TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - POLYMERS - Preferred Components: The poly(ethylene terephthalate) film is bi-axially oriented poly(ethylene terephthalate) film with a thickness of 4-7 mil (0.1-0.18 mm). The poly(ethylene terephthalate) film is further coated with an abrasion resistant hardcoat on the surface that is opposite from the polymeric sheet. The abrasion resistant hardcoat comprises or is made from polysiloxanes (preferred), cross-linked polyurethanes, or compositions prepared by reacting hydroxy-containing oligomers with isocyanate-containing oligomers or anhydride-containing oligomers with epoxide-containing compounds. The poly(ethylene terephthalate) film is further coated with: a poly(allylamine) on the surface that is adjacent to the polymeric sheet; or a poly(allylamine) on the surface that is adjacent to the polymeric sheet and an acrylic based primer under the hardcoat. In the laminate article, at least one surface of poly(ethylene terephthalate) film is surface treated, where the surface-treatment is an energy treatment or priming with an adhesive material comprising silanes, poly(alkyl amines) or acrylic based primers. The polymeric sheet comprises or is made from a polymeric material comprising of poly(vinyl acetals) (preferred), acid copolymers, ionomers, poly(ethylene vinyl acetates), polyurethanes, PVC, polyethylenes, polyolefin block elastomers, poly( alpha -olefin-co- alpha , beta -ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid ester), silicone elastomers and/or epoxy resins. The poly(vinyl acetal) is a poly(vinyl butyral). The polymeric sheet further comprises a plasticizer, and has a thickness of 15-60 mil (0.38-1.5 mm). The laminate article further comprises at least one rigid sheet where the rigid sheet comprises a material having a modulus of greater than or equal to 100000 psi (as measured by ASTM D-638 method), the material is glass sheets (preferred), metal sheets, ceramic sheets, or polymeric sheets, and each of the additional polymeric interlayer sheet(s) comprises a polymer comprising of poly(vinyl acetals), acid copolymers, ionomers, poly(ethylene vinyl acetates), polyurethanes, PVC, polyethylenes, polyolefin block elastomers, poly( alpha -olefin-co- alpha , beta -ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid ester), silicone elastomers and/or epoxy resins. The laminate article comprises essentially of one glass sheet that is laminated to the polymeric sheet of the bi-layer composite, and further the poly (ethylene terephthalate) film is hard-coated on the surface that is opposite from the polymeric sheet. The laminate article comprises n plies of the glass sheets and n-1 plies of the additional polymeric interlayer sheets, where n is 2-7, then plies of the glass sheets are interspaced by n-1 plies of the additional polymeric interlayer sheets to form a '(glass/polymer)(n-1)/glass' composite which is further laminated to the polymeric sheet of the bi-layer composite. The laminate article further comprises a solar cell layer which comprises one solar cell or many solar cells that are electrically interconnected, where the solar cell has a light-receiving side that faces a light source and a non-light-receiving side that faces away from the light source. In the laminate article, the laminate further comprises: an incident layer and a front encapsulant layer; or a back encapsulant layer and a backing layer; or an incident layer, a front encapsulant layer, a back encapsulant layer and a backing layer, where the incident layer and the front encapsulant layer comprise the bi-layer composite, or the back encapsulant layer and the backing layer comprise the bi-layer composite. The laminate article further comprises: an incident layer comprising of glass sheets, a polymeric sheets or polymeric films; and a backing layer comprising of glass sheets, a polymeric sheets, a polymeric films, metal sheets or ceramic plates, where the polymeric sheets comprise or are made of polycarbonates, acrylics, polyacrylates, cyclic polyolefins, polystyrenes, polyamides, polyesters and/or fluoropolymers, and the polymeric films comprise or are made of polyesters, polycarbonates, polyolefins, norbornene polymers, polystyrenes, styrene-acrylate copolymers, acrylonitrile-styrene copolymers, polysulfones, nylons, polyurethanes, acrylics, cellulose acetates, cellophanes, PVC and/or fluoropolymers. The solar cell(s) are: wafer-based solar cell(s) comprising crystalline silicon based or multi-crystalline silicone based solar cells and the laminate article comprises essentially of, counting from a front side that faces to the light source to a back side that faces away from the light source, an incident layer, a front encapsulant layer, the solar cell layer, and the bi-layer composite with the polymeric sheet which is adjacent to the solar cell layer, where the poly(ethylene terephthalate) film is further coated with an abrasion resistance hardcoat on the surface that is opposite from the polymeric sheet; or thin film solar cells comprising of amorphous silicon, microcrystalline silicon, cadmium telluride, copper indium selenide, copper indium/gallium diselenide, light absorbing dyes or organic semiconductors based solar cells and the laminate article comprises essentially of, counting from a front side that faces the light source to a back side that faces away from the light source, a superstrate, the solar cell layer comprising a layer of the thin film solar cells deposited on the superstrate, and the bi-layer composite with the polymeric sheet which is adjacent to the solar cell layer, where the poly(ethylene terephthalate) film is further coated with an abrasion resistance hardcoat on the surface that is opposite from the polymeric sheet.