The world wide web is full of do-it-yourself (DIY) electronic books, forums and websites on the topic of homemade solar panels. You’d imagine that every person would have homemade solar panels on their residence with all this information.
One setback is that majority of the people do not recognize whether they really have the essential skills or equipment required to create their own solar panels. Add to that the fact that many homemade solar panels can end up costing as much as pre-made ones when it’s all said and done and it’s obvious why DIY solar panels aren’t popular.
The great news is that it is simpler than most people think. The most difficult job is getting past the initial barrier of speculating if you can do it. Homemade solar panels can be a fun and rewarding DIY project for the entire family as well.
There are 3 major divisions of the solar panel – solar cells, a container, and electronics such as wiring and control units.
The box or container is the most complicated division of the solar panel.The cells is hit by sunlight on one one side and power is created Most solar systems are direct current so the wiring is fairly straightforward.No knowledge of electronics is essential since most of the controllers, inverters, ready made
However, the boxes have to be clear on one side (where the cells “look out” towards the sky), must be weather proof, relatively shock proof, and light enough that they are easily handled for moving and mounting. The boxes must also have gaps for wires to exit, a way for someone to access them again to service the solar cells should they need it, etc. Most of the time, when something on a solar system breaks down, it is the panel boxes and not the cells themselves that have the problem.
So building or purchasing a tough, well-bulit boxes is important. Light Steel, aluminum and plastics are the most frequent supplies used to create the boxes. Glass or clear plastic are most often the covering for the top is also most common.
When acquiring ready-made solar panels, the cells are usually the most pricey component. When building your own panels, however, you will probably discover that the boxes were the most expensive component. Once made, test them in detail for weatherproofing before installing the solar cells.
Solar cells can be purchased in ready made panels, wired in a series, or they can be bought individually and wired in a series. Most do-it-yourself panel builders will buy separate cells, as they are often inexpensive and effortless to find. A lot of online stores sell stained, damaged, or otherwise unsatisfactory solar cells at a huge sale. Those with some knowledge of the cells can get these and often fix them or make them usable for their project. If you don’t have that kind of knowledge, you are better off getting new cells that have a warranty and which are compatible with one another so you can merely plug them together to string a series.
Most of the time, they will be purchased in “bricks.” These are small series of pre-wired cells that can be connected, in turn, with other bricks to make more. They are usually sold in voltage quantities, so a brick might have 1/2 volt (V), a full V, or some other variation. As an example: to charge a car battery (12V), you will need between 16 and 18V. Keep in mind that the voltage measurement for your brick is it’s maximum production. In most of the U.S., you can expect to get 50-75% efficiency from a solar panel. Bear in mind when building your series.
Other factors to consider include how to wire in series and how to add voltages to estimate totals when doing so. Soldering skills are a must for creating solar panels, but are not hard to learn. Purchase some low-cost electronics at a thrift and attempt wiring them together or joining them – such as toys remote controlled cards and make sounds like talking teddy bears. This inexpensive practice will pay off when dealing with costly cells later.
Lastly, handle all of homemade solar panels with care while putting them together. You can easily get in to removing and replace a brick or fix a connection in the panels if you leave plenty of room after assembling in between the cells.