Peter T Nguyen

US Patent:

20200076352, Mar 5, 2020

Filed:

Sep 4, 2018

Appl. No.:

16/121457

Inventors:

- Palo Alto CA, US
Peter P. Nguyen - San Jose CA, US
Mykola O. Pashkevych - Fremont CA, US
Bobby Yang - Dublin CA, US

Assignee:

TESLA, INC. - Palo Alto CA

International Classification:

H02S 20/25
H01L 31/048
H01L 31/02
H01L 31/18
E04D 1/30

Abstract:

One embodiment can provide a photovoltaic roof tile module. The photovoltaic roof tile module can include a photovoltaic roof tile module. The photovoltaic roof tile module can include at least: a first photovoltaic roof tile and a second photovoltaic roof tile positioned adjacent to each other, and a spacer coupled to and positioned between the first and second photovoltaic roof tiles. A respective photovoltaic roof tile can include front and back glass covers, and multiple cascaded strings encapsulated between the front and back glass covers. A respective cascaded string can include a plurality of photovoltaic structures electrically coupled to each other in series, and the multiple cascaded strings can be electrically coupled to each other in parallel. The first and second photovoltaic roof tiles can be electrically coupled to each other in parallel.

US Patent:

20190379321, Dec 12, 2019

Filed:

Jun 12, 2018

Appl. No.:

16/006645

Inventors:

- Palo Alto CA, US
Peter P. Nguyen - Hayward CA, US

Assignee:

TESLA, INC. - Palo Alto CA

International Classification:

H02S 20/25
H01L 31/05
H01L 31/043
H01L 31/02

Abstract:

One embodiment can provide a photovoltaic roof tile. The photovoltaic roof tile can include a plurality of photovoltaic structures positioned between a front cover and a back cover, a bridge electrode coupled to a front-side busbar belonging to a photovoltaic structure, and a metallic strip positioned on a back side of the bridge electrode. The bridge electrode can include a substrate and at least one metallization layer positioned on a back surface of the substrate, and the metallization layer is electrically coupled to both the front-side busbar and the metallic strip, thereby enabling electrical coupling between the front-side busbar and the metallic strip.

US Patent:

20190267931, Aug 29, 2019

Filed:

Feb 27, 2018

Appl. No.:

15/906381

Inventors:

- Palo Alto CA, US
Peter P. Nguyen - San Jose CA, US

Assignee:

TESLA, INC. - Palo Alto CA

International Classification:

H02S 20/25
H02S 30/10
H02S 40/36
H02S 40/34

Abstract:

One embodiment can provide a photovoltaic roof module. The photovoltaic roof module can include a plurality of photovoltaic roof tiles positioned side by side. A respective solar roof tile comprises a plurality of photovoltaic structures positioned between a front cover and a back cover, and the photovoltaic structures are electrically coupled to each other in series. The photovoltaic roof tiles are electrically coupled to each other in parallel.

US Patent:

20190028055, Jan 24, 2019

Filed:

Jul 21, 2017

Appl. No.:

15/656794

Inventors:

- Palo Alto CA, US
Peter P. Nguyen - San Jose CA, US
Seth M. Winger - Palo Alto CA, US
Piotr Zajac - Foster City CA, US
Kaleb A. Klauber - Oakland CA, US
Jennifer L. Wang - San Jose CA, US
Jiunn Benjamin Heng - Los Altos Hills CA, US

Assignee:

TESLA, INC. - Palo Alto CA

International Classification:

H02S 20/25
H02S 40/34
H01L 31/02
H01L 31/048
E04D 1/30

Abstract:

One embodiment provides a solar roof tile module. The module includes a plurality of solar roof tiles positioned side by side and one or more tile spacers. The tiles are electrically and mechanically coupled to each other. A tile spacer is positioned between two adjacent solar roof tiles, thereby preventing water leakage. A solar roof tile can include a front cover, a back cover, and a plurality of photovoltaic strips positioned between the front and back covers. Each photovoltaic strip includes a first edge busbar located on an edge of a first surface and a second edge busbar located on an opposite edge of a second surface, and the photovoltaic strips are arranged in such a way that the first edge busbar of a photovoltaic strip overlaps with a second edge busbar of an adjacent photovoltaic strip, thereby forming a serial connection among the photovoltaic strips.

US Patent:

20180254738, Sep 6, 2018

Filed:

Mar 1, 2018

Appl. No.:

15/909181

Inventors:

- Palo Alto CA, US
Peter P. Nguyen - San Jose CA, US
Piotr Zajac - Foster City CA, US
Scott Tripp - Milpitas CA, US
Seth M. Winger - Palo Alto CA, US
Kaleb A. Klauber - Oakland CA, US
Brian E. Atchley - Petaluma CA, US
Charles Almy - Berkeley CA, US
Andreas Meisel - San Jose CA, US
Alex Mayer - San Francisco CA, US

Assignee:

TESLA, INC. - Palo Alto CA

International Classification:

H02S 20/25
H02S 40/34
H02S 40/36
H01L 31/02
H01L 31/048
H01L 31/18
E04D 1/30

Abstract:

One embodiment can provide a photovoltaic roof module. The photovoltaic roof module can include a plurality photovoltaic roof tiles. A respective photovoltaic roof tile can include a glass front cover, a back cover that includes glass of photovoltaic backsheet, and a plurality of photovoltaic structures encapsulated between the glass front cover and the back cover by an encapsulant. The photovoltaic roof tile can be configured to function as a roof tile when placed on a rooftop of a building, thereby protecting the building from weather elements.

US Patent:

20180190860, Jul 5, 2018

Filed:

Mar 21, 2017

Appl. No.:

15/465419

Inventors:

- San Mateo CA, US
Bobby Yang - Los Altos Hills CA, US
Peter P. Nguyen - San Jose CA, US
Zheng Xu - Pleasanton CA, US

Assignee:

SolarCity Corporation - San Mateo CA

International Classification:

H01L 31/18
H01L 21/683
H01L 21/67
H01L 31/05
B32B 43/00

Abstract:

A cleaving apparatus for cleaving a photovoltaic structure into multiple strips is described. The apparatus can include a supporting post and a cleaving platform for cleaving the photovoltaic structure. The cleaving platform can be coupled to the supporting post via a translation stage and can include multiple platform segments that are configured to move relative to each other during cleaving. Each of the multiple platform segments can include a wafer-holding surface for holding at least a portion of the photovoltaic structure.

US Patent:

20170301801, Oct 19, 2017

Filed:

Apr 19, 2016

Appl. No.:

15/133003

Inventors:

- San Mateo CA, US
Peter P. Nguyen - San Jose CA, US

Assignee:

SolarCity Corporation - San Mateo CA

International Classification:

H01L 31/02
H01L 31/0747
H01L 31/0224
H01L 31/0224
H01L 31/18
H01L 31/18

Abstract:

One embodiment can provide a current-collecting mechanism of a photovoltaic structure. The current-collecting mechanism can include a top metallic grid positioned on a top surface of the photovoltaic structure and a bottom metallic grid positioned on the bottom surface of the photovoltaic structure. The top metallic grid can include a top busbar positioned near an edge of the photovoltaic structure, and the bottom metallic grid can include a bottom busbar positioned near an opposite edge. The top busbar and the bottom busbar can have complementary topology profiles such that, when the edge of the photovoltaic structure overlaps with an opposite edge of an adjacent photovoltaic structure, the top busbar of the photovoltaic structure and the bottom busbar of the adjacent photovoltaic structure interlock with each other.

US Patent:

20170170336, Jun 15, 2017

Filed:

Dec 30, 2015

Appl. No.:

14/985338

Inventors:

- San Mateo CA, US
Lilja Magnusdottir - San Rafael CA, US
Peter Nguyen - San Jose CA, US

International Classification:

H01L 31/02
H02S 40/34
H01L 31/05

Abstract:

A solar module that includes multiple series-connected sub-circuits is provided. Each sub-circuit may include multiple solar cell strings coupled in parallel. The sub-circuits may be coupled to a junction box that includes bypass diodes. Each of the sub-circuits may be coupled in parallel with a respective bypass diode in the junction box. The sub-circuits may be coupled to the junction box via interconnect buses. The interconnect buses may be routed to an entry point from only one side the junction box to improve manufacturability. The interconnect buses may also include one or more bends to provide strain relief during normal operation of the solar module and during thermal cycling events.