Abstract: An improved toner comprises a binder resin comprising a urea-modified polyester resin; a colorant master batch comprising a colorant; a resin; and a pigment dispersant. The toner is prepared by a method comprising dissolving or dispersing toner compositions including a modified polyester resin capable of forming the urea-modified polyester resin and the colorant master batch in an organic solvent to provide a liquid; dispersing the liquid in an aqueous medium including resin fine particles while reacting the modified polyester resin with at least one of a crosslinker and an elongation agent to provide particles; and washing the particles after removing the organic solvent therefrom.

Abstract: A solar cell module comprises a photovoltaic device having a flexible substrate. The photovoltaic device has a strain at least partly in the planar direction of the flexible substrate, and the strain is not greater than a critical value at which the photovoltaic device cracks. The solar cell module may further comprise a strain holding means for holding the strain. A deformable region where the photovoltaic device can be deformed when a region embracing the photovoltaic device is worked is defined so that a great variety of solar cell modules having a high reliability, also taking account of manufacture, can be designed with good efficiency.

Abstract: A processed article is provided with a plurality of IDs having the same information for machine reading but difference to be confirmed visually. The information such as the production lot number which is read from the plurality of IDs by the reading device is the same, but these plurality of IDs are different in external appearance, for example in size or color. By corresponding such difference of the plurality of IDs in the external appearance to the positional information in the processing apparatus for the article, new information can be added to the ID without introducing a new ID printer or a reading device. A prompt measure to a trouble in production is made possible based on the information such as the position of the article. Also the defective processed article can be easily selected, thereby improving the production yield and achieving a cost reduction.

Abstract: A solar cell module comprises a photovoltaic device having a flexible substrate. The photovoltaic device has a strain at least partly in the planar direction of the flexible substrate, and the strain is set not more than a critical value at which the photovoltaic device cracks. The solar cell module may further comprise a strain holding means for holding the strain.

Abstract: A thermal transfer dye image-receiving sheet is provided which can form high-quality color images by a thermal transfer method. The thermal transfer dye image-receiving sheet comprises: a substrate sheet; and a dye-receptive layer provided on at least one side of the substrate sheet, the dye-receptive layer containing at least a caprolactone-modified cellulose, the cellulose comprising at least a cellulose acetate component.

Abstract: In a solar roof member comprising a photovoltaic device encapsulated with an insulating material onto a reinforcing member, the reinforcing member has a joining portion at which an adjoining solar roof member is joined, and a curved portion which is so provided in the reinforcing member as to extend over at least part of the joining portion and through which a lead wire is led out. The solar roof member enables simple roofing without causing wiring mistakes.

Abstract: A solar cell module comprises a front surface member disposed on a front surface side of a photovoltaic element having at least a semiconductor photoactive layer on a flexible substrate, a back surface member disposed on a back surface side of the photovoltaic element, and a sealing material interposed therebetween. The flexible substrate of the photovoltaic element has a plurality of substantially parallel surface grooves on a surface thereof at the semiconductor photoactive layer side of the flexible substrate. At least one portion of the solar cell module is processed to deform in such a direction that strain generated in a substantially parallel direction to the surface grooves is applied to the photovoltaic element. In this way, a solar cell module can be subjected to deformation-processing that prevents, to the extent possible, cracks in the semiconductor photoactive layer of the photovoltaic elements; in other words, deformation-processing can be achieved without influencing electrical characteristics.

Abstract: In order to ensure long-term reliability when a photovoltaic element is bent or curved to be deformed: (1) In a method for manufacturing a solar cell module having a photovoltaic element encapsulated with a resin on a support member, the step is adopted which forms a bent portion in the photovoltaic element and in the support member, wherein the formation of the bent portion is performed while reducing a working pressure in the normal direction to a surface of the photovoltaic element; and (2) In a solar cell module comprising a photovoltaic element comprising at least one photoactive semiconductor layer on a flexible substrate, at least a part of the flexible substrate is subjected to tensile deformation in the direction parallel to a surface of the substrate with a strain less than a critical strain to lower the fill factor of the photovoltaic element, whereby the photovoltaic element is deformed.

Abstract: A process for producing a solar cell module comprising at least a photovoltaic element module is provided. The photovoltaic element module is formed by electrically connecting a plurality of photovoltaic elements with each other, after the individual photovoltaic elements are identified or classified into a plurality of groups which are different from each other in property and attribute. The photovoltaic element module is formed such that at least two kinds of photovoltaic elements having different property and attribute co-exist therein. A solar cell module having at least a photovoltaic element module comprising a plurality of photovoltaic elements electrically connected with each other is also provided; the plurality of photovoltaic elements comprises photovoltaic elements identified or classified into at least two kinds which are different in terms of property and attribute.

Abstract: A thermal transfer sheet is provided for use in a sublimation thermal transfer recording method. A thermal transfer sheet of the present invention includes a specific combination of dyes and being capable of producing a picture image having an improved light-resistant colorfastness.

Abstract: A solar-cell module having a photovoltaic device, a reinforcing sheet for reinforcing the photovoltaic device and a covering material which seals the photovoltaic device on the reinforcing sheet is bent at a region between the border of the photovoltaic device and the outer edge of the reinforcing sheet, where the reinforcing sheet is covered with the covering material at the part extending from the border of the photovoltaic device up to the bent portion closest thereto, or the covering material is, at the margin thereof, made to have a thickness cross-sectionally smaller as it extends farther from the border of the photovoltaic device, provided that the reinforcing sheet is not covered at the outward margin thereof with the covering material. The covering material which covers the photovoltaic device of the solar-cell module is peel-resistant.

Abstract: In order to ensure long-term reliability when a photovoltaic element is bent or curved to be deformed: (1) In a method for manufacturing a solar cell module having a photovoltaic element encapsulated with a resin on a support member, the step is adopted which forms a bent portion in the photovoltaic element and in the support member, wherein the formation of the bent portion is performed while reducing a working pressure in the normal direction to a surface of the photovoltaic element; and (2) In a solar cell module comprising a photovoltaic element comprising at least one photoactive semiconductor layer on a flexible substrate, at least a part of the flexible substrate is subjected to tensile deformation in the direction parallel to a surface of the substrate with a strain less than a critical strain to lower the fill factor of the photovoltaic element, whereby the photovoltaic element is deformed.

Abstract: A roof unit is constructed in such an arrangement that a plurality of combination solar battery and roof panels, each having flanges at two opposite sides, are placed adjacent to each other with clearance on a joining/fixing member, the adjacent combination solar battery and roof panels are fixed to the joining/fixing member in the clearance by a removable fixture, and a removable cap is placed in an upper part of the clearance. This arrangement simplifies the work at a work site, decreases the construction cost, and decreases work errors. In addition, measurement or replacement of each module can be made even after mounting, thus providing a practical vertical-roofing roof excellent in maintainability and also in wind endurance.

Abstract: A sunlight energy conversion apparatus comprises a photoelectric transducer comprising a non-single crystal semiconductor and means for supplying heat to the photoelectric transducer through a flowing heating medium.

Abstract: A photovoltaic device including a photovoltaic element comprising a substrate having an electrically conductive face, a semiconductor layer formed on said electrically conductive surface of said substrate, and a transparent and electrically conductive electrode layer formed on said semiconductor layer; a power generation region having a metallic wire arranged over said transparent and electrically conductive electrode layer of said photovoltaic element; and a fixing region of fixing an end portion of said metallic wire, wherein said metallic wire is fixed to a polymer film through an adhesive material, and if necessary, said metallic wire is positioned between a bus bar and said adhesive material while electrically connecting with said bus bar. A solar cell module, construction member, or power generation apparatus comprising said photovoltaic device. A process for producing said photovoltaic device.

Abstract: A solar-cell module is provided which comprises a photovoltaic device sealed on a reinforcing sheet with a filler material, wherein the reinforcing sheet has unevenness formed by plastic deformation, on its surface at least on the side of the photovoltaic device and at least partly on the surface, and a space defined by the unevenness and the photovoltaic device is filled with the filler material. The solar-cell module is produced by a process comprising the steps of superposing at least a thermoplastic-resin sheet member and a photovoltaic device on a reinforcing sheet having unevenness on its surface, and heating the thermoplastic-resin sheet member, the photovoltaic device and the reinforcing sheet while removing air from a space between the reinforcing sheet and the thermoplastic-resin sheet member and a space between the thermoplastic resin sheet member and the photovoltaic device, to bring them into close contact to fix to each other.

Abstract: A solar cell module according to the present invention includes at least a base material, a first insulating material formed on the base material, a photovoltaic element set including a plurality of photovoltaic elements formed on the first insulating material, and a second insulating material formed on the photovoltaic element set. The base material has an L or W shape. In one embodiment, the base material has an L section shape, and a bent portion is formed in a portion where no photovoltaic element is arrange. In another embodiment, the photovoltaic element set includes a wiring material for electrically connecting the photovoltaic elements, and a bent portion is formed in a portion where the wiring material is arranged. Power generation and heat collection efficiency are increased, and optical deterioration of a non-single-crystal semiconductor are decreased in the present solar cell modules.

Abstract: A solar cell module is provided at the position of a heat collecting plate inside a heat collector, at the position of its window member or at the position of its bottom plate. With such constitution, a hybrid system can be achieved in which the hot air can be led into a house while maintaining the performance of solar cells making use of amorphous silicon semiconductors.In the case where solar cells are provided at the position of the heat collecting plate, a resin used as a filler has so high a thermal resistance that the heat conduction to the air may be insufficient to make it impossible to obtain hot air having a sufficiently high temperature. To solve this problem, the solar cell module is made to have a smaller thermal resistance on the non-light-receiving side than the thermal resistance on the light-receiving side.

Abstract: A photovoltaic device is provided which comprises at least one metal wire on a surface of a photovoltaic element for collecting the power generated by the photovoltaic element, the at least one metal wire being coated with an electroconductive adhesive over the entire length and fixed onto the photovoltaic element. The photovoltaic device is produced without applying and curing the electroconductive adhesive in the photovoltaic device production process at low cost with high reliability.

Abstract: A cleaning method whereby a cleaning liquid used for cleaning in one cleaning stage is mixed after the one cleaning stage with a cleaning liquid used for cleaning in a rear cleaning stage. The flow rate of the one cleaning stage being greater than that of the cleaning liquid used for cleaning in the rear cleaning stage.