Coveme, headquartered in Bologna, Italy, and a pioneer in developing and manufacturing multi and monolayer polymer laminates for PV modules, displayed its latest PV backsheet products at the recently concluded REI Expo 2024.
In an exclusive interview with TaiyangNews, Alessandro Anderlini, head of the photovoltaic division, highlighted 2 of its latest products โ the high moisture barrier PV backsheet solution and the black high-reflectivity backsheet โ at the exhibition. The company also advocated for the glass-backsheet configuration over the glass-glass configuration for high-efficiency n-type cell-based PV modules.
The company's wide portfolio of high barrier PET based backsheet suitable for HJT, TOPCon, and thin film PV modules is marketed under the dyMat brand, including dyMat HDPYE SPV LDO, dyMat HDPYE SPV LDO/M, dyMat AHDPYE SPV P/C, and dyMat APYE L. The backsheets, having a PET barrier layer, are HDPYE SPV LDO and HDPYE SPV LDO/M, while the AHDPYE SPV P/C and APYE L series use an aluminum barrier layer.
High-barrier PET backsheet
The HDPYE SPV LDO series backsheet, featuring a UV-resistant PET layer at the airside followed by a high hydrolysis-resistant thick PET layer and a barrier primer with high density and increased thickness on the cell side, offers 4 times lower water ingress properties compared to a standard backsheet. A transparent PET barrier makes it a completely transparent high-barrier backsheet suitable for TOPCon, HJT, thin-film (CIGS, a-SI, OPV, CIGS, a-SI, OPV and PEROVSKITE), flexible PV and c-Si PV bifacial modules installed near water, claimed the company. It is also rated to withstand a system voltage of up to 1,500 V DC. Introduced in 2023, this backsheet with TOPCon cells received positive feedback regarding higher water ingress resistance, especially after 2,000 hours of damp heat test (DH2000), said the company.
Black high-reflectivity backsheets
Coveme also displayed black high-reflectivity backsheets for 1,000 V and 1,500 V DC residential rooftop installations, including the new Super High Reflective Black backsheet with over 80% reflectivity. The latest PET-based ๐ฑ๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ ๐ฃ๐ฌ๐ ๐ฆ๐ฃ๐ฉ ๐๐๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ฅ (๐ฆ๐๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ถ๐ด๐ต ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ณ๐น๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐๐ถ๐๐) black backsheet, features more than 80% reflectivity in the 700 nm to 1,400 nm wavelengths of sun rays, surpassing competitors at 60% and resulting in increased PV module power output. This 3rd party-tested black backsheet is said to also reduce the operating temperature of PV modules by reflecting infrared lights. The modules, equipped with the black SHR backsheet, have shown minimal differences between the declared and measured Pmax in the TUV test result, according to Coveme.
Glass-Glass Vs. Glass-Backsheet
According to Anderlini, the dual glass TOPCon module, featuring 2 mm thick PV glass on both front and rear sides, canโt protect a PV plant from extreme weather events, such as hailstorms. Coveme recommends glass-transparent backsheet PV modules in hail-prone field areas. These bifacial PV modules have additional features like improved heat dissipation, reduced cost of bill-of-materials, and up to 30% additional improved throughput compared to the glass-glass version, added Anderlini. He concluded that Covemeโs high moisture barrier PET backsheet, paired with 3.2 mm thick front glass, provides reliability equivalent to glass-glass bifacial TOPCon PV modules.