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EP-4374489-B1 - THREE-DIMENSIONAL PHOTOVOLTAIC MODULE

EP4374489B1EP 4374489 B1EP4374489 B1EP 4374489B1EP-4374489-B1

Inventors

  • GAUTHIER, SYLVAIN

Dates

Publication Date
20260513
Application Date
20221227

Claims (14)

  1. A three-dimensional photovoltaic module (2) including: - a three-dimensional support structure (3) including a central axis (A) and a plurality of support elements (4) distributed around the central axis (A) of the three-dimensional support structure (3), each support element (4) including a vertex (5) and two support faces (6) which are substantially planar and which are connected to each other along a ridge line (Lc), the ridge line (Lc) of each of the support elements (4) being inclined with respect to the central axis (A) of the three-dimensional support structure (3) and extending up to the vertex (5) of the respective support element (4) while getting away from the central axis (A) of the three-dimensional support structure (3), - a plurality of photovoltaic coatings (7) fastened to the three-dimensional support structure (3), each photovoltaic coating (7) being arranged on a respective support face (6) and extending substantially parallel to the respective support face (6), each photovoltaic coating (7) comprising at least one photovoltaic cell and covering at least partially the respective support face (6).
  2. The three-dimensional photovoltaic module (2) according to claim 1, wherein the vertices (5) of the support elements (4) are distributed around the central axis (A) of the three-dimensional support structure (3).
  3. The three-dimensional photovoltaic module (2) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the vertices (5) of the support elements (4) are equidistant from the central axis (A) of the three-dimensional support structure (3).
  4. The three-dimensional photovoltaic module (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the ridge lines (Lc) intersect at a point of intersection located substantially on the central axis (A) of the three-dimensional support structure (3).
  5. The three-dimensional photovoltaic module (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein each of the ridge lines (Lc) is inclined with respect to the central axis (A) by an angle of inclination (α) comprised between 10 and 40°, advantageously between 20 and 30°, and for example around 26°.
  6. The three-dimensional photovoltaic module (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein each of the support faces (6) has a generally triangular shape.
  7. The three-dimensional photovoltaic module (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the number of support elements (4) is comprised between 3 and 6.
  8. The three-dimensional photovoltaic module (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the two support faces (6) of each support element (4) are symmetrical with respect to a respective plane of symmetry (P) passing through the respective ridge line (Lc).
  9. The three-dimensional photovoltaic module (2) according to claim 8, wherein the planes of symmetry (P) of the support elements (4) intersect according to a line of intersection which is substantially coincident with the central axis (A) of the three-dimensional support structure (3).
  10. The three-dimensional photovoltaic module (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 9, which further includes a base (8) which is located below the three-dimensional support structure (3) and which defines, at least in part, an inner housing (9) in which electrically-conductive wires, connected to the photovoltaic coatings (7), are at least partially housed.
  11. The three-dimensional photovoltaic module (2) according to claim 10, wherein the base (8) has a polygonal shape, and for example generally hexagonal.
  12. The three-dimensional photovoltaic module (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 11, which includes a protective cap (14) which covers the photovoltaic coatings (7), the protective cap (14) being made of a material transparent to light radiation.
  13. The three-dimensional photovoltaic module (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 12, which includes an antireflective surface coating (15) arranged on an upper face of the protective cap (14).
  14. A photovoltaic device including a plurality of three-dimensional photovoltaic modules according to any one of the preceding claims, said three-dimensional photovoltaic modules being arranged adjacently.

Description

technical field The present invention relates generally to the field of photovoltaic solar energy. More specifically, it relates to a three-dimensional photovoltaic module. State of the art In the field of photovoltaic solar energy, it is common practice to use two-dimensional photovoltaic panels made up of several superimposed layers, generally consisting, from top to bottom, of: an anti-reflective coating to limit the reflection of sunlight on the underlying semiconductor layers; a protective glass layer to protect the underlying semiconductor layers; a conductive grid; a layer of N- or P-doped semiconductor; a layer of P- or N-doped semiconductor; and a base layer. The major drawback of this type of photovoltaic panel lies in the low amount of energy produced per m2 . Indeed, with a two-dimensional photovoltaic panel, the amount of energy produced per m2 is not optimized. Furthermore, this type of photovoltaic panel does not produce energy uniformly throughout the day. In fact, its production follows a Gaussian distribution, reaching its maximum when the Sun is at its highest point, and being lower for the rest of the day, particularly at the beginning and end of the day. Furthermore, the classic solution requires orienting the photovoltaic panel optimally in relation to solar radiation, which is not always easy depending on the configuration of the building receiving such a photovoltaic panel. To overcome such drawbacks, it is known to create a three-dimensional photovoltaic module comprising: a three-dimensional support structure having a square-based pyramidal shape, and comprising four support faces, each having a triangular shape; and a plurality of photovoltaic coatings fixed to the three-dimensional support structure, each photovoltaic coating being arranged on a respective support face and extending substantially parallel to the respective support face, each photovoltaic coating comprising at least one photovoltaic cell and covering at least part of the respective support face. Such a configuration of the three-dimensional photovoltaic module makes it possible to increase the developed surface covered with active photovoltaic material, and therefore to produce, when the Sun is at its culmination point and the three-dimensional photovoltaic module is placed on a horizontal surface, more energy per unit area than a conventional photovoltaic panel. However, due to shadows cast by the three-dimensional support structure during the Sun's daily path, the annual energy output of such a three-dimensional photovoltaic module is not optimal. Furthermore, at certain points in the Sun's path, some of the photovoltaic coatings are not exposed to sunlight and generate resistive loads that oppose the energy supplied by the exposed coatings, further limiting the annual energy output of such a three-dimensional photovoltaic module. Furthermore, when a plurality of three-dimensional photovoltaic modules of the aforementioned type are assembled together to form a photovoltaic device, each three-dimensional support structure generates, during the Sun's movement, shadows, or even darkness, on the photovoltaic coatings of adjacent three-dimensional photovoltaic modules, thus considerably limiting the amount of energy produced annually by such a photovoltaic device. The document US2011/083718A1 describes a three-dimensional photovoltaic module. Summary of the invention The present invention aims to remedy the aforementioned drawbacks. The technical problem underlying the invention is therefore to provide a three-dimensional photovoltaic module capable of producing more energy per unit area annually than a conventional three-dimensional photovoltaic module. To this end, the present invention relates to a three-dimensional photovoltaic module comprising: a three-dimensional support structure comprising a central axis and a plurality of support elements distributed around the central axis of the three-dimensional support structure, each support element comprising a vertex and two support faces which are substantially flat and which are connected to each other along a ridge line, the the ridge line of each of the support elements being inclined with respect to the central axis of the three-dimensional support structure and extending to the top of the respective support element away from the central axis of the three-dimensional support structure, a plurality of photovoltaic coatings fixed to the three-dimensional support structure, each photovoltaic coating being arranged on a respective support face and extending substantially parallel to the respective support face, each photovoltaic coating comprising at least one photovoltaic cell and covering at least part of the respective support face. Such a configuration of the three-dimensional support structure, and therefore of the orientation of the different photovoltaic coatings, makes it possible to maximize the insolated surface of the three-dimensional photovoltaic modu