Composite material with enhanced recyclability as encapsulant for photovoltaic modules

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Renewable Energy
• Chemical Engineering

Background:

• Photovoltaic cell encapsulation is crucial for performance and longevity.
• Current encapsulation materials often lack effective chemical recyclability.
• Developing sustainable materials is key for the solar industry's environmental impact.

Purpose of the Study:

• To create and evaluate a transparent, chemically recyclable epoxy composite for photovoltaic encapsulation.
• To assess the performance stability and recyclability of the novel composite.
• To compare the recyclable composite with a standard non-recyclable epoxy.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a glass fiber reinforced epoxy composite with cleavable functional groups.
• Encapsulation of photovoltaic cells and characterization of current-voltage (I-V) curves.
• Accelerated aging tests including thermal cycling, UV exposure, and damp-heat exposure.
• Chemical dissolution in acetic acid for material recovery and re-fabrication of a new module.

Main Results:

• The recyclable composite showed a 6.3% decrease in short-circuit current (Isc) post-encapsulation, lower than the reference.
• Both resins exhibited good stability under UV and thermal cycling.
• The recyclable resin maintained power loss below 5% after 1000h damp-heat exposure, though a 4.7% loss was noted.
• Recovered glass fibers were used to create a new module, which experienced a 12% Isc loss.

Conclusions:

• The developed epoxy composite offers enhanced chemical recyclability for photovoltaic encapsulation.
• The material demonstrates good performance stability under various environmental stresses.
• Further research is needed to enhance moisture barrier properties and optimize recycling conditions for improved component recovery and module performance.