TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - INSTRUMENTATION AND TESTING - Preferred Components: The intermediate electrode apparatus for connecting adjacent PV cells together, comprises: a first electrode portion comprising (a) and (b) as above per se, many first parallel, electrically conductive wires on the first inner planar surface and embedded into the first inner adhesive layer, where the first inner adhesive layer and the first wires face in a first direction, (d) as above per se, a first outer adhesive layer on the first outer planar surface of the first film for directly adhesively securing the first film to an inner surface of a rear protective sheet, and (g) as above per se; and a second electrode portion adjacent the first electrode portion, where the second electrode portion comprises (a1) and (b1) as above per se, many second parallel, electrically conductive wires on the second inner planar surface and embedded into the second inner adhesive layer, where the second inner adhesive layer and the second wire face in a direction opposite to the first direction, and the second wires are in electrical contact with the first busbar to electrically connect the first and second wires together, and (f1) and (g1) as above per se. The PV string comprises either: the terminal electrode, a first intermediate PV cell assembly, where the first inner adhesive layer of the terminal electrode is bonded to the back side surface of the PV cell of the first intermediate PV cell assembly, the low melting point alloy on the protruding portions of the wires embedded in the first inner adhesive layer of the first terminal electrode is in direct ohmic contact with the back side surface of the PV cell of the first intermediate PV cell assembly, and a terminal PV cell assembly, where the first inner adhesive layer of the first electrode portion of the first intermediate electrode assembly is bonded to a back side electrically conductive surface of a PV cell of the terminal PV cell assembly, and the low melting point alloy on the protruding portions of the wires embedded in the first inner adhesive layer of the first intermediate electrode is in direct ohmic contact with the back side surface of the PV cell of the terminal PV cell assembly; the terminal electrode, a first intermediate PV cell assembly, where the first inner adhesive layer of the terminal electrode is bonded to a front side surface of a PV cell of the first intermediate PV cell assembly, and the wires embedded in the first inner adhesive layer of the terminal electrode are soldered to the front side surface of the PV cell of the first intermediate PV cell assembly by the low melting point alloy on the protruding portions of the wires embedded in the first inner adhesive layer of the first terminal electrode, a terminal PV cell assembly, where a second inner adhesive layer of the second electrode portion of the first intermediate electrode assembly is bonded to the front side electrically conductive surface of the PV cell of the terminal PV cell assembly and the wires embedded in the second inner adhesive layer of the first intermediate electrode are soldered to the front side surface of the PV cell of the terminal PV cell assembly by the low melting point alloy on the protruding portions of the wires embedded in the second inner adhesive layer of the first intermediate PV cell assembly; the terminal electrode, many intermediate PV cell assemblies connected in series order, where the first inner adhesive layer of the terminal electrode is bonded to a back side surface of a PV cell of a first one of the intermediate PV cell assemblies and the low melting point alloy on the protruding portions of the wires embedded in the first inner adhesive layer of the first terminal electrode is in direct ohmic contact with the back side surface of the PV cell of the first intermediate PV cell assembly, a terminal PV cell assembly, where the first inner adhesive layer of the first electrode portion of a final intermediate electrode assembly of the many intermediate electrode assemblies is bonded to a back side electrically conductive surface of a PV cell of the terminal PV cell assembly, the low melting point alloy on the protruding portions of the wires embedded in the first inner adhesive layer of the final intermediate electrode assembly is in direct ohmic contact with the back side surface of the PV cell of the terminal PV cell assembly, and starting with the first intermediate PV cell assembly, the back side surfaces of PV cells of subsequent intermediate PV cell assemblies are bonded by respective first inner adhesive layers to the first inner planar surfaces on immediately prior PV cell assemblies and the low melting point alloy on respective wires embedded in the respective first inner adhesive layers is in direct ohmic contact with the back side surfaces of respective the subsequent intermediate PV cell assemblies, to connect the intermediate PV cell assemblies together, between the terminal electrode and the terminal PV cell assembly; or the terminal electrode, many intermediate PV cell assemblies, where the first inner adhesive layer of the terminal electrode is bonded to the front side surface of a PV cell of a first one of the intermediate PV cell assemblies and the wires embedded in the first inner adhesive layer of the terminal electrode are soldered to the front side surface of the PV cell of the first one of the intermediate PV cell assemblies by the low melting point alloy on the protruding portions of the wires embedded in the first inner adhesive layer of the first terminal electrode, a terminal PV cell assembly, where a second inner adhesive layer of a second electrode portion of a final intermediate electrode assembly of the intermediate electrode assemblies is bonded to the front side electrically conductive surface of the PV cell of the terminal PV cell assembly and the wires embedded in the second inner adhesive layer of the terminal electrode are soldered to the front side surface of the PV cell of the terminal PV cell assembly by the low melting point alloy on the protruding portions of the wires embedded in the second inner adhesive layer of the final intermediate PV cell assembly, and where starting with the first intermediate PV cell assembly, the front side surfaces of PV cells of subsequent intermediate PV cell assemblies are bonded by respective second inner adhesive layers on immediately prior PV cell assemblies and respective wires embedded in the respective second inner adhesive layers are soldered to the front side surfaces of the subsequent intermediate PV cell assemblies by the low melting point alloy on the protruding surfaces of the wires to connect the intermediate PV cell assemblies together, between the terminal electrode and the terminal PV cell assembly. Preferred Method: The method (M1) of making a PV panel, comprises placing the PV cell assembly between front and rear protective sheets, where placing comprises causing the PV cell assembly to be sandwiched between the inside surfaces of the front and rear protective sheets, causing the first outer adhesive layer on the first terminal electrode to directly adhesively secure the first outer planar surface of the first terminal electrode to the inside surface of the rear protective sheet, and causing the second outer adhesive layer on the second terminal electrode to directly adhesively secure the second outer planar surface of the second terminal electrode to the inside surface of the front protective sheet. The method (M2) of making a PV panel, comprises placing the PV cell string between front and rear protective sheets, where placing comprises causing the PV cell string to be sandwiched between the inside surfaces of the front and rear protective sheets, causing the first outer adhesive layer on the first terminal electrode to directly adhesively secure the first outer planar surface of the first terminal electrode to the inside surface of the front or rear protective sheet, causing the second outer adhesive layer on the end terminal electrode to directly adhesively secure the second outer planar surface of the end terminal electrode to the inside surface of the front or rear protective sheet, and causing the first and second outer adhesive layers on each of the intermediate electrodes to directly adhesively secure respective first and second outer planar surfaces of respective the intermediate electrodes to the inside surface of the front or rear protective sheet. The method (M1) further comprises: peeling off the first and second release sheets preventing the first and second outer adhesive layers from adhesion, prior to causing the first and second outer adhesive layers to be placed into contact with the inner surfaces of the back and front protective sheets respectively; causing the first and second conductors to be accessible outside of the front and rear protective sheets to permit connecting the PV module to an electrical circuit; and activating the first and second outer adhesive layers to cause them to adhere to the inner surfaces of the rear and front protective sheets respectively. The method (M2) further comprises: peeling off release sheets preventing the outer adhesive layers from adhesion, prior placing to the PV string assembly between the first and second protective sheets; and activating the outer adhesive layers to cause them to adhere to the inner surface of the front or rear protective sheet. The step of activating comprises exposing a volume defined between the rear and front protective sheets to a vacuum to draw air from between the rear and front protective sheets, pressing the rear and front protective sheets together and heating the first and second outer adhesive layers sufficiently to cause them to bond to the inner surfaces of the rear and front protective sheets respectively.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - POLYMERS - Preferred Components: The first outer adhesive layer comprises a first thermoplastic adhesive. The first outer adhesive layer extends entirely across the first outer planar surface. The first thermoplastic adhesive and second thermoplastic adhesive have a softening temperature of 90-130 degrees C. The first thermoplastic adhesive layer and second thermoplastic adhesive layer have a thickness of 30-100 microns. The second outer adhesive layer comprises a second thermoplastic adhesive. The second outer adhesive layer extends entirely across the second outer planar surface.