Patent ID: 9537033
Date: 2017-01-03
CPC Classifications: F24S,G06Q,H01L,H02S,Y02B,Y02E

Claim:
1. A method of constructing a building-integrated photovoltaic device assembly on a surface of a structure, comprising the steps of: a. providing a plurality of photovoltaic (PV) sheathing elements, adapted to serve as an outer cladding of a structure, in one or more rows or columns as applied to the structure so that the plurality of photovoltaic sheathing elements when attached together form the building-integrated photovoltaic device assembly, which includes a bottom edge, and each of the PV sheathing elements including: b. providing one or more interface members as applied to the structure, disposed under a portion of the bottom edge of the building-integrated photovoltaic device assembly, the one or more interface members including: c. placing and attaching the one or more interface members directly to the surface so that the one or more interface members form an interface row between the bottom edge of the building-integrated photovoltaic device assembly and a row of sheathing members; d. placing a first individual PV sheathing element of the plurality of PV sheathing elements in the first row of the PV sheathing elements on to the one or more interface members in the photovoltaic device nesting portion; e. attaching the first individual PV sheathing element to the one or more interface members with the one or more photovoltaic device retention features, and attaching the first individual PV sheathing element to the structure with one or more fasteners that extend through the upper surface portion; f. repeating steps c-e or d-e until the first row or the first column of PV sheathing elements are attached to the surface; and g. attaching a plurality of individual PV sheathing element in a second row and creating an overlap by placing the second row so that the second row covers a portion of each of the individual PV sheathing elements in the first row; and wherein the one or more retention features are a plurality of retention features that each have a generally “C” shaped hook structure.