Novel Mechanically Robust and Environmentally Stable Light‐Weight Colored Photovoltaic Modules Based on Composite Polymer Backsheets

Reliable and esthetically pleasing lightweight photovoltaic modules for building integration are expected to grow interest in the consumer market, especially for retrofitting older buildings and storehouses that are not structurally designed to withstand additional dead‐weight. The present work reveals the design of a novel module architecture attaining a total weight <6 kg/m 2 . The approach uses a highly transparent polymeric foil as the front pane and as an encapsulant to maintain optical coupling between the cell and the incident solar radiation, while the mechanical rigidity of module is maintained by the use of a composite backsheet, which consists of a polypropylene‐based honeycomb sandwiched between two layers of fiber reinforced skins. Two polypropylene skin variants were evaluated, with fiber densities of 820 and 660 g/m 2 . For esthetical improvement of the lightweight PV modules, a colored interlayer foil was used. Reliability testing included flexural bending and static mechanical load tests, environmental tests like, damp‐heat, ultraviolet radiation, thermal cycling, and humidity freeze. Several other critical tests, like hail‐impact test and fire‐ignition test, were also performed to check the potential of these architectures for building integration. The fiber density in skins of composite backsheets impacted the performance of modules against mechanical loads.