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Forum Index : Solar : Homemade Panels
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spiderwebber Newbie  Joined: 25/06/2008 Location: United KingdomPosts: 2 |
Hi all, I am brand new to this site,.....(which is the most informative so far)....and was wondering if anybody could point me in the right direction. I am very interested in the process of screen printing my own solar cells, I think I have all the information I require, but I am struggling to find a source for the required chemicals needed to print with. Has anybody had any experience with this process? Any information of anybody will be greatly appreciated. Regards spidey |
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imsmooth Senior Member  Joined: 07/02/2008 Location: United StatesPosts: 214 |
Are you referring to making the silcon waffers themselves or are you talking about soldering cells together to make a panel? I have followed the work of many on other boards and I can give this summary: Unless you have professional equipment for pressing the cells in a vacuum environment and have them perfectly sealed the cells will fail in a short time. Several people have made panels and had them working for a few years. After two or three years humidity gets into the layers. Oxidation and cracking bring their output to almost nothing. This will cost you more money and yield nothing in the end. If, however, you are doing this as an educational project then go for it. |
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| spiderwebber Newbie Joined: 25/06/2008 Location: United KingdomPosts: 2 |
Ah right, so you think in the long run it be not worth it with regards to outlaying money. Do you have any ideas yourself with regards to solar energy. Panels here in the UK are very expensive, hence why I was interested in making my own. regards spidey |
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| imsmooth Senior Member Joined: 07/02/2008 Location: United StatesPosts: 214 |
Where I live, the State of New Jersey paid for 60% of my system. I have 12kw of panels and meet almost all of my yearly need. Panels are expensive, but everyone I have spoken to or written to that has made their own panels have regretted it as a waste of money *if* they were doing it to save money. You have the cost of the waffers, the plastic lamination, the glass/plexiglass, the frame, the soldering tape and your time. This also assumes everything works perfectly and there is no waste. When you add it all up your cost is close to the same and you have an inferior product. Unless you have the equipment you will never have a panel that can withstand the weather, and the temperatures of winter through the summer, for the 20 years guarantte period of professionally made panels. If this isn't a "I want to do it to see if I can" project then you should buy them. |
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| Windy and Solar Newbie Joined: 16/09/2008 Location: New ZealandPosts: 6 |
Hi I bought DIY plans on the net the other day. The heating of copper to cause a photo type layer. The mentioned you could use the copper stuff in boat anti foul. Cup??? oxside. |
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Bryan1 Guru  Joined: 22/02/2006 Location: AustraliaPosts: 1344 |
Well Windy if say you bought the plans to make your own PV panels come spill da beans and put them on here so everyone can have a go. I'll put a wager that any home made panel wont make 10 amps @ 24 volts no matter how much you try. my 2.2 cents worth to this post Cheers Bryan  |
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| Dinges Senior Member Joined: 04/01/2008 Location: AlbaniaPosts: 510 |
I'm a bit surprized people pay for such plans, as the information is all freely available on the net: http://www.exo.net/~jillj/activities/solarcell.pdf (googling turns up much more) I can only hope the original poster didn't pay too much for the plans. Bryan, you're right, they won't be putting out 24V @ 10A. One should be happy with 0.25 volt at 50 uA. Question: how much energy would it take to heat the copper on the hot plate, and how many hours in full sun does it take for the PV cell to break-even energywise ? I bet the answer is depressing. You owe me 2.2 cents now ... (it's ok Bryan, no need to send to me, you can forward it directly to Oztules, I still owe him some royalties)
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| Bryan1 Guru Joined: 22/02/2006 Location: AustraliaPosts: 1344 |
You owe me 2.2 cents now ... (it's ok Bryan, no need to send to me, you can forward it directly to Oztules, I still owe him some royalties)
Ok Dinges, The 0.2 cents account for the gst so thats 2 cents from you towards Oztules royality claims.  Now I know Oztules won't accept anything under $100 so keep going mate oneday after your advise you might make the balance then I'll send Oz the skippy cheque
Cheers Bryan  |
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| Windy and Solar Newbie Joined: 16/09/2008 Location: New ZealandPosts: 6 |
Well now I think i'm a net sucker. Cost 12.95 US for a pdf. |
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| Windy and Solar Newbie Joined: 16/09/2008 Location: New ZealandPosts: 6 |
401large 8120433.pdf Have a look last numbers are the pass word |
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| Windy and Solar Newbie Joined: 16/09/2008 Location: New ZealandPosts: 6 |
Could some tell me how to attach a file? |
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Gizmo Admin Group  Joined: 05/06/2004 Location: AustraliaPosts: 5078 |
Maybe not a good idea to post the pdf if you paid for it, there may be a royalty issue. Glenn The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago, the second best time is right now. JAQ |
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| howlet Newbie Joined: 18/01/2009 Location: United StatesPosts: 2 |
Where there is a will there is a way. I fabricate solar panels and as mentioned above a vacuum laminator is needed for panels that stand the test of time. These laminators can be purchased fairly cheap on ebay if you have the patience. I would be happy to give any advice needed. JB RE is great therapy for an idle mind |
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martinjsto Senior Member Joined: 09/10/2007 Location: AustraliaPosts: 149 |
anyone thought about sealing the cell strings in the foodsafe vacumm bags, there uv resistant and are made from layers of realy good plastic and it would be quite easy to do. i have sent an email off to there manufacturers with this question and how well they will last in direct sun and for what period will they not break down. I am currently setting up a vacumm encapsulation system using an A/C vacumm pump, a vacumm chamber and large clothes storage bags. You can see the system being used for vacumm forming and encapsulation of fiberglass panels and bonnets etc used in aviation, just search youtube or google. the idear is to vacumm out all the air then drawring in the resin to encapsulate the pannel completly filling voids and ending up with no air bubbles and a thin flat flexible strong solar panel that WILL last. I think you can make panels that will last 20 to 30 yrs at a fraction of there compeditors price and get a better unit than the cheap panels, its just a matter of getting your system right. full encapsulation using the correct resin. not fiberglass resin or such, just about everyone will fail with either moisture or discolouration. I use sylgard 184 as it is the one reccomended by solar panel manafacturers. opticlear is also an alternative. I know that panels are relatively cheap but even 2 to 3 dollars per watt is too much for me, yes there are cheaper ones out there but will they last? the question has been posted on this forum in other posts and there are pros and cons on using the cheap ones, and i have a farm that needs power and have been quoted over $120,000 to have the grid connected. makes home made panels worth concidering. free power for all McAlinden WA |
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| Homegrow47 Newbie Joined: 17/08/2010 Location: AustraliaPosts: 31 |
Interesting, so with this system you don't need to use resin - is that correct ? I was just wondering, just imagine you could cover cells with a glass sheet and somehow eliminate dust, vibration, and moisture, but still exposed to air. Would these cells still work well, for years ? Or should the cell surface be sealed somehow ? |
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| VK4AYQ Guru Joined: 02/12/2009 Location: AustraliaPosts: 2539 |
Hi Martin Very interested in your comments on making cells I tried a couple of so called clear products but found they discolored within 12 months, as I still have a box of cells left over I would like to have a go again, and would be glad to hear your comments. All the best Bob Foolin Around |
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| martinjsto Senior Member Joined: 09/10/2007 Location: AustraliaPosts: 149 |
QUOTE: Interesting, so with this system you don't need to use resin - is that correct ? I was just wondering, just imagine you could cover cells with a glass sheet and somehow eliminate dust, vibration, and moisture, but still exposed to air. Would these cells still work well, for years ? Or should the cell surface be sealed somehow ? Hi guys, yes thats correct homegrow47, using the foodsafe bags means no resin, its just a mater of how they will hold up from discolouration and breaking down in the sun. im still waiting for the reply from the bag manafacturers. just covering with glass is ok for a short while. eventualy you will get condensation and the cell tab contacts will break down i have a BP panel on the farm that was constructed with EVA lamination, the lamination was applied to the back of the cells which were laying directy on the glass, the back was fine but the front got condensation in it and therefor destroyed the cells, this was an old panel and obviosly they were still learning about encapsulation. so i feel you realy need to encapsulate the front and the rear of the cells, especialy with home made panels if you want it to last. and no timber frames. Hi vk4awq that is the problem with using the wrong resin. Sylgard is a silicon baced resin that wont discolour, it is used in the electrical industry for encapsulating circuit boards and fine circuitry so is non conductive, non acid and opticaly clear uv stabalized. it stays slightly flexible when cured feeling a bit like compound rubber but is still solid alowing for expansion and contraction of disimilar materials. I will be making my first panel using this method over the next month and will open a thread with pics of the process, i will report my work even if its a failure, at least then you guys can learn from my mistakes. free power for all McAlinden WA |
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