Ref.
Ares(2020)7736192 - 18/12/2020
This project has received funding from the
European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and
innovation programme under grant agreement Nº
817991
D2.2 Flexible tabber stringer for back-contact
solar cells available according to specifications
T2.3 Automatic tabber/welding machine for back-contact solar
cells.
Report Name: BIPVBOOST-WP2-T23-D22_M24-ONYX-20201218-v00.doc
Version Number: v00
Document Number: D2.2_M24
Due Date for Deliverable: 30/09/2020
Actual Submission date: 18/12/2020
Lead Beneficiary: ONYX
Document Dissemination Level: PU
BIPVBOOST
“Bringing down costs of BIPV multifunctional solutions and processes along the value chain,
enabling widespread nZEBs implementation”
Start date: Month Year. Duration: 4 Years
Coordinator: TECNALIA Grant Agreement No: 817991 www.bipvboost.eu
Grant Agreement 817991
Summary
This document describes the work carried out in Task 2.3 of WP2. The objective of this task is to reduce the
costs of the final price of the BIPV products based on monocrystalline back contact cells technology by means
of manufacturing optimization, changing the manual procedures for the strings build up and interconnexion
to a fully automated process. For this purpose, a fully automatic welding machine with a 500 cells/h output
and maximum string length of 14 to 16 with 5” back-contact solar cells has been prototyped and then tested
in ONYX’s production environment. The prototype is expected to allow the fabrication of large-scale projects
(over 4000 m2), within reasonable delivery times (typically 8 weeks) and target prices of 275 €/m 2 for 6+6
mm units.
Document Information
Flexible tabber stringer for back-contact solar cells available according to
Title
specifications
Lead Beneficiary ONYX
Contributors ONYX
Distribution PU
Report Name BIPVBOOST-WP2-T23-D22_M24-ONYX-20201218-v00.doc
Document History
Date Version Prepared by Organisation Approved by Notes
17/12/2020 v00 José Mª Jiménez, Elena Rico, ONYX Jose M. Vega Submitted to
Teodosio del Caño, Jorge de Seoane the EC
Gutiérrez, Vicente Velasco (TECNALIA)
BIPVBOOST Deliverable Report 2
Grant Agreement 817991
Acknowledgements
The work described in this publication has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020
research and innovation programme under grant agreement Nº 817991.
Disclaimer
This document reflects only the authors’ view and not those of the European Community. This work may rely
on data from sources external to the members of the BIPVBOOST project Consortium. Members of the
Consortium do not accept liability for loss or damage suffered by any third party as a result of errors or
inaccuracies in such data. The information in this document is provided “as is” and no guarantee or warranty
is given that the information is fit for any particular purpose. The user thereof uses the information at its sole
risk and neither the European Community nor any member of the BIPVBOOST Consortium is liable for any
use that may be made of the information.
© Members of the BIPVBOOST Consortium
BIPVBOOST Deliverable Report 3
Grant Agreement 817991
Contents
Summary .................................................................................................................................................... 2
Document Information............................................................................................................................... 2
Document History ...................................................................................................................................... 2
Acknowledgements .................................................................................................................................... 3
Disclaimer ................................................................................................................................................... 3
1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY.............................................................................................................. 5
1.1 Description of the deliverable content and purpose ............................................................... 5
1.2 Relation with other activities in the project............................................................................. 5
1.3 Reference material ................................................................................................................... 6
1.4 Abbreviation list ....................................................................................................................... 6
2 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................ 8
3 ON GOING TESTING .................................................................................................................. 8
ANNEX ............................................................................................................................................ 9
Tables
Table 1.1 Relation between current deliverable and other activities in the project ................................. 5
Figures
Figure 1.1 Relationship between T2.3 and other tasks .............................................................................. 6
BIPVBOOST Deliverable Report 4
Grant Agreement 817991
1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
1.1 Description of the deliverable content and purpose
D2.2 explains the process carried out to prototype a new fully automated tabber/welding equipment for back
contact solar cells.
The new fully automated tabber/welding equipment will comply with the following inputs:
• Fully automatic welding compatible with back contact (b-c) cells
• String length from 14 to 16 cells, for 5” back contact solar cells
• Throughput: 500 cells/h
• 57% reduction in manpower cost
• Cell breakage reduction from the current 2% in a manual welding to 0.1-0.2% in automated welding
• Cost reduction from current 350€/m2 to 275€/m2 in a 6+6 toughened extra clear glass unit
• Allow the fabrication of large-scale projects (over 4000 m2)
Apart from the design, manufacturing and installation of the welding machine, this document includes also
the first tests carried out in order to verify its correct functioning.
Thus, this report is organized in different sections where the work carried out within the task to achieve the
project objectives is explained:
• The first section explains the objective of the deliverable-task, the specifications set for the b-c
welding machine and the process carried out to develop and implement this equipment
• The following section shows the final design of the machine and the tests that have been carried out
• The last section is an Annex where all the steps followed to implement the equipment at ONYX
facilities are presented
1.2 Relation with other activities in the project
Table 1.1 shows the main links of this deliverable to other activities (work packages, tasks, deliverables, etc.)
within BIPVBOOST project. The table should be considered along with the current document for further
understanding of the deliverable contents and purpose.
Table 1.1 Relation between current deliverable and other activities in the project
Project
Relation with current deliverable
activity
The specifications of the fully automatic back contact welding equipment were defined in
T2.1 D2.1 “Specifications of the complete flexible line, comprising each equipment
requirements”
Task 3.4 “Back-contact cells modules for walkable floors and curtain walls“ prototypes will
T3.4 be developed using the fully automatic back contact welding machine prototyped within
Task 2.3
BIPVBOOST Deliverable Report 5
Grant Agreement 817991
Within this task, all the samples needed for the testing campaign defined in Task 5.4 based
T3.5 on the developments done in T3.4 will be manufactured using the Flexible tabber stringer
for back-contact solar cells developed within Task 2.3
The work developed in task 3.4 is directly linked with Task 5.3, in which the prototypes
T5.3 developed in T3.4 will be subjected to intensive testing to guarantee the compliance with
standards (indoor testing)
Prototypes developed in T3.4 will be subjected to outdoor testing in experimental test
T5.4
benches in TECNALIA Kubik building
T8.2 Starting from the prototypes developed within T3.4, new modules based on back contact
solar cells will be designed according to ISFOC demonstration building needs
T8.4 Prototypes based on back contact cells designed in T8.2 will be manufactured
T8.5 Prototypes based on back contact cells designed and manufactured in T8.2 and T8.4 will be
installed for demonstration purposes at ISFOC facilities according to demo 1
Figure 1.1 Relationship between T2.3 and other tasks
1.3 Reference material
BIPVBOOST Project. GRANT AGREEMENT NUMBER 817991
D2.1 “Specifications of the complete flexible line, comprising each equipment requirements”
DA.1 + DA.2, DOI 10.18777/ieashc-task56-2019-0001
PVSITES project GA 691768. https://www.pvsites.eu/
1.4 Abbreviation list
b-c: Back contact
BIPV: Building Integrated Photovoltaics
BIPVBOOST Deliverable Report 6
Grant Agreement 817991
D: Deliverable
FAT: Factory Acceptance Test
GA: Grant Agreement
h: hour
IR: Infrared
mm: millimetre
PV: Photovoltaic
T: Task
WP: Work Package
BIPVBOOST Deliverable Report 7
Grant Agreement 817991
2 INTRODUCTION
ONYX has already a previous knowledge in the development of BIPV glass-glass modules based on back-
contact solar cells. ONYX’s recent knowledge in back-contact solar cells PV technology comes from its
participation in H2020 PVSITES project (GA 691768), where glass-glass prototypes based on b-c solar cells
was developed and also a ventilated façade based on glass-glass back-contact c-Si cells technology was
developed and demonstrated by Onyx Solar at Tecnalia's offices in San Sebastian, Spain.
From PVSITES project, the main issues found were related to the difficulty of working with back-contact cells
technology. The fragility of the cells requires constant control of their integrity, both electrical and
mechanical, during the different phases of the manufacturing process. More specifically, the welding process
of the series, where a large rejection rage is induced, and their subsequent interconnection are critical steps.
Due to these problems, it is needed to verify the voltages and to carry out photoluminescence tests after the
different manufacturing stages. Thus, since it was established that manual welding induces high rejections
rate, in order to reduce the number of rejections, the development of a fully automatic tabber/welding
machine was planned and, this is precisely what ONYX has already developed within Task 2.3 in this project.
Thus, a fully automated tabber/welding equipment for back-contact solar cells interconnection with
enhanced flexibility was designed, prototyped, installed and tested in a production environment at ONYX´s
facilities in Ávila (Spain).
The flexible tabber stringer for back-contact solar cells components was prototyped and hooked-up as per
the technical specifications described in the T2.3 of the GA and also the specifications set in D2.1.
Prototypes related to Task 3.4 “Back-contact cells modules for walkable floors and curtain walls” will be
manufactured with this new equipment and demonstrated as a walkable floor solution that will be integrated
on the roof of the ISFOC office building (Spain) and as a curtain wall in TECNALIA’s KUBIK experimental
building.
The schedule followed for the implementation of the flexible tabber stringer for back-contact solar cells
prototype at ONYX facilities can be summarised as follows:
• Unloading of the equipment at ONYX facilities: November 4th, 2020
• Positioning of the Hardware components: November 4th - November 6th, 2020
• Full Hook-up of components, Factory Acceptance Test (FAT): November 23th, 2020
• Soldering testing: November 24th - November 26th, 2020
All these steps are shown in the attached Leaf-Sheet (vide infra) as ANNEX.
3 ON GOING TESTING
The machine was built up following the definition of the specifications and the overall equipment dimensions
set in the GA and in D2.1. This equipment is under process of ramping up at ONYX´s facilities. All the parts of
the machine have been included following the specifications given.
A cell management system without direct contact, based on artificial vision, capable of removing damaged
cells prior to welding process is included as a part of this equipment. As well, electrical and software diagrams
are implemented onto the Tabber-welding equipment.
The first round of testing has been done satisfactory, where 50 series of four cells were manufactured
without defects. Some examples of these results are shown in the ANNEX.
BIPVBOOST Deliverable Report 8
Grant Agreement 817991
ANNEX
LEAF-SHEET
“FLEXIBLE TABBER STRINGER FOR BACK-
CONTACT SOLAR CELLS “
BIPVBOOST Deliverable Report 9
Grant Agreement 817991
UNLOADING OF THE FLEXIBLE TABBER STRINGER
BIPVBOOST Deliverable Report 10
Grant Agreement 817991
BIPVBOOST Deliverable Report 11
Grant Agreement 817991
EQUIPMENT POSITIONING AT ONYX FACILITES
BIPVBOOST Deliverable Report 12
Grant Agreement 817991
BIPVBOOST Deliverable Report 13
Grant Agreement 817991
UNPACKING AND START-UP
BIPVBOOST Deliverable Report 14
Grant Agreement 817991
BIPVBOOST Deliverable Report 15
Grant Agreement 817991
ELEMENTS OF THE FLEXIBLE TABBER STRINGER
CONTROL AND OPERATIONS PANEL
BIPVBOOST Deliverable Report 16
Grant Agreement 817991
CELLS IN-FEED WITH STACK
TABS IN-FEDD
BIPVBOOST Deliverable Report 17
Grant Agreement 817991
OVERAL VIEW OF THE IN-FEED AREA
BIPVBOOST Deliverable Report 18
Grant Agreement 817991
CELLS STACK
BIPVBOOST Deliverable Report 19
Grant Agreement 817991
CELL´S BREAKAGE CONTROL SYSTEM
WELDING BELT
BIPVBOOST Deliverable Report 20
Grant Agreement 817991
ELECTRICAL CABINET
BIPVBOOST Deliverable Report 21
Grant Agreement 817991
FIRST TEST
FIRST SERIES OF WELDED CELLS
BIPVBOOST Deliverable Report 22
Grant Agreement 817991
SOLDERING DETAIL
BIPVBOOST Deliverable Report 23
