Transparent patch antenna on a-Si thin-film glass solar module

M. J. Roo-Ons, S. V. Shynu, M. J. Ammann, S. J. McCormack, B. Norton

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

An optically transparent microstrip patch mounted on the surface of a commercially available solar module is proposed. The patch comprises a thin sheet of clear polyester with a conductive coating. The amorphous silicon solar cells in the module are used as both a photovoltaic generator and the antenna ground plane. The proposed structure provides a peak gain of 3.96dBi in the 3.4-3.8GHz range without significantly compromising the light transmission in the module. A comparison between copper and transparent conductors is made in terms of antenna and solar performance. The proposed technique is considerably simpler than previous integration approaches.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)85-86
Number of pages2
JournalElectronics Letters
Volume47
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 20 Jan 2011

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