Patent ID: 9673344
Date: 2017-06-06
CPC Classifications: H01L,H02S,Y02B,Y02E,Y02P

Claim:
1. A photovoltaic module, comprising: an upper transparent protective layer disposed as a sunlight-incident surface; a photovoltaic layer positioned beneath the upper transparent protective layer, the photovoltaic layer comprising a plurality of electrically interconnected photovoltaic cells disposed in an array; an encapsulating material encapsulating the photovoltaic layer; a rigid substrate layer positioned beneath the photovoltaic layer; a tapered edge seal disposed (i) adjacent the photovoltaic layer, (ii) above the rigid substrate layer, and (iii) vertically beneath the upper transparent protective layer, a portion of the upper transparent protective layer covering of a sloping surface of the tapered edge seal while leaving only an outer vertical surface of the tapered edge seal exposed to ambient air, said tapered edge seal being thinner at an outer peripheral portion thereof than at a portion thereof adjacent the photovoltaic layer, the tapered edge seal sloping surface sloping downward from the upper transparent protective layer toward the rigid substrate layer.