Encapsulation Trade Off Study
By Edgardo Villalobos
Study on types of solar cell encapsulation.
Table of Contents
PLEXIGLASS
Plexiglass provides a lightweight, about 3 lbs per 8 sq. ft. with a 0.065 thickness, anti-reflective surface and is classified as a scratch resistant surface. Although plexiglass is virtually impossible to break and scratch resistant, it can scratch much easier than glass. If this material is used to encapsulate solar cells, we’d be able to acquire it from Home Depot or other similar store. This glass would then be used to cover the entire panel. To get the right shape out of the glass, we could use a dremel grinder to cut to size. The size of the glass would be the same size as the panels, which still need to be measured. The downside to using plexiglass is that each solar cell needs to be sandwiched using other materials, such as resin, which costs more.
Source:
[1]Plexiglass [2]Materials [3]Materialshttp://www.dunmore.com/products/solar-back-sheet.html
EPOXY COVERED SOLAR CELLS
Solar cells could be bought already encapsulated with a UV resistant epoxy and are usually meant to charge phones. Each cell is independently encapsulated making it easier to remove and add new cells. These cells are also polarity based, which could require wires instead of tabbing wires, also making it easier to switch cells. Using these cells would cost about the same as buying all the materials, using the plexiglass sandwich method.
Source:
[1]Arrayhttp://www.samlexsolar.com/learning-center/solar-cell-module-array.aspx