Towards 50 years lifetime of PV panels laminated with silicone gel technology

A silicone gel lamination technology of PV panels has been developed and gel lamination apparatus with an annual production capacity of 1 MWp has been designed and manufactured. Silicone gel laminated c-Si PV panels were prepared and tested at 3.5 times concentrated solar radiation in the UV chamber. Negligible corrosion of silicone gel laminated PV panels was observed in comparison with EVA laminated panels. In contrast to EVA-laminated panels the transparency reduction induced by UV radiation in silicone gel lamination is very small. Production of silicone gel laminated PV panels with 50 years lifetime could be achievable because of the strongly reduced corrosiveness which is main source of failures in commercial PV panels. Photodegradation of some components of PV systems was observed in the past, for example (Reda, 2007; Daliento and Lancellotti, 2010). (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.