TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - CERAMICS AND GLASS - Preferred Component: The incident layer comprises glass sheets. The backing layer is glass sheets or ceramic plates.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - INORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Component: The backing layer is metal sheets. The solar cells are wafer-based solar cells including crystalline silicon or multi-crystalline silicon. The solar cells are thin film solar cells including amorphous silicon, microcrystalline silicon, cadmium telluride, copper indium selenide, copper indium/gallium diselenide, light absorbing dyes, or organic semiconductors based solar cells.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - ORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Component: The sheet comprises 5-80, preferably 30-40 parts per hundred plasticizer including triethylene glycol di-2-ethylhexanoate, tetraethylene glycol di-n-heptanoate, dibutyl sebacate, and two or more of their mixtures.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - POLYMERS - Preferred Component: The poly(vinyl) butyral resin contains 12-23, preferably 15-19 wt.% hydroxyl groups calculated as polyvinyl alcohol. The solar cell module comprises front and back encapsulant layers (12, 16). The front or back encapsulant layer is the poly(vinyl butyral) sheet and the other encapsulant layer comprises a polymeric material including acid copolymers, ionomers, poly(ethylene vinyl acetates), poly(vinyl acetals), polyurethanes, polyvinylchlorides, polyethylenes, polyolefin block copolymer elastomers, poly( alpha -olefin-co- alpha , beta -ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid ester) copolymers, silicone elastomers, and/or epoxy resins. An incident layer (10) is included, and comprises polymeric sheets comprising polycarbonates, acrylics, polyacrylates, cyclic polyolefins, polystyrenes, polyamides, polyesters, fluoropolymers, or two or more of their combinations; polymeric films comprising polyesters, polycarbonate, polyolefins, norbornene polymers, polystyrene, styrene-acrylate copolymers, acrylonitrile-styrene copolymers, polysulfones, nylons, polyurethanes, acrylics, cellulose acetates, cellophane, poly(vinyl chlorides), fluoropolymers or two or more of their combinations. The backing layer (18) is polymeric sheets or polymeric films. The polymeric sheets comprise polycarbonates, acrylics, polyacrylates, cyclic poly-olefins, polystyrenes, polyamides, polyesters, fluoropolymers, or two or more of their combinations. The polymeric films comprise polyesters, polycarbonates, polyolefins, norbornene polymers, polystyrenes, styrene-acrylate copolymers, acrylonitrile-styrenecopolymers, polysulfones, nylons, polyurethanes, acrylics, cellulose acetates, cellophanes, poly(vinyl chlorides), fluoropolymers, or two or more of their combinations. Preferred Property: The poly(vinyl) butyral resin has a weight average molecular weight of 30000-600000, preferably 200000-300000. EXAMPLE - Three component layers of a solar cell module structure were stacked to form a pre-lamination assembly. The first layer comprised the incident layer containing Starphire(RTM: low iron glass). The second layer comprised the front-sheet encapsulant layer containing 0.38 mm thick embossed sheet made from a plasticized poly(vinyl butyral) with a melt flow rate of 1.1 g/10 minutes. The third layer contained silicon-based thin film solar cell with a 125 mu m thick stainless steel substrate. For the assembly containing a polymeric film layer as the outer surface layer, a cover glass sheet was placed over the film layer. The pre-lamination assembly was then placed within a laminator. The lamination cycle included an evacuation step (vacuum of 3 inches-mercury) of 5.5 mm and a pressing stage (pressure of 1000 mbar) of 5.5 mm at 145 degrees C. The resulting laminate was then removed.