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22 DesIGnInG WItH PoLYMeRs The world‘s largest lightweight solar module with a cover sheet made of PLEXIGLAS®. The module measures 1.58 meters by 4 meters and has a maximum power of about 880 Wp. The true record, however, is its low weight. The SUNOVATION® module weighs only 80 kilograms, which makes it over 60 percent lighter than a glass-glass module of this size for overhead use. In addition, with a U-value less than 1 W/m²K, the module boasts excellent heat-insulation properties. The module exhibits outstanding structural properties, can withstand high mechanically applied loads, and excels with its durable, highly transparent and scratch-resistant surface Schematic structure of a SUNOVATION® module ● Base sheet Transparent plastic elements35 Issue 2|2011 Cell-connector technology Solar cells (crystalline or thin-film technologies) 333 in the photovoltaics market. Currently, Sunovation is the only company that produces lightweight solar modules from plastic, keeps advancing their development, and has gained a wealth of experience in the field worldwide. A host of applications—bus stops, golf carts, and solar portholes for boats, the solar catamaran Alstersonne in Hamburg, the solar butterfly in Freiburg, which supplies energy to a radio tower, and the largest lightweight solar module in the world, measuring 1.5 meters by 4 meters—testify to the company‘s success. The best possible material for the lightweight mod ules is poly methyl methacrylate (PMMA), which <strong>Evonik</strong> <strong>Industries</strong> has sold for over 75 years under the PLEXIGLAS® trademark. PLEXIGLAS® stands out from other plastics by virtue of its longevity, high UV- and weather resistance, high light transmission, and its outstanding surface hardness. As a thermoplast, it can be handled and processed by all shaping methods and is completely recyclable. PMMA for freedom of design In addition to its low weight, PMMA has another key property that makes it superior to glass as a carrier sheet for solar cells. The modules can be produced in any shape desired. They can be easily bent into a roof over a bus stop or into a gently arching roof construction on solar boats, and they can be used in noise barrier constructions over express train and subway tracks, individually shaped for high-tech, power- generating façades. The lightweight modules are installed either cold-formed, in which the module is clamped into an existing space, or following treatment in a heating furnace, in which it is shaped into its final three-dimensional form with the help of forming tools. With its lightweight modules, Sunovation has opened up new areas of application in photovoltaics. Permanently elastic multicomponent gel ● Cover sheet Transparent plastic SS =^ Solid sheet MWS =^ Multi-wall sheet 4 mm approx. 3 mm SS: 2 – 30 mm MWS: 6 – 32 mm GRAPHIC: SUNOVATION
The façade of the Photovoltaics Information Center (PIZ) in Gelsenkirchen. The vertical shading “gills” are made of holographic mirrors that focus the sunlight onto the interior SUNOVATION® modules. Another unique feature is that the gills can be adjusted to the sun’s position and aligned accordingly. This allows regulation of shade for the interior spaces behind them The substructures of buildings can be designed to weigh less and use fewer materials. When existing buildings are modernized, a relatively weak substructure is no longer a problem. Vehicles can be designed with curved roofs or interior constructions that supply power to the on-board system or battery and add no weight to the vehicle. Advanced technology from Sunovation Sunovation modules basically consist of three layers. The upper cover sheet and the lower carrier sheet are both made of transparent plastic, but the carrier sheet can be a solid or a multi-wall sheet. Between these layers is a special permanently elastic multicomponent silicone-based gel in which the photoactive solar cells are embedded. The solar cells float, as it were, in the gel and are decoupled from the carrier sheet and cover sheet. 333 stRenGtHenInG sALes DesIGnInG WItH PoLYMeRs 23 Plastic modules for the international market Photovoltaics is a global business. This is why small, innovative companies do well to look for internationally active partners to strengthen their marketing position. Sunovation has therefore established a joint venture with MAGE AG to market polymerbased lightweight modules more effectively in other countries with great potential for photovoltaics. A subsidiary of MAGE AG, MAGE Solar GmbH, headquartered in Regensburg, specializes in marketing OEM-produced mono- and polycrystalline standard modules. Another subsidiary of MAGE AG produces for the systemic completion of solar panels on the substructures and installation systems designed for PV modules. The company is active throughout Germany and eleven other countries, including France, the United Kingdom, Italy, Slovakia, and the United States, the key market of the future. elements35 Issue 2|2011
Page 1 and 2: elements35 Quarterly Science Newsle
Page 3 and 4: All set for the future If your car
Page 5 and 6: Fiscal year 2010: the best result s
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Page 13 and 14: Influence of the engine oil on gas
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Page 17 and 18: Almost 5,000 km across Australia Pi
Page 19 and 20: Study verifies effectiveness of con
Page 21: PLAstIC oR GLAss? This is the quest
Page 25 and 26: its partners, Sunovation has develo
Page 27 and 28: foR YeARs, It was impossible to ima
Page 29 and 30: 333 particularly since the situatio
Page 31 and 32: Robust, flexible, and fast drying:

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