Improvised photovoltaic (PV) panel manufacturing solution for cottage industry

In this study we have investigated a cost effective approach aimed at solar photovoltaic (PV) cost reduction by providing a solution in parallel with government provided electric supply through solar power backup. Such an approach must stress development of an economical photovoltaic cottage industry. PV cell and its encapsulation into panels are the two major factors that influence the price of photovoltaic solutions. The manufacturing of PV module at present is labor and capital intensive, although methods of automation have been undertaken but not yet implemented in underdeveloped countries. In this paper, we examine the feasibility study of the module manufacturing process, conversion into a simplified cost effective cottage-industry model. Experiments were conducted to evaluate a non conventional method of lamination. It was revealed that the power output of the panel remained unaffected whereas visual appearance was compromised. Improvised solution for making PV ribbon was also experimented giving acceptable results. In the whole process of lamination, the cost cut for this improvised methodology is between 50-70 % of the cost incurred through contemporary automatic lamination process using EVA, PV ribbon and Tedlar. In addition to panel making improvisation, the solution was installed and checked for a period of one year to fully understand the efficiency of the system as a whole and the effectiveness of the panel in particular, developed through improvisation. At the end a particular case study for Pakistan was conducted whereby a popular local solution of nonstop supply was compared with proposed solar backup solution.