Getting To Grips With Proper Panel Handling On Solar PV Courses.

The development of photovoltaic systems manufacture continues with the trend towards ever finer, slim-line profiles, which easily integrate the actual solar panels into the fabric of the building itself, rather than be simply attached to the surface of a roof. Known as Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV), the strategy is to continually find different ways to combine solar technology with conventional building surfaces, from roof tiles to window panes.The three primary types of cell which are currently produced to make a solar pv panel are :Monocrystalline - made from a single crystal rod of silicon sliced into thin wafers to form the solar cell.Polycrystalline - made from multiple silicon crystals, formed when poured into a mould to form an ingot and then sliced into wafers after cooling to form the solar cell.Thin-film - made out of amorphous-silicon alloys that are deposited in thin layers onto a glass or metal backing material called a substrate, providing a variety of flexible installation applications.There is also Hybrid or HIT, a premier and expensive option, which overlays thin film over monocrystalline material to produce a more efficient power conversion than can be obtained from a single material.The trend towards ever thinner solar cell panels is not without it's problems, not least in basic handling during installation. The reduction of silicon wafer thickness without an increase in the wafer's strength can lead to a high fracture rate. The cracking of solar cells has become one of the major sources of solar module failure and rejection as a result of different silicon wafer crystallinity, surface roughness and the number of grain boundaries.In addition, since the 1980s, ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) has been the standard material to encapsulate crystalline photovoltaic modules. The resultant stiffness means a high sensitivity to temperature especially in the glass transition region around -35??C, which may be impacted upon by extreme wind and snow conditions.As the price of crystalline PV modules continues to fall due to rising demand encouraged by schemes such as the FeedIn Tariff (FiTs) and RHI ( Renewable Heat Incentive), the likelihood is that very soon, a Building Integrated Photovoltaics system will be the homeowners preferred choice right across the UK.The solar PV industry has?