Integration of Photovoltaic Cells into Composite Wing Skins

Abstract

The integration of thin film solar cells into composite wing skins is explored by first testing and evaluating the integration of single solar cells into small composite samples with no encapsulating material, fiberglass encapsulating material and polyurethane film encapsulating material for the impacts that these processes and materials have on solar cell performance, aircraft performance and solar cell durability. Moving on from single cell samples, three encapsulation methods were chosen to be used in the construction of two wings utilizing arrays of multiple solar cells with each encapsulation method being utilized on 3 of the four wing skins comprising the 2 complete wings. The fourth wing skin was integrated with a functioning removable solar panel manufactured to the contours of the wing. Performance and weight data gathered from the development and fabrication of single cell and wing-skin specimens was used to develop a basic model of endurance for each encapsulation material evaluated in order to compare the effects of encapsulation materials and processes on the primary parameter that the integration of the photovoltaic cells into the wing skins is intended to improve.