Origami-foldable tessellated Crystalline-Si solar cell module with metal textile-based stretchable connections

Abstract

The increasing demand for photovoltaic (PV) electricity has resulted in wider usage for many applications. Current dominant PV electrical sources use crystalline silicon (c-Si) solar modules. These would provide greater potential as an energy source if they could be installed to any surface with a curvature, for example integration into buildings, and would perform better under omni-directional incident light, which is not considered in the design of current modules. In this study, we propose an origami-type foldable c-Si solar cell module by introducing a tessellated module design and textile-based woven metal connections to overcome the limitations of using c-Si solar cell modules on curved surfaces and under various light conditions. For the proposed module, two main concepts are introduced: a tessellation design for rigid folding and stretchable textile-based metal connections. The flexible crease pattern and interconnection allows the modules to be folded up to 180°, and a diagonal force on the metal textile can be induced on the inter-module connections using rotating wires. These features allow solar cell modules to cover an arbitrary surface without electrical degradation. Tessellating the module allows for maximum potential using the origami design when applied to both flat and curved surfaces. The origami-type foldable tessellated modules performed better than conventional modules. Their energy production under various angles of incident light is higher per day than that of flat modules, even during periods of lower intensity sunlight from a low solar altitude. These findings demonstrate a new approach to extend the usage of c-Si solar cells. • We introduced origami-foldable solar cell module for covering arbitrary surface. • The metal textile, the connector of the module, is stretchable and flexible. • Tessellated module with origami pattern allows rigid-folding without area loss. • The 64-cell module are successfully deformed as paper along the crease lines. • The energy production is higher per day than of flat modules.