TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - INSTRUMENTATION AND TESTING - Preferred Process: The process further comprises: providing a polymeric interlayer dielectric layer having opposite first and second sides and having the lengthwise direction and the crosswise direction perpendicular to the lengthwise direction; forming openings in the polymeric interlayer dielectric, where openings are formed in the columns extending in the lengthwise direction of the polymeric interlayer dielectric layer; placing the polymeric interlayer dielectric layer between the rear surfaces of the solar cells and the first side of the wire mounting layer; arranging the columns of openings in the polymeric interlayer dielectric layer over the electrically conductive wires adhered to the wire mounting layer such that the openings in each column are aligned with and over one of the electrically conductive wires; aligning the openings in the polymeric interlayer dielectric layer with the positive and negative polarity contacts on the rear surfaces solar cells, where the positive and negative polarity electrical contacts on the rear surfaces of the solar cells are electrically connected to the electrically conductive wires through the openings in the polymeric interlayer dielectric layer; adhering the polymeric interlayer dielectric layer to the first surface of the polymeric wire mounting layer and to the rear surfaces of the solar cells; providing a polymeric back-sheet (30); and attaching the second side of the polymeric wire mounting layer to the back-sheet. The back-sheet comprises a polyester layer with opposite first and second sides, a first fluoropolymer layer adhered to the first side of the polyester layer, and a second fluoropolymer layer adhered to the second side of the polyester layer. The second side of the wire mounting layer is adhered to the second fluoropolymer layer of the polymeric back-sheet.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - POLYMERS - Preferred Components: The polymeric wire mounting layer and the polymeric interlayer dielectric layer are made of polymer encapsulant material selected from poly(vinyl butyral), ionomers, ethylene vinyl acetate, poly(vinyl acetal), polyurethane, PVC, polyolefins, polyolefin block elastomers, ethylene acrylate ester copolymers, ethylene copolymers, silicone elastomers and chlorosulfonated polyethylene.