Polymer multilayer film with excellent UV-resistance & high transmittance and its application for glass-free photovoltaic modules

Abstract The choice of polymer material as photovoltaic (PV) module front cover is important to realize high optical transparency and high UV-resistance. We have successfully designed and prepared a polymer multilayer film (PMF) with UV-resistance & High transmittance which could provide a low-cost, simple but effective way to address the weight issue of PV modules. Compared with conventional PV glass which has transmissivity greater than 90% at 400–1200 nm, the PMF we designed has equivalent transmissivity between 410 and 1200 nm and high reflectance (R>90%) at 320–400 nm.The glass-free and semi-flexible crystalline silicon PV module has a power generation efficiency of 20.37% and the efficiency of the control group with glass as a cover layer is 20.67%. The weight of our designed module can be greatly reduced by 85%. The photo aging experiment shows that the PMF has an excellent UV-resistance which makes it suitable for long-term outdoor deployment. The materials and multiple co-extrusion processes necessary to fabricate such films are suitable for large-scale manufacturing. This research provides valuable contributions in the future preparations and applications for PMF.