Chinese automaker BYD has unveiled a solar photovoltaic module that is free of the encapsulant Ethylene Vinyl Acetate, or EVA. The modules instead use silicone as the embedded material, recent reports suggest.
BYD unveiled the modules at Intersolar Europe 2015 and stated that they possess improved service lifespans and increased conversion efficiencies.
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According to BYD, the new modules can last for a service life of 50 years.
Opposition to the use of EVA in modules has been mounting as the material forms free radicals once moisture finds its way into modules.
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The new modules are made more desirable by the fact that they limit the use of silver by about 25 percent as bus bars would be replaced by wires in the technology.
The modules have better conversion efficiency — a module with 60 solar cells can generate around 280 watts.
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By 2016 BYD will attain production capacity of 500 megawatts, the reports suggest. The new modules are based on glass-glass design as cells are embedded in the silicone which is applied as a liquid.
Ajith Kumar S