An object of the present invention is to provide a manufacturing apparatus for a solar cell group that is likely to be recognized as having a good color balance when viewed by humans. The manufacturing apparatus for a solar cell group of the present invention includes an arrangement operation unit (12) that arranges solar cells and a machine learning unit (20). The solar cell group is formed by planarly arranging the solar cells. The solar cells have a light receiving surface and include an antireflection material on the light receiving surface side. Some of the solar cells have a variation in color element due to a difference in thickness of the antireflection material or a difference in refractive index of the antireflection material. The machine learning unit (20) performs machine learning using a correlation between an arrangement of the solar cells and a determination result by humans on color balance of the solar cell group as training data. When the solar cell group is manufactured, the machine learning unit (20) generates an arrangement model of the solar cells that is predicted to be determined to have a good color balance as the solar cell group by humans' visual recognition based on information on color elements of each solar cell, and then the arrangement operation unit (12) arranges each of the solar cells based on the arrangement model.

A lamination device for laminating a photovoltaic stack on a profiled metallic panel, the lamination device including a lid covered on its underside with an upper flexible pressure membrane so as to form an airtight upper chamber that may be ventilated or evacuated and/or including an upper heating device whose bottom side has a crenellated profile, the device also including a chassis covered on its top with a lower flexible pressure membrane so as to form an airtight lower chamber that may be ventilated or evacuated and/or including a lower heating device whose upper side has a cross-section which differs from the crenellated profile of the bottom side of the upper heating device, wherein the lid is capable of sealably laying on the chassis so that the cavity thus formed is airtight and may be ventilated or evacuated. A corresponding process is also provided.

A welding method for a welding strip of a back-contact solar cell chip includes the following steps: firstly, welding small chip assemblies of a back-contact solar cell to be interconnected to form a small cell string through an interconnected bar; then, punching the small cell string into small cell assemblies separated from each other through a cutting or punching process; subsequently, flexibly welding the small cell assemblies by a bus bar to reach a required length of a finished assembly product; and finally, breaking the bus bar through a post cutting or punching process to form cell assemblies with positive and negative electrodes connected in series or in parallel. The method makes the welding surfaces of the solar cell chips be on the same surface through using the back-contact solar cell chips, so that the interconnected bar of the solar cell chips can be welded rapidly and continuously.

A method of fabricating a non-uniformly curved photovoltaic module including multiple photovoltaic cells forming a body part of a vehicle and having differently curved areas. The method includes determining a minimum allowable bending radius of the photovoltaic cells, analysing a curvature radius of one of the photovoltaic cells being assumed to be arranged at a positioning area within the photovoltaic module, with the curvature radius being analyzed for each of multiple positioning areas along a lateral extension of the photovoltaic module, arranging the photovoltaic cells in a curvature limited configuration in which none of the photovoltaic cells overlaps a highly bended area, the curvature radius of which being analyzed to be smaller than the minimum allowable bending radius, and fixing the photovoltaic cells in the curvature limited configuration within the photovoltaic module, thereby preventing excessive bending and resulting breaking or cracking of photovoltaic cells.

A bonding apparatus includes a heat source, a first plate, a second plate, and an actuation mechanism. The first plate is coupled to the heat source. The first and second plates are thermally conductive and configured to cover an entire solar cell. The actuation mechanism moves the bonding apparatus between an open position and a closed position. In the closed position, the first plate and the second plate contact opposite surfaces of the solar cell. The second plate is configured to dissipate heat such that the second plate has a lower temperature than the first plate when in the closed position. The first plate and the second plate apply a force to the solar cell, the force at a first end of the solar cell being different than at a second end of the solar cell when the bonding apparatus is in or moving to the closed position.

An electromagnetic radiation source designed for a light-soaking treatment of a photovoltaic cell or a photovoltaic cell precursor, the source including a plurality of first radiation emitters and a plurality of second radiation emitters, the first and second radiation emitters being arranged in a plurality of rows, each first radiation emitter being configured to emit a first electromagnetic radiation having a spectrum comprised between 300 nm and 550 nm and each second radiation emitter being configured to emit a second electromagnetic radiation having a spectrum comprised between 800 nm and 1200 nm.

A method for curing a portion of conductive paste disposed on a photovoltaic cell, the photovoltaic cell including a first face and a second face, the portion of conductive paste being disposed on one of the faces of the photovoltaic cell, the curing method including exposing the first face of the photovoltaic cell to a first electromagnetic radiation including at least one component between 300 nm and 700 nm.

A method for fabricating a plurality of Time-of-Flight sensor devices (1) comprises a step of providing a wafer (100) including a plurality of wafer portions (110) for a respective one of the Time-of-Flight sensor devices (1), wherein each of the wafer portions (110) includes a first light detecting area (10) and a second light detecting area (20) and a respective light emitter device (30). The respective light emitter device (30) and the respective first light detecting area (10) is encapsulated by a first volume (40) of a light transparent material (130), and the respective second light detecting area (20) is encapsulated by a second volume (50) of the light transparent material (130). Before singulation of the devices (1), an opaque material (60) is placed on the wafer portions (110) in a space (120) between the respective first and second volume (40, 50) of the light transparent material (130).

A photovoltaic string includes a plurality of photovoltaic shingle and a metallic connector; the shingle being glued in pairs, forming a plurality of overlapping surfaces, each overlapping surface having an overlap width, the metallic connector being glued or welded to an end shingle forming a transfer surface, the transfer surface having a transfer width greater than or equal to each of the overlap widths, the active surface of the end shingle preferably being greater than or equal to the active surface of an intermediate shingle.

Disclosed herein are approaches to fabricating solar cells, solar cell strings and solar modules using roll-to-roll foil-based metallization approaches. Methods disclosed herein can comprise the steps of providing at least one solar cell wafer on a first roll unit and conveying a metal foil to the first roll unit. The metal foil can be coupled to the solar cell wafer on the first roll unit to produce a unified pairing of the metal foil and the solar cell wafer. We disclose solar energy collection devices and manufacturing methods thereof enabling reduction of manufacturing costs due to simplification of the manufacturing process by a high throughput foil metallization process.