Posts Tagged ‘Solar’

Make Solar Panels – Energy Independence Starts Now

More and more, everyday individuals like you and me want to use more efficient ways to make renewable energy. When you consider the expanding costs of fossil fuels, going green is quickly becoming a realistic option. The Do-It-Yourself energy movement has quickly become one of the fastest and best ways to save money and aid the environment. Making solar panels has never been easier. Not to mention that it’s cost effective and fun.
There are numerous ways to make a solar panel, none of which is all that hard. Depending on the type of materials you use, your solar panel should cost about 200 dollars.
You have a choice of multiple types of materials when you make homemade solar panels. Your first major expense will be to buy the solar cells. Recently on Ebay a  search showed tabbed solar cells for about $1.80 each and untabbed solar cells for about $1.10 each.
Plywood might be your least expensive material to purchase, and you may even have some lying around the side yard already. However, rather than plywood, I would suggest using a sheet of white or black plexiglass. It’s lighter, much nicer looking, and will last longer. You can most likely find the size you need at your local hardware store or it can be bought online.
Once you have the back of your solar frame, you’ll have to put a frame around the edge. You can use either aluminum C frame material or wood. Aluminum is more expensive, but it will last a good deal longer and weather the elements better.
Your final piece of the puzzle is the cover. Some people use a sheet of glass. I would not suggest using glass, simply because it’s so fragile. Clear, UV-protected plexiglass is the best option. Make sure, however, that it is UV-protected or it will turn yellow and reduce your panel’s effectiveness.
As you begin your project, plan out each phase and put your plan into writing. You can easily make solar panels with the right guide book. The right manual will help steer you in the proper direction to make good decisions. Start small and work big. Be realistic in your expectations. Your initial panel, may not be the fastest car on the track, but you’ll improve with practice.
Take the time to plan out your solar panel project. Budget your project  and balance cost with longevity. Just because you have an old scrap of plywood lying against the back fence does not mean that you have to use it just to save a few dollars. You may opt for untabbed solar cells to offset the cost of a plexiglass frame over a wood frame. Finally, keep in mind that you will be working with electricity, so have fun, but always be safe.

Renewable Solar Power – 3 Top Tips To Solar Power Your Home

An increasing number of people these days are turning to alternative sources of energy. It does not come as a surprise, what with fossil fuel prices going up by the day and the rising levels of environmental pollution. Renewable solar power has emerged as the frontrunner among all alternative sources of energy. The power of the sun can be harnessed to generate cheap, clean and renewable energy. If you are a homeowner looking to reduce energy bills, then renewable solar power could be the right option for you. Making a solar power system for your home too is not that difficult a proposition. These days there are many useful guides available, which come with detailed step by step instructions, using which you, can the system yourself. In fact, the entire process could be weekend fun for the entire family. Let us take a look at some proven tips that can help you produce renewable solar power in your backyard.

Create Free Electricity & Generate Solar Power at Home Today

Tip#1: You will first of all need to have a detailed plan about how you are going to set up the system that is going to produce renewable solar power for your home. Once you have got the plan, then you must get ready all the materials to make up for the various components that will go into making one. Plexiglass sheet, wires, solar cells, plywood and silicon sealant are some of the things that you will need.

Tip#2: You should choose the right location for placing the solar panels in your home. The place should be such which receives plenty of sunlight throughout the year. Ideally a terrace, balcony or a sprawling lawn are good places to place solar panels.

Tip#3: Make sure that using renewable solar power is allowed in your area. The rules generally differ between cities and it is always better that you check with the local authorities.

Solar Power and Energy Top Tips

An increasing number of people these days are turning to alternative sources of energy. It does not come as a surprise, what with fossil fuel prices going up by the day and the rising levels of environmental pollution. Renewable solar power has emerged as the frontrunner among all alternative sources of energy. The power of the sun can be harnessed to generate cheap, clean and renewable energy.

Making your own solar and wind power for less than $200

If you are a homeowner looking to reduce energy bills, then renewable solar power could be the right option for you. Making a solar power system for your home too is not that difficult a proposition. These days there are many useful guides available, which come with detailed step by step instructions, using which you, can the system yourself. In fact, the entire process could be weekend fun for the entire family. Let us take a look at some proven tips that can help you produce renewable solar power in your backyard.

Making your own solar and wind power for less than $200

Tip #1: You will first of all need to have a detailed plan about how you are going to set up the system that is going to produce renewable solar power for your home. Once you have got the plan, then you must get ready all the materials to make up for the various components that will go into making one. Plexiglass sheet, wires, solar cells, plywood and silicon sealant are some of the things that you will need.

Tip #2: You should choose the right location for placing the solar panels in your home. The place should be such which receives plenty of sunlight throughout the year. Ideally a terrace, balcony or a sprawling lawn are good places to place solar panels.

Tip #3: Make sure that using renewable solar power is allowed in your area. The rules generally differ between cities and it is always better that you check with the local authorities.

Making your own solar and wind power for less than $200

How To Build a “Thin-Film” Solar Cell

Learning how to build a â??Thin-Filmâ? solar cell is very interesting educational project and it helps you get to grips with the photoelectric effect.

What You Need:

â?¢ Copper sheeting
â?¢ Clear Plexiglas/Perspex/acrylic sheeting
â?¢ Some thin wood strip
â?¢ Copper wire
â?¢ Duct tape

Tools:

â?¢ Metal guillotine (optional)
â?¢ Bandsaw (optional)
â?¢ Tin snips
â?¢ Electric ring hob

First of all, cut a square of the copper sheeting so that it is about 6-8 in. square in size.  It is much easier to do this with a metal guillotine; however, if you havenâ??t got access to this sort of equipment, tin snips will work just fine.

When you have done this, wash your hands thoroughly and dry them.  You need to remove any grease or oil from your hands that could cause problems with the next step of the process.  Remove any grease or detritus from the copper sheeting.  Next, take a piece of emery cloth, and thoroughly sand down the piece of copper on both sides to remove the top layer of oxidized copper.

This will leave you with nice bright shiny red copper underneath.

You now need to heat treat the copper, in order to form an oxide coating on top.  It may sound counterintuitive that we have just removed all the oxide and now we are going to put oxide back on, but the oxide coating we will be applying will be a film of â??cuprous oxide.â?

You will need an electric hob to do this. If you have any â??heat proof govesâ? and metal tongs, this might be the time to get them in order to handle the metal while hot.

You need to turn the burner to the highest setting, with the sheet of copper just placed on top. Observe the changes to the copper carefully, they are very interesting.

As you heat the copper, it takes on a lovely vivid patina of different colors.

If you have access to nitric acid, you can use this as a superior method for removing the upper cupric oxide layer.

You will see a black crusty oxide form on top of the copper plate. If you leave the plate to cool slowly, the crusty layer should become fairly fragile and separate easily from the underlying copper. When you have allowed the plate to cool thoroughly, give the plate a firm bang edge-on to a hard surface. Some of the oxide will pop off. Rub the oxide gently with your fingers under a tap, and you will find most of the black layer of oxide comes off easily. If any bits are stubborn, do not under any circumstances scour them, as we do not want to damage the fragile surface.

Under this black layer of oxide, you will find another layer of reddish orange rust color. This is the layer which is â??photosensitiveâ? and will make our thin-film solar cell work.

Make a spacer now from some thin strips of wood. I used duct tape to join my pieces of wood together â?? Do not use metal fixings as they could react electrolytically with the other components of the cell.

We are now going to make another electrode. It has to have the property that it does not touch the other piece of the solar cell, and allows light to hit the surface. We are going to use salt water as our other electrode, making contact with the whole surface of the thin film cell, yet conducting electricity. We are then going to immerse another copper wire to make the connection. You could equally use another piece of copper plate around the outside of the thin-film cell, but not touching our oxidized copper.

In a commercial thin-film cell, tin oxide is commonly used as the other electrode, as it is clear and yet conducts electricity.

Now take a piece of Perspex to act as a cover plate, and stick a strip of duct tape on either side.
We are going to stick our other electrode wire to this piece of Perspex.

Remember to use thickish wire for clarity, with few actual zigzags so that you can clearly see what is going on. To optimize the performance of your solar cell, you want to make the conductor large. To this end, you are better using lots of thinner gauge wire in a much finer zigzag pattern-this will still allow the light to get through, but at the same time gives a large conductor area.

You can experiment with different types of wire And copper â?? The trick is to try and maximize the surface area of the copper, while trying to block as little light as possible from reaching the solar cell.

Fold the duct tape over and stick the wire to the plate.

We are now going to combine the electrode plate with the space. Again, duct tape makes this a nice easy job.

Next, we are going to take the copper plate, and stick duct tape to one side, with the sticky side of the tape facing the same direction as the layer of red copper oxide.

Combine the plate and the front module to make the finished solar cell.

Now, take a little salt water, and fill the void between the Perspex front section and the copper plate.  Seal the module with duct tape all round to prevent leakage.

Finally, connect your module to a multimeter, find a bright light source, and explore some of the electrical properties of your solar cell.

The 6 Step Basic Blueprint For Novices To Make Homemade Solar Panel!

Are you ready to make homemade solar panel?

One thing you need to remember is that building homemade solar panel is quite simple and doesn’t require extensive technical know-how.

Okay, here’s a basic 6 step blueprint to make homemade solar panel which I learned from viewing step-by-step video tutorials downloaded to my computer hard drive.

Head over to your nearest hardware store and acquire the following items:

1)    Blocking diodes
2)    Copper wires
3)    One sheet of Plexiglass
4)    Plywood Panel
5)    Silicone Sealant
6)    Solar cells
7)    Solder and soldering pen
8)    Stainless steel screws
9)    UV coating paint
10)     Wood to form panel border

My total cost: $206

1) Cut up the plywood according to the amount of solar cells you have in possession. To generate say 100 watts of power, you’ll need about 80 solar cells. Build and combine multiple panels if you require more power.

2) Paint the plywood panel with UV coating paint. Once done, you can start joining the solar cells together. Place all the cells on the ground and using the soldering pen, drop very little amount of solder onto the small tabs found at the back of each solar cell.

3) The solder applied on the tabs allows you to link all the cells together with the copper wire. The top of the soldered tab is where you put the wire and to make it stick, just press it down until the solder cools off. .

4) Now what do you see across the back of the solar cells? Two lines of copper wire! The setup goes like this: The negative end of the wire goes to the negative slot and positive enters the positive slot.

5)  Time to link up the cells! Arrange the wiring in such way that the negative wires are unable to come into touch with the positive wires.

6) Drill 2 holes to get the wire out of the back of the plywood panel, add the wood to form a border around the cells, screw from the back and finally with the silicone sealant in hand put the Plexiglass sheet on top of the panel.

Keep in mind that, if you watch step-by-step video tutorials like I have, then it will be a whole lot easier to make homemade solar panel!

How to Make a Solar Panel from Scratch

Learning how to make a solar panel from scratch is a fun and you even donâ??t need to have any extra skills for that. This article will give you a very brief yet clear DIY guide on building a solar panel from scratch, i.e. things that are of no use to you rather than throwing it to the dust bin or those things that are valuable yet find no use right now.  So get ready to learn something new today by spending a few minutes in reading this article.

Learn to Make a Solar Panel at Home in Less than $200

Required Items:

Well, the required items are only things that are in and around your household and you need not take pains to buy something new for making a solar panel here.  The necessary items required are listed below;

Screwdriver A wood saw.  (An electronic wood saw shall be preferred rather than a hand saw) Soldering gun Drilling machine Copper wires Cutter for cutting wires. Paint brush. Electrical Solder Sheet of plexiglass. Silicon caulk. Rosin flux pen.

These were some of the items you need necessarily to make full use of the scratch items which are to be used to build a solar panel.  The scratch items that are going to be used are listed below;

Plywood of considerable length and width Tin wires

However there are certain items that have to be bought from a hardware shop.  They are solar cells and UV protective varnish.  But even this can be avoided if you had used a solar panel already.

Procedure:

Cut the plywood in dimensions that could accommodate all the solar cells and paint the cut plywood with UV protective varnish. Connect each cell to each other using wires and soldering them.  But before that make sure to apply flux to all the connector strips in cells using the Rosin flux pen. Attach these cells to the plywood using silicon caulk dabs. Make sure to accommodate holes for the two wires that have to be pulled from the last solar cell. Once the wires have been fed through these holes it is of utmost importance that you seal it using silicon beads. The next step is to drill holes in the plexiglass to accommodate screws through them. Build a frame to support the plexiglass. With the help of silicon and screws attach the plexiglass frame to the plywood containing the solar cells. Thus your solar panel is ready.  Make sure that you have assembled all parts carefully.

Diy Solar Panel Kits – Top 3 Mistakes That A Beginner Must Avoid When Building A Solar Panel!

Alright fellow beginners, if youâ??re planning to put together your very own DIY solar panel kits, then please take note of the mistakes outlined below.

I made these mistakes when I first started out and needless to sayâ?¦

They caused me a lot of grief!

Okay so here are the top 3 mistakes that you must avoid when making your first solar panel kitsâ?¦

Mistake No.1 â?? Spending more than what is needed.

You know, my first project I spent more than what was necessaryâ?¦

I bought an expensive plywood panel along with a fairly pricey glass sheet to cover the solar cells.

Quite a fair amount of cash wasted there!

Truth of the matter is you can make your own solar panel setup using inexpensive plywood panel. As long as itâ??s durable enough to hold the solar cells together, then youâ??re good to go!

Same goes for the glass sheet. Inexpensive Plexiglass sheet should suffice for your DIY solar panel kits!

My first attempt was a failureâ?¦

Anyway I had to purchase a new plywood panel and glass sheet.

Okay what about my second attempt?

It was a success and best of allâ?¦

The total cost only amounted to $206!

Mistake No.2 â?? Incorrect Wiring.

This mistake is quite common amongst beginners.

When doing the wiring configuration, ensure that the positive and the negative ending of the wires do not come into contact with one another.

To get a better understanding of this, we need to learn fromâ?¦

Mistake No.3 â?? Beginners are Too Reliant on Printed Manuals.

Itâ??s not a good idea for beginners to depend solely on printed manuals.

For me, the wiring process is the trickiest aspect of building a solar panel so itâ??s highly beneficial that we beginners refer to video instructions to get the entire process right.

Before I downloaded the instructional videos, I referred to printed manuals exclusively and it proved to be difficult!

Too many confusing jargons and diagrams killed my enthusiasm. I just couldnâ??t get the assembling process right!

If you watch instructional videos that are beginner-friendly, Iâ??m very sure that youâ??ll be able to assemble those DIY solar panel kits without much hiccups!

How To Build Homemade Solar Panels In 6 Beginner-Friendly Steps!

Do you want to discover the proper ways on how to build homemade solar panels?

Alright now, without further ado, here are the steps involved as well as the materials required to build your own solar panel.

Materials:

Plywood panel
Solar cells
Solder
Screws
Copper wires
Silicone sealant
UV protector.
Additional wood for panel border
Plexiglass sheet
Blocking diodes

Step 1.

Cut the plywood based on the amount of solar cells you have at your disposal. For 100 watts of power, you need about 80 cells. Next paint the plywood with 3 coats of UV protector

Step 2.

Place all solar cells face down on the floor. Note that there’s a small tab at the back of each cell. Using a flux pen, apply a little of bit solder onto the tab of each solar cell.

Step 3.

Take the copper wire and put it on the soldered tab. Once it cools down, the wire will get stuck to it. Now there are two lines of wire at the back of each cell. Join all the cells together – positive goes with positive and the negative goes with the negative end.

Step 4.

Now, take out plywood panel and place all the joined cells on it. The silicone sealant will keep all the cells glued to the panel. It’s unnecessary to cover the wires at this point. Just ensure the cells are firmly stuck to the plywood. Otherwise, you might end up with a defective homemade solar panel!

Step 5.

Notice the 2 wire ends? Drill 2 holes so you can put the wire ends out through the back of the panel. Right in front of the panel, place the additional wood. This is done in order create a border around the cells. Use your screws and apply the sealant to make them stick.

Step 6.

Finally get the glass sheet and fix it to the border to fully cover those solar cells.

And you’re done, bravo!

Believe me it’s not difficult to learn how to build homemade solar panels especially if you have detailed instructional materials like DIY videos!