Patent ID: 8609777

Claim:
A solar cell module comprising a solar cell assembly and at least one encapsulant layer, wherein the at least one encapsulant layer consists essentially of a blend composition or a product of cross-linking the blend composition, said blend composition consisting and an Ethylene Copolymer 2, and optionally, one or more additives; wherein said Ethylene Copolymer 1 consists essentially of copolymerized units of ethylene, optionally about 5 to about 40 wt% of copolymerized units of a first olefin having a formula of H 2 C =C(R 1 )CO 2 R 2 , and about 2 to about 30 wt% of copolymerized units of a second olefin having a formula of CH 2 =C(R 3 )COOH, wherein the weight percentages of the copolymerized units of the first olefin and of the second olefin are based on the total weight of said Ethylene Copolymer 1; wherein R 1 represents hydrogen or an alkyl group, R 2 represents an alkyl group, and R 3 represents hydrogen or an alkyl group; and wherein said Ethylene Copolymer 2 consists essentially of copolymerized units of ethylene, optionally up to about 40 wt % of copolymerized units of the first olefin, and about 3 to about 15 wt % of copolymerized units of a third olefin having a formula of CH 2 =C(R 4 )-D, wherein the weight percentages of the copolymerized units of the first olefin and of the third olefin are based on the total weight of said Ethylene Copolymer 2; wherein R 4 represents hydrogen or an alkyl group; wherein -D represents a moiety selected from the group consisting of —CO 2 R 5 , -CO 2 R 6 -R 5 , -R 6 -R 5 , -O-R 5 , and R 5 ; wherein R 5 represents a moiety containing an epoxy group and R 6 represents an alkylene group; with the proviso that none of said first, second or third olefins is a dicarboxylic acid or a di-ester, mono-ester or anhydride of the dicarboxylic acid; wherein the one or more optional additives are selected from the group consisting of processing aids, flow enhancing additives, lubricants, pigments, dyes, optical brighteners, flame retardants, impact modifiers, nucleating agents, antiblocking agents, thermal stabilizers, hindered amine light stabilizers, UV absorbers, UV stabilizers, dispersants, surfactants, chelating agents, coupling agents, adhesives, primers, and reinforcement additives.