NOVELTY - Fabricating a photovoltaic module comprises: (a) forming a laminate comprising: a transparent layer and a support layer; a photovoltaic layer disposed in the interior volume; and an encapsulant material; (b) sealing the laminate completely about its periphery in an air-tight manner; (c) heating the encapsulant material within the laminate; and (d) before the encapsulant material is raised to its sealing temperature, withdrawing air from the interior volume of the laminate.    USE - The method is useful for fabricating photovoltaic module (claimed).    ADVANTAGE - The material used for the encapsulate exhibits an energy absorptivity response that optimizes the effective heating rate of the material (s) being heated.    DETAILED DESCRIPTION - Fabricating a photovoltaic module comprises: (a) forming a laminate comprising: a transparent layer and a support layer, each of the transparent layer and the support layers having an exterior surface and an interior surface, the interior surface of the transparent and the support layers defining an interior volume; a photovoltaic layer disposed in the interior volume; and an encapsulant material disposed in the interior volume, the encapsulant material includes at least an interlayer positioned between the photovoltaic layer and either the interior surface of the transparent layer or the interior surface of the support layer, or both, the encapsulant material having a predetermined sealing temperature above which the encapsulant material is able to flow into adhesive contact with the photovoltaic layer and the transparent layer and/or the protective layer, the encapsulant material also having a predetermined energy absorptivity response associated to it; the laminate having a periphery; (b) sealing the laminate completely about its periphery in an air-tight manner such that a major portion of the exterior surface of one or both the transparent and a support layers of the laminate is/are exposed to atmospheric pressure; (c) using a heating source having an energy output characteristic tuned to the energy absorptivity response of the encapsulant material, heating the encapsulant material within the laminate; and (d) before the encapsulant material is raised to its sealing temperature, withdrawing air from the interior volume of the laminate so that atmospheric pressure acts on exposed surface (s) to compress the layers of the laminate, where, as the temperature of the encapsulant material is raised past its sealing temperature, the encapsulant material adhesively contacts against the photovoltaic layer and an adjacent interior surface of the transparent layer and/or the protective layer, thus to form a sealed laminated structure. An INDEPENDENT CLAIM is a photovoltaic module comprising a transparent layer and a support layer, each of the transparent layer and the support layers having an exterior surface and an interior surface, one of the transparent layer or the support layer having an exhaust aperture; a photovoltaic layer disposed between the interior surfaces of the transparent layer and the support layer; an encapsulant material disposed in the interior volume, the encapsulant material being positioned at least between the photovoltaic layer and either the interior surface of the transparent layer or the interior surface of the support layer, or both; and a major portion of the encapsulant material having a predetermined energy absorptivity response associated to it; the encapsulant material in at least one preselected region of the laminate containing an additive operative to adjust the energy absorptivity response of the encapsulant material in that region.