You can easily save hundreds of dollars in your utility bills by generating your own electricity from solar energy with a solar kit. Once the domain of only the big corporations, now this technology is available to the individual consumer also. So how do you get your own solar kit?
A solar kit basically provides you with the items to construct a solar panel. This will generate free electricity for you from the power of the sun. Instead of buying a solar kit, you can make one yourself.
Your solar panel actually consists of 2 parts – the box that holds the solar cells and the array of solar cells wired together in a series. The first step is to buy some solar cells. The good thing is that nowadays you can buy solar cells very cheaply (for less than $200) from eBay or places like that. New solar cells cost a lot but those at eBay are either factory seconds or blemished ones but are still good enough to generate electricity.
Buy at least 36 mono crystalline solar cells that are 3×6 or 4×4 inches in size. Solar cells also come in different measured outputs. You should look for those with an output of around 0.55V and 3.98Amp. The size of cell will not affect its voltage capacity but it will determine its current output (measured in Amps). That’s why you should not buy cells which are too small in size otherwise the cells would not be able to power most of your appliances. Also, do not mix sizes because the amount of current produced is limited to the size of the smallest cell when wired in series.
Depending on the size you buy, you can determine the dimensions of the solar cell panel box you need to construct. You need to arrange the 36 solar cells into a 6×6 cell matrix. So get some plywood and make your solar cell panel, which is basically a shallow box that will contain the matrix of solar cells. Be sure to have holes at the bottom edge of the box for ventilation. If you are not adept at woodworking, you can just have a carpenter make it for you. You will also need a base to glue your solar cells to. It should be a flat, thin and non-conductor material made to fit into the box. Once they are constructed, paint the box and the base with weather resistant paint.
Now you need to put your cells together. Essentially you must wire your cells in series. Each solar cell is like a battery with its front the negative terminal and the back being the positive terminal. Solar cells have 2 tab wires attached to the front (if they are not, you will have to solder them on yourself). These tab wires must then be soldered to the bottom (where there are solder points) of the next cell. That’s how to wire them in series. Repeat this process for 6 cells. This results in a string of solar cells. Make 6 strings altogether.
The next step is to glue each string to the base using a double sided tape at the center of each cell. But your strings must be facing opposite sides of the box alternately. The first string faces the top while the second faces the bottom and the third the top and so on. Once that’s done, you need to wire each string to each other also in series. The best way to do this is to solder a copper wire to the tab wires at the end of a string and also to the beginning of the next string. Just be sure that they connect the negative terminal of one cell to the positive terminal of the next cell just like how flashlight batteries are arranged. When all 6 strings have been connected in series, you would have 2 copper wires coming out from the matrix, one attached to a negative terminal and the other to a positive terminal.
Now you can test your solar panel under the sun. Attach the 2 copper wires to a voltmeter and you should see a reading. If all was done correctly, you should obtain a voltage of about 18V.
Take your base and screw it into the solar panel box. Your solar cells will be connected to a battery. Therefore, you will need to attach a blocking diode that prevents your battery from discharging when the sun does not shine. Connect the diode in series with the solar cells and place it inside the solar panel box. Now cover the box with a sheet of plexiglass. Seal the edges with silicone caulk to prevent rain water from getting in.
Congratulations, you have constructed your very own solar cell panel.
Related posts:
