Automatic production system and production process for the automatic manufacturing of conductive backsheets with an integrated encapsulating and dielectric layer, for photovoltaic panels of the back-contact type. The system includes operating stations in sequence and is made up of at least one main line combined with a secondary line having a flow converging to a station of calibrated superimposition with fixing. The main line, on trays on a continuous conveying system, arranges and prepares the back supporting and conductive layer, whereas the secondary line forms the encapsulating and dielectric multi-layer element holed in correspondence of the electrical contacts comprising an automatic picking device which takes, roto-translates and holds said multi-layer element during processing and releases it only after the calibrated superimposition with fixing. The system is combined with a control system made up of at least four devices integrated with one another to enable calibration and check the automated processes.

A string-forming system is described. The string-forming system may include at least a first cell-lifting mechanism and a second cell-lifting mechanism that can automatically arrange a set of strips of a photovoltaic structure into a cascaded formation. During operation, a controller can cause the first cell-lifting mechanism to lift a first strip from a first platform, and can cause the second cell-lifting mechanism to lift, from the first platform, a second strip that may follow the first strip on the first platform. The controller may then activate a first shifting actuator of the first cell-lifting mechanism or a second shifting actuator of the second cell-lifting mechanism to place a leading edge of the second strip above a trailing edge of the first strip.

A targeted-annealing system can automatically cure a conductive paste that may bind cascaded strips of a string together without damaging the strips. The targeted-annealing system can process strings of cascaded strips on a supporting surface, and can anneal conductive paste between overlapping strips by blowing heated air on the overlapping sections of the strips. An air nozzle shaped to target the overlapping sections may provide the heated air. The supporting surface may include a porous material that allows a vacuum to pull on the cascaded strips from below the surface during the annealing process.

The invention relates to a method and to a device for the industrial wiring and final testing of photovoltaic concentrator modules, comprising a module frame, a lens disc, a sensor carrier disc, and electrical cable routing, having the following features: a) a laser contacting device for contactless connection of connecting lines between the individual sensor (11) and of connection elements (17) and of collector contact plates (19), wherein the cable routing on the sensor carrier disc (13) has in each case 5 CPV sensors connected in parallel as the basic structure, and said parallel circuits are connected in series, b) a device for testing electrical properties, wherein the CPV sensors (11) per se have a specific voltage applied thereto, and the light emitted therefrom via the lenses (15) is detected and evaluated, and c) a device for testing the tightness (5) of finished concentrator modules, wherein compressed air is applied to the interior of said modules and testing for the emission of compressed air is carried out.

Photovoltaic cells, methods for fabricating surface mount multijunction photovoltaic cells, methods for assembling solar panels, and solar panels comprising photovoltaic cells are disclosed. The surface mount multijunction photovoltaic cells include through-wafer-vias for interconnecting the front surface epitaxial layer to a contact pad on the back surface. The through-wafer-vias are formed using a wet etch process that removes semiconductor materials non-selectively without major differences in etch rates between heteroepitaxial III-V semiconductor layers.

A stringing device and stringing method usable for manufacturing photovoltaic modules efficiently with an easy configuration, and a photovoltaic module manufacturing device and manufacturing method. A stringing device for electrically connecting electrodes formed respectively in adjacent photovoltaic cells via a conductive member includes: number one joining unit which joins the photovoltaic cell supplied with its light receiving surface facing up and the conductive member to each other; and number two joining unit which joins the photovoltaic cell supplied with its light receiving surface facing down and the conductive member to each other.

Multi-operation tools for photovoltaic cell processing are described. In an example, a multi-operation tool includes a conveyor system to move a photovoltaic (PV) cell continuously along a conveyor path through a laser scribing station and an adhesive printing station. Furthermore, the PV cell may be aligned to a laser head of the laser scribing station and a printer head of the adhesive printing station in a single alignment operation prior to being laser scribed and printed with an adhesive in a continuous process.

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.

A high-speed layout device for a photovoltaic module includes a module input unit, a module output unit, a tray transfer unit, and a layout transfer unit. The tray transfer unit extends into a position below the module input unit to lift the photovoltaic module, moves horizontally, places the photovoltaic module on the module output unit for outputting, and then returns to the position below the module input unit. A layout of a middle row of battery strings is performed on the tray transfer unit, a layout of a first row of battery strings is performed on the input unit or the tray transfer unit, and a layout of a last row of battery strings is performed on the tray transfer unit or the output unit, wherein the layout of the first row of battery strings and the layout of the last row of battery strings are performed on different units.

A method is provided for producing an electrically conductive contact on a rear face and/or front face of a solar cell. The method interconnects solar cells in a cost-effective manner and ensures that cell damage, which leads to a reduction in power, is avoided. The rear face and/or front face of the solar cell is treated in the region of the contact and, after the treatment in the region, a pasty adhesive or an adhesive tape is applied in strips.