In order to ensure long-term reliability when a photovoltaic element is bent or curved to be deformed: (1) In a method for manufacturing a solar cell module having a photovoltaic element encapsulated with a resin on a support member, the step is adopted which forms a bent portion in the photovoltaic element and in the support member, wherein the formation of the bent portion is performed while reducing a working pressure in the normal direction to a surface of the photovoltaic element; and (2) In a solar cell module comprising a photovoltaic element comprising at least one photoactive semiconductor layer on a flexible substrate, at least a part of the flexible substrate is subjected to tensile deformation in the direction parallel to a surface of the substrate with a strain less than a critical strain to lower the fill factor of the photovoltaic element, whereby the photovoltaic element is deformed.