Development of a photovoltaic fabric by applying warp knitting machine and evaluation of the properties

Abstract

The use of renewable energy has been promoted to implement decarbonized societies, and photovoltaic power is one practical form of renewable energy. However, from the perspectives of flexibility and light transmittance, it is difficult to use photovoltaic materials as an interior material that is exposed to sunlight in a room during the day, such as for curtains. Therefore, by utilizing warp-knitting technology, we developed a photovoltaic fabric that can be used as an interior material. Specifically, we designed a warp knitted fabric that can electrically connect the inserted photovoltaic yarn with a conductive yarn through its knitted structure. In addition, we developed a highly productive and versatile manufacturing method by attaching special parts to a commercial warp knitting machine with a warp insertion mechanism. The new warp knitting method can produce fabrics with a fill factor of 0.65. Moreover, these photovoltaic fabrics are breathable and have light transmittance.