Heating and/or cooling module for a photovoltaic panel

Abstract

A heating and/or cooling module for a photovoltaic panel includes a 3D-textile core having a first main surface and a second main surface parallel thereto, together enclosing a volume, and a plurality of piles attaching the main surfaces to each other. An inlet is provided into the volume and an outlet out of the volume, so that a fluid can flow from the inlet to the outlet through the volume. At least one of the first main surface and the second main surface includes a plastic sealing layer, and that the first and second main surface are connected to each other by melting of the plastic sealing layer. A method of manufacturing such a module and a photovoltaic panel with such a module.

Claims

1-32. (canceled)

33. A heating and/or cooling module for a photovoltaic panel, arrangeable on a back of the photovoltaic panel, said heating and/or cooling module comprising: a 3D-textile core, having: a first main surface and a second main surface extending substantially parallel to the first main surface at a distance thereof, the first main surface and the second main surface enclosing a volume, and a plurality of piles attaching the first and second main surfaces to each other; and an inlet into the volume and an outlet out of the volume, so that a fluid can flow from the inlet to the outlet through the volume, thereby absorbing heat from or discharging heat to the photovoltaic panel and/or the surroundings through the first main surface, wherein at least one of the first main surface and the second main surface comprises a plastic sealing layer, and that the first and second main surface are connected to each other by melting of the plastic sealing layer.

34. The heating and/or cooling module according to claim 33, wherein the first main surface and the second main surface each comprise a plastic sealing layer, the first and second main surfaces being connected to each other via their sealing layers.

35. The heating and/or cooling module according to claim 33, wherein the connection between the first and second main surface is made along an edge of the first and second main surface, and wherein optionally the first and second main surface are connected to each other at an outer edge.

36. The heating and/or cooling module according to the claim 33, wherein the 3D-textile core is provided with a through opening extending through the first and second main surface for admitting an element, thereby defining an inner edge in the first and second main surface, wherein the first and second main surface are connected to each other at the inner edge.

37. The heating and/or cooling module according to claim 33, wherein the plastic comprises a thermoplastic; and wherein optionally the plastic is thermoplastic polyurethane.

38. The heating and/or cooling module according to claim 33, wherein at least one of the inlet and the outlet is arranged in one of the first and second main surface; and optionally further comprising an adapter connected to the inlet and/or outlet, the adapter being configured for connecting a conduit thereto; and optionally further comprising multiple inlets or outlets and at least one rigid flow element comprising the adapter and connecting the adapter to multiple inlets or outlets respectively, wherein optionally the flow element is a solid component with a channel defined therein; or wherein the flow element is a hollow profile, and wherein optionally the hollow profile comprises at least one hollow protrusion extending through the inlet or outlet.

39. The heating and/or cooling module according to claim 33, wherein at least one of the first and second main surface comprises a textile layer and a coating forming the sealing layer, wherein optionally the coating layer protrudes at least partly into the textile layer.

40. The heating and/or cooling module according to claim 39, wherein the coating layer is water impermeable.

41. The heating and/or cooling module according to claim 33, wherein the first and second main surface are connected directly to each other, optionally by their respective sealing layers.

42. The heating and/or cooling module according to claim 33, wherein at least an end zone of a sealing layer of at least one of the first main surface and the second main surface extends towards the other of the first main surface and the second main surface.

43. The heating and/or cooling module according to claim 39, having the at least one end zone extending towards the other of the first main surface and the second main surface, wherein the sealing layer of the at least one of the first main surface and the second main surface extending towards the other of the first main surface and the second main surface has an overlength with respect to the textile layer of its respective main surface.

44. The heating and/or cooling module according to claim 33, further comprising a strip of plastic between the sealing layers of the first and second main surface, connecting the first and second main surface to each other.

45. The heating and/or cooling module according to claim 44, wherein at least some piles run through the strip.

46. The heating and/or cooling module according to claim 33, further comprising two flanges arranged on the outsides of the first and second main surfaces along the edge, the two flanges being interconnected; and wherein optionally the two flanges extend from a conduit extending along the edge; and/or wherein optionally the two flanges are part of a single profile, wherein optionally the profile is a U- or V-shaped profile; and/or wherein optionally the profile comprises a flexible or a rigid polymer.

47. The heating and/or cooling module according to claim 33, wherein the heating and/or cooling module comprises a first edge zone along which the first and second main surface are connected, and a second edge zone along which the first and second main surface are connected.

48. The heating and/or cooling module according to claim 47, wherein the first and second main surfaces are substantially rectangular, and wherein the first and second edge zones are oriented substantially perpendicular to each other.

49. The heating and/or cooling module according to claim 33, wherein the first main surface and/or the second main surface comprises a woven, knitted or non-woven textile.

50. A method of manufacturing a heating and/or cooling module for a photovoltaic panel, which is arrangeable on a back of the photovoltaic panel, the method comprising: a) providing a 3D-textile having a first main surface and a second main surface extending substantially parallel to the first main surface at a distance thereof, and a plurality of piles attaching the first and second main surfaces to each other, at least one of the first main surface and the second main surface comprising a sealing layer; b) performing a sealing step so that the two main surfaces enclose a volume, comprising the steps of: b1) heating the sealing layer of the at least one of the first main surface and the second main surface, and b2) pressing the first main surface and the second main surface towards each other at the location of the sealing layer; wherein optionally the steps b1) and b2) are carried out simultaneously; and c) providing an inlet and an outlet into the volume.

51. The method according to claim 50, wherein the first and second main surface are provided with a coating, and wherein in step b) the respective coatings are used to directly attach the first and second main surfaces together.

52. A photovoltaic panel, provided with a heating and/or cooling module according to claim 33, attached to the back of the photovoltaic panel.

Description

[0064] The invention will be further elucidated with reference to the attached figures, in which:

[0065] FIG. 1A shows the rear side of a photovoltaic panel to which an embodiment of a module according to the invention is attached;

[0066] FIG. 1B shows a cross-section of the panel of FIG. 1A:

[0067] FIG. 2A shows a perspective view of a flow element of the module according to the invention:

[0068] FIG. 2B shows a rear perspective view of the flow element according to FIG. 2A.

[0069] FIG. 3 shows a cross-section of an embodiment of a module according to the invention:

[0070] FIG. 4 shows a cross-section of another embodiment of a module according to the invention:

[0071] FIG. 5 shows a cross-section of another embodiment of a module according to the invention;

[0072] FIG. 6 shows a cross-section of another embodiment of a module according to the invention:

[0073] FIG. 7 shows a cross-section of another embodiment of a module according to the invention:

[0074] FIG. 8 shows a cross-section of another embodiment of a module according to the invention:

[0075] FIG. 9 shows a cross-section of another embodiment of a module according to the invention;

[0076] FIG. 10 shows a cross-section of another embodiment of a module according to the invention:

[0077] FIG. 11 shows a cross-section of another embodiment of a module according to the invention:

[0078] FIG. 12A shows a perspective view of another embodiment of a flow element for a module according to the invention.

[0079] FIG. 12B shows a cross-section of the flow element according to FIG. 12A.

[0080] The same elements are designated in the figures with the same reference numerals. Corresponding elements of different embodiments are designated with a reference numeral increased by 100 (one hundred).

[0081] FIGS. 1A and 1B show a rear view of a photovoltaic panel 1, provided with a cooling module 2. The cooling module 2 comprises 3D-textile core 3. This core 3 has a first main surface 4 and a second main surface 5, which extends substantially parallel to the first main surface 4 at a distance thereof (see FIG. 1B), the first main surface 4 and the second main surface 5 enclosing a volume 6, and a plurality of piles 7 attaching the first and second main surfaces 4, 5 to each other, as well as a number of inlets 8 into the volume 6 and a number of outlets 9 out of the volume 6, so that a fluid can flow from the inlets 8 in the second main surface 5 to the outlets 9, also in the second main surface 5, through the volume 6, thereby absorbing heat from the photovoltaic panel 1 (or vice versa) through the first main surface 4. The first main surface 4 and the second main surface 5 each comprise a textile layer and a plastic sealing layer, formed by a coating layer which is water impermeable (see for example FIGS. 3 to 11), and the first and second main surface 4, 5 are connected to each other by melting of this plastic sealing layer along an outer edge 10 and an inner edge 11, which inner edge 11 is defined by a through opening 12 in the first and second main surface 4, 5 for admitting an optimizer 13 of the photovoltaic panel 1.

[0082] The outer edge 10 is rectangular, and comprises two first edge zones 14 and two second edge zones 15, which zones 14, 15 are perpendicular to each other. The second main surface 5 is bent towards the first main surface 4, and these are connected to each other by melting their respective plastic layers at the first edge zones 14, for forming a connection according to FIG. 6. At the second edge zones, the first and second main surface 4, 5 are connected according to a different method, for instance according to FIG. 10.

[0083] The module 2 is provided with a first rigid flow element 20, provided with an adapter 21. The adapter 21 is connected to each of the inlets 8 by a channel in the flow element 20 (see FIG. 2B). The module is also provided with a second rigid flow element 30, provided with an adapter 31.

[0084] The rigid flow element 20 is shown in more detail in FIGS. 2A and 2B. The rigid flow element 20 is provided with an opening 22. The opening 22 is provided with an internal thread for connecting to adapter 21, which is therefore provided with an external thread. The rigid flow element 20 comprises an elongate channel 23, fluidly connecting the opening 22 with the inlets 8 when mounted on the second main surface 5, such as shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B.

[0085] FIGS. 3 to 11 show possible ways in which the first main surface and the second main surface are connected to each other, which in each case comprises a step of melting and pressing at least one plastic part of the module to another part of the module, which is typically also a plastic part. In particular, said plastic part or parts is or are preferably a thermoplastic, more preferably thermoplastic polyurethane, unless mentioned otherwise. It should be noted that these are just exemplary embodiments, and consequently, suitable combination of these types of connections are possible.

[0086] In the embodiment according to FIG. 3, the first main surface and the second main surface comprise a first and second textile layer, respectively 142, 143, which are provided with respective first and second water impermeable thermoplastic coating layers 144 and 145, such as layers of thermoplastic polyurethane, which coating layers extend beyond the end of the first and second textile layers 142, 143, and which are bent towards each other, and pressurized and molten, for forming a joint 160. The thermoplastic coating layers 144 and 145 may be partly mixed with the respective textile layers 142, 143.

[0087] In the embodiment according to FIG. 4, the coating layers 244, 245 are not directly connected to each other, as is the case in the embodiment according to FIG. 3, but are connected to each other by the injection of an amount of molten plastic 261 between coating layers, 244, 245, resulting in an indirect connection 260.

[0088] The embodiment according to FIG. 5 differs from the embodiment according to FIG. 3 in the sense that the coating layers 344, 345 in this embodiment do not extend beyond the end of the first and second textile layers 342, 343. Consequently, the first and second textile layers 342, 343 as well as the piles 307 extending between those, extend up to the joint 360.

[0089] The embodiment according to FIG. 6 differs from the embodiment according to FIG. 5 in the sense that only the second main surface 405 is bent towards the first main surface 404, instead of bending both the first main surface 404 and second main surface 405.

[0090] The embodiment according to FIG. 7 differs from the embodiment according to FIG. 3 in the sense that the first thermoplastic coating layer 544 has an overlength 544a with respect to the second thermoplastic coating layer 545. This overlength 544a is folded over the second thermoplastic coating layer 545 and sealed thereto by melting of at least one of the layers 544, 545, forming joint 560.

[0091] The embodiment according to FIG. 8 differs from the embodiment according to FIG. 4 in the sense that the coating layers 644, 645 do not extend beyond the textile layers 642, 643. Consequently, the injected molten plastic 661 is injected between the textile layers 642, 643 and the coating layers 644, 645 are not bent at their ends.

[0092] The embodiment according to FIG. 9 differs from the embodiment according to FIG. 8 in the sense that the end is not closed off by the injection of the material, but that the end is provided with a thermoplastic V-shaped end cap profile 770, which is connected to the coating layers 744, 745 by melting the part of the cap profile 770 adjacent to the coating layers 744, 745, for forming joint 760a, 760b.

[0093] The embodiment according to FIG. 10 differs from the embodiment according to FIG. 9 in the sense that the end cap profile 870 is U-shaped, instead of V-shaped, implying that the end comprises a base part 871, with two legs 872, 873, upright from the base part.

[0094] The embodiment according to FIG. 11 differs from the embodiment according to FIG. 10 in the sense that the end cap profile 970 is a three-part profile, comprising two plastic and possibly thermoplastic leg parts 972, 973, as well as a profile 971. The leg parts 972, 973 are made of a plastic, such as polyurethane, preferably thermoplastic polyurethane. The profile is made of one or a mixture of thermoplastic polymers, such as acrylonitrile styrene acrylate and/or polyvinyl chloride. The respective leg parts 972, 973 are connected to the coating layers 944, 945 by melting of at least one of the respective legs 972, 973 and the coating layers 944, 945, and are connected to the profile 971 by melting of at least one of the leg parts 972, 973 and profile 971.

[0095] In FIGS. 12A and 12B, a different rigid flow element 1000 for use with a module according to the invention is shown. The element 1000 comprises a hollow profile 1001, which is closed at the longitudinal ends of the profile with caps 1002, 1003. Near a first longitudinal end of the element 1000, a first side of the profile 1004 is provided with an inlet 1005, for connection to a conduit. A second side 1006, perpendicular to the first side 1005, is provided with a plurality of hollow protrusions 1007, designed for connecting to inlets of a module according to the invention.

[0096] Although the invention is elucidated above on the basis of a number of specific examples and embodiments, the invention is not limited thereto. Furthermore, the module according to the invention is not restricted to use in combination with photovoltaic panels, but may for instance also be used in combination with other devices which produce heat which would otherwise be wasted. Consequently, the scope of the invention is defined by the following claims.