Coating materials and methods for enhanced reliability

摘要

Glass coating materials and methods are disclosed for the coating of glass substrates used in the manufacturer of photovoltaic solar modules such that the coating enhances the reliability of the module by reducing its susceptibility to potential induced degradation (PID). Coating materials are disclosed that reduce soiling on the front surface of the glass; that increase the surface resistivity of the glass and that repel moisture and that seal the surface from the ingress of moisture. Further electrically conductive coatings are disclosed that reduce the electric field between the front and back surfaces of the glass and hence reduce ion mobility within the glass and transport from the interior glass surface to the solar cell. There are additional configuration choices for fine tuning associated with separately optimizing the exterior and interior glass coating. Finally, coating processes and methods are disclosed for coating glass substrates with the disclosed materials.

主权项

1. A PID resistant photovoltaic solar module, comprising:
a front cover-glass with a coating, wherein the coating includes a nanoparticle additive selected from the group consisting of SnO2, Al2O3, Si3N4, ZrO2, HfO2 and Ce2O3; a first layer of encapsulant; at least one photovoltaic solar cell; a second layer of encapsulant; and a back cover-sheet, wherein the front cover-glass with the coating has an anti-reflective property, a hydrophobic property and an enhanced ion-migration blocking property when compared to the same front cover-glass without the coating; and wherein the front cover-glass is coated on at least one surface selected from the surfaces consisting of: a front surface, a back surface, and at least one edge surface.