each of the regions S1 and S2. However, in the case where the solar cells are connected in the row direction (z-axis direction in the drawing) as in the present embodiment, the strings may be provided only in one region so that the power of the solar cells can be controlled for each of the regions S1 and S2.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the strings are formed by connecting the solar cells in the row direction (z-axis direction in the figure). Therefore, in the solar cells arranged in an m × n matrix, the number of solar cells belonging to one string may be smaller than the number of strings.

On the other hand, since both the first string ST1 and the tenth string ST10 are formed of the second solar cells C2 disposed in the second region S2, the solar cells C2 belonging to the first string ST1 and the tenth string ST10 are mounted to have a predetermined inclination angle θ 1. Since the second to ninth strings ST2 to ST9 are formed of the first solar cells C1 disposed in the first region S1, the solar cells C1 belonging to the second to ninth strings ST2 to ST9 may be mounted without inclination. Here, the second to ninth strings ST2 to ST9 may be connected in series with each other.

Therefore, the magnitude of the power generated by the first string ST1 and the tenth string ST10 may be smaller than the magnitude of the power generated by the second string ST2 to the ninth string ST9, respectively. The power output from the first string ST1 and the tenth string ST10 is managed separately from the power output from the second string ST2 to the ninth string ST9 to prevent the total output power of the bent solar cell module 1 from being lowered.

To this end, the second optimizer CT2 may be connected to the first string ST1 and the tenth string ST10 to form the second output unit 200, and the first optimizer CT1 may be connected to the second to ninth strings ST2 to ST9 to form the first output unit 100.

The first and second optimizers CT1 and CT2 may be connected in series or in parallel by the connection unit 300.

As described above, the curved solar cell module 1 of the present embodiment is configured such that the solar cell module is independently generated for each region, and the electric power output by the control of the controller can be adjusted. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the output power of the entire module from being lowered by the second solar cell C2 provided at the second region S2 where the amount of power generation fluctuates.

When the input power of the current period is lower than that of the past period, the optimizer CT1 periodically monitors the power output from the first string ST1 or the tenth string ST10, and actively increases the power of the current period and inputs it to the second optimizer CT2 through the connection unit 300 to control the total output power drop of the bent solar cell modules caused by the first string ST1 and the tenth string ST 10.

On the other hand, the number of solar cells connected to the first optimizer CT1 may be greater than the number of solar cells connected to the second optimizer CT 2. Therefore, it may be desirable that the processing capacity of the first optimizer CT1 may be greater than the processing capacity of the second optimizer CT 2. Here, the large processing power means that the maximum value of the input value and the output value is large. For example, the magnitude of the voltage and current input to the first optimizer CT1 may be greater than the magnitude of the voltage and current input to the second optimizer CT2, and in addition, the magnitude of the voltage and current output from the first optimizer CT1 may also be greater than the magnitude of the voltage and current output from the second optimizer CT 1.

On the other hand, in the curved solar cell module 1 shown in fig. 5, the first region S1 has been described as being composed of one region, but by forming a plurality of regions, the output power of the solar cells disposed in the first region S1 can be more effectively managed.

Fig. 6 is a diagram showing that the first region S1 is divided into an eleventh region and a twelfth region.

In fig. 6, the first region S1 may be further divided into an eleventh region S11 and a twelfth region 12. Here, the eleventh region S11 and the twelfth region S12 may have the same area or different areas, and the division of the regions is preferably divided along the row direction (z-axis direction in the drawing). In addition, the solar cells disposed in the eleventh and twelfth regions S11 and S12 may be installed to have the same inclination angle or different inclination angles.

In addition, the first output unit 100 may include an eleventh output unit 100a and a twelfth output unit 100b according to the divided regions, and may be configured to adjust output power for each of the divided regions S11 and S12.

In the eleventh region S11, the second to fifth strings ST2 to ST5 are connected in series by forming a string group, and are connected to the eleventh optimizer CT11 to form the eleventh output unit 100 a. In the twelfth region S12, the sixth through ninth strings ST6 through ST9 are also connected in series by forming a string group, and are connected to the twelfth optimizer CT12 to form the twelfth output unit 100 b.

The plurality of optimizers CT2, CT11, and CT12 may be configured to be connected to each other through the connection unit 300. Here, the processing capacity of the eleventh optimizer CT11, the twelfth optimizer CT12 and the second optimizer CT2 may be determined according to the number of strings connected to each optimizer. As the number of strings decreases, the size of the processing power also decreases, and as the number of strings increases, the size of the processing power also increases.

In the curved solar cell module 1 of the present embodiment, the solar cells are arranged in an m × n matrix, but are divided into the eleventh region S11, the twelfth region S12, and the second region S2 to generate electricity, and even if the power generated in some regions is decreased, since the optimizer operates to compensate for the decreased power, it is possible to prevent the output power of the entire module from being decreased.

On the other hand, in the above-described embodiment, when the curved transparent substrate 10 includes the first region S1 having the first curvature and the second region S2 having the second curvature different from the first curvature in the y-axis direction in the drawing, the arrangement of the solar cells and the configuration of the output unit have been described.

Hereinafter, an embodiment is described when the curved transparent substrate 10 includes a first region S1 having a first curvature and a second region S2 having a second curvature different from the first curvature in the x-axis direction in the drawing.

As shown in fig. 7, the transparent substrate 10 may be divided into a first region S1 having a first curvature and a second region S2 having a second curvature greater than the first curvature along the x-axis direction in the drawing. Accordingly, the transparent substrate 10 may include a first curved surface 10a having a first curvature in the first region S1, and may include a second curved surface 10b having a second curvature in the second region S2.

In addition, the solar cells disposed along the first and second curved surfaces may include a first solar cell C1 having a first slope and a second solar cell C2 having a second slope greater than the first slope.

The arrangement of the solar cells and the configuration of the output unit will be described with reference to fig. 8.

In fig. 8, first solar cells C1 having different slopes are arranged to form an m × n matrix. Here, the first and second regions S1 and S2 may be divided along the longitudinal direction of the strings ST1 to ST 6. By dividing the first area and the second area in this way, the string can be located in only one of the first area and the second area.

The first solar cell C1 located in the first region S1 and the second solar cell C2 located in the second region S2 may be disposed together to form an m × n matrix. The first and sixth strings ST1 and ST6 may be located in the second region S2, and the second to fifth strings ST2 to ST5 may be located in the first region S1. Here, the second to fifth strings ST2 to ST5 may be connected in series.

The first optimizer CT1 may be connected to the second string ST2 to the fifth string ST5, and the second optimizer CT2 may be connected to the first string ST1 and the sixth string ST6, respectively. The first optimizer CT1 and the second optimizer CT2 have a configuration connected by the connection unit 300.

In this embodiment, the longitudinal direction of the string is parallel to the column direction (y-axis direction in the figure) of the solar cells forming the m × n matrix array. Therefore, the number of solar cells belonging to each of the strings ST1 to ST6 can be increased as compared with the previous embodiment.

Further, even if the curved transparent substrates are formed to have the same curved surface, the solar cells 20 may have different inclination directions according to positions. If the inclination directions of the solar cells are different, the amount of light incident on the solar cells may vary at a certain position, and thus the total output power of the module may be reduced. Hereinafter, the configuration of the output unit according to the case of having slopes in different directions and the arrangement relationship of the respective solar cells will be described.

First, referring to fig. 9 and 10, the curved transparent substrate 10 having a constant curvature may have a shape that is bilaterally symmetric with respect to a vertex. Accordingly, some of the solar cells (i.e., the first solar cells C1) disposed along the curved surface may be mounted to have a first angle θ a that is an upward slope in the first region S1, and the second solar cells C2 may be mounted to have a second angle θ b that is a downward slope in the second region S2.

Fig. 11 shows the arrangement of the solar cells and the configuration of the output unit according to fig. 10.

Referring to fig. 11, a first solar cell and a second solar cell may be disposed together to form an m × n matrix.

In the first and second regions S1 and S2, the first and second solar cells C1 and C2 form a plurality of strings, respectively. In the first region S1, the first solar cell C1 may form a plurality of strings ST1 to ST6 by individually connecting a plurality of solar cells in the column direction (y-axis direction in the drawing) belonging to the first region S1. Each of the strings ST1 to ST6 may be connected to the first optimizer CT1 to configure the first output unit 100. Accordingly, a plurality of first output units 100 may be formed in the first region S1.

Further, in the second region S2, the second solar cell C2 may include a plurality of solar cells belonging to the second region S2 in the column direction to form strings ST7 to ST12, respectively. Each of the strings ST7 to ST12 may be connected to the second optimizer CT2 to form a plurality of second output units 200.

Therefore, the strings ST1 to ST6 belonging to the first region S1 are located on the same line in the y-axis direction in the drawing as the strings ST7 to ST12 belonging to the second region S2.

Therefore, the first and second solar cells may form the first and second output units together in an m × n matrix array, and the optimizer may operate for each output unit to be adjusted so that the output power is not reduced. As a result, the output power of the entire module can be prevented from being lowered.

Here, the solar cells arranged in the column direction (y-axis direction in the drawing) form a first output unit and a second output unit belonging to the first region S1 and the second region S2, respectively, and on the other hand, a plurality of output units are formed along the row direction (z-axis direction in the drawing). Thus, the number of solar cells belonging to each string may be less than the total number of strings. In addition, since the number of solar cells connected to each of the optimizers CT1 and CT2 is the same for each output unit, the capabilities of the optimizers CT1 and CT2 may be the same for all output units.

The above embodiment has described the embodiment of the case where the inclination directions of the solar cells arranged in the column direction (y-axis direction in the figure) on the curved transparent substrate 10 are different. Hereinafter, an embodiment of a case where the inclination directions of the solar cells disposed in the row direction (x-axis direction in the drawing) are different will be described with reference to fig. 12 and 13.

In fig. 12, since the curved transparent substrates 10 are configured to have the same curved surface in the row direction (x-axis direction in the drawing), the curved transparent substrates 10 may have a shape that is bilaterally symmetric with respect to the vertex.

Accordingly, the first solar cell C1 disposed in the first region S1 may be installed to have an upward slope, and the second solar cell C2 disposed in the second region S2 may be installed to have a downward slope.

Fig. 13 shows the arrangement of the solar cells and the configuration of the output unit according to fig. 12.

In fig. 13, the first solar cell and the second solar cell may be disposed together to form an m × n matrix.

In the first region S1, the first solar cells may be connected in the column direction to form a plurality of strings ST1 to ST3, and may be connected to the first optimizer CT1 to form the first output unit 100. In the second region S2, the second solar cells may also be connected in the column direction to form a plurality of strings ST4 to ST6, and may be connected to the second optimizer CT2 to form the second output unit 200.

Thus, each of the first optimizer CT1 and the second optimizer CT2 may be connected to a plurality of string groups in which a plurality of strings are connected in series. On the other hand, in fig. 13, the number of strings connected to each of the first and second optimizers CT1 and CT2 is the same, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above in detail, the scope of the present disclosure is not limited thereto. Various modifications and improvements of those skilled in the art using the basic concepts of the disclosure as defined in the appended claims fall within the scope of the disclosure.