Shingled design lightweight photovoltaic modules using honeycomb sandwich structures as backsheets

The expanding scale of the photovoltaic (PV) market has intensified the focus on PV module designs for diverse applications. Research actively pursues lightweight PV modules, replacing front glass with polymer films as a suitable design solution. Lightweight PV modules with front-film structures require additional structures to compensate for their inadequate mechanical rigidity. Hence, we integrated honeycomb sandwich structures into lightweight PV modules, substituting them for traditional PV backsheets. It increased the mechanical rigidity of lightweight PV modules and effectively replaced the PV backsheet through a simple one-step lamination process. Consequently, we successfully fabricated lightweight PV modules with a shingled design, achieving a conversion power of 205.80 W in an area of 1.034 m2, facilitating the integration of more solar cells in a limited space. Additionally, standard reliability tests were performed on a PV module weighing only 6.2 kg/m2. •A honeycomb sandwich structure was placed on the backside of the front-film-type PV module instead of the backsheet.•The shingled-design lightweight PV modules had an area of 1.034 m2, with only a weight of 6.2 kg/m2.•Standard reliability was assessed through DH1000, TC200, PID, and ML2400 tests.