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Forum Index : Solar : Polyurethane for homemade solar panels
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| charlie_ruizpr Newbie  Joined: 08/07/2010 Location: Posts: 36 |
Hi, all is it possible to put polyurethane that is for sealing glass on automobiles on two glasses that have the cells in between and is it safe for the cells? http://www.ezshop.tt/img/cart/product/863/productpic_sm.jpg |
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KarlJ Guru  Joined: 19/05/2008 Location: AustraliaPosts: 1178 |
I dont think I'd be using liquid nails but yes there are panels with glass both sides issue is getting your contacts out needs holes in the glass and glass is usually tempered thus cant drill holes in it..... just not worth making your own, can buy under $2/W with 5 yr guarantee Luck favours the well prepared |
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| charlie_ruizpr Newbie Joined: 08/07/2010 Location: Posts: 36 |
Well, before I started the project I thought it was going to be simple by just putting the cells in a wooden panel and then glass and call it a day,pretty cheap, but no. By the time I started soldering the cells I found a couple of sites that had people using eva sheets and tedlar and got mad but decided to do the panel anyway. It will be my last tho, thinking of buying them in the future. |
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| martinjsto Senior Member  Joined: 09/10/2007 Location: AustraliaPosts: 149 |
Hi, Have a look at this link. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Muwclw5oYd8 I have been researching the best methods of making panels for my off grid farm in the S/W WA. I even purchased for $10 a DVD and am nearly ready to make great panels for aprox 1/3 the cost. I will be using a vacuum pump with an adaptor to ensure I encapsulate the entire sell. I don’t want any air bubbles. You can use one of those storage vacuum bags and get a reasonable result. The best product seems to be Sylgard 184, available on eblag, I will be using laminated glass and aluminium frames. The process is to solder the tabs, connect the cells, build the frame, set the glass; lay the cells encapsulate the entire unit. Let dry and connect. Test as you go for correct output. These panels when done under vacuum create a first class job. Once I have one made I will post pick of the process. There are a few things to be aware of and be careful of. These can create lethal current for a start. I agree that it’s hard to compete against commercial panels but I think it’s also about home-grown power and the knowledge attained from trying, and the fact that with a bit of solder, a few cheap cells, some time and drive and you can create a pretty good supply of free power. Same as the wind chargers, which I have running as a boost. free power for all McAlinden WA |
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Doug Regular Member  Joined: 11/05/2010 Location: New ZealandPosts: 41 |
Hey Charlie Here's a link to a home made solar panel page. Hope it helps. Doug solar panel how to May The Power Be With You |
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| martinjsto Senior Member Joined: 09/10/2007 Location: AustraliaPosts: 149 |
very interesting read Doug, getting wax dipped cells was a real pain i bet was this just one seller or do they all come like that  . there fragile enough and you only want to handle them as little as possible. you have some great infomation there and it will be very helpfull. 
I personaly am not keen on using timber though, As i said prior I am just startin my first panel soon so I am not speeking from experience or knocking you, I just like to do a lot of research before i start glueing cells down, they have increased in value significantly, I want to do things once and correctly from the onset and there are a lot of people showing how to make panels out of wood, and lots of failures. The idear is that moisture and electonics dont mix and if the cells are not completely sealed then they will fail wood will shrink and expand with heating and cooling and unless it is completly 100% dry the moisture will condence inside the glass and on the cells. It seems to me that If the cells were not meant to be resin encapsulated, why are all the commercial manafacturers using laminate material or are encapsulated in special resin. a tub of sylgard adds about $58 if buy in bulk to the cost. Im not a reseller by any means or trying to promote something, just a bloke who wants to make his own power at the best price for the best job. Martin free power for all McAlinden WA |
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| martinjsto Senior Member Joined: 09/10/2007 Location: AustraliaPosts: 149 |
here is a great link on cappilary encapsulation being used to develop panels with 20yr life exp. http://www.ases.org/papers/103.pdf i think i might try this first. Martin free power for all McAlinden WA |
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| charlie_ruizpr Newbie Joined: 08/07/2010 Location: Posts: 36 |
I am thinking of using sylgard but it would cost a couple of $$$ because it will be a 108 cell panel. |
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| martinjsto Senior Member Joined: 09/10/2007 Location: AustraliaPosts: 149 |
i was looking around my shed last night and found my old electronic kits and projects, dug out some diodes and started thinking i read something about them in cell construction, so i searched the web and found this link. http://rifraf.dyndns.org/solar/ whats the thought on this as it is supose to stop cell mismatch from shadows killing the panel. any loss i can always add a couple of cells to compensate. Martin free power for all McAlinden WA |
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| Homegrow47 Newbie Joined: 17/08/2010 Location: AustraliaPosts: 31 |
I only seem to get a web directory. But there are some interesting pictures of panel making. I found this solar online seller quite interesting. http://sunelec.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=47&zenid= 9937668018887d5efb7bd18f71ab6d18 They seem to sell laminates, for $1.27 watt. You have to add your own frame and junction box. Also sell cells and discount panels at reasonable prices. The shipping is the problem, though they will ship to Australia, probably add a lot to the expense. |
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GWatPE Senior Member Joined: 01/09/2006 Location: AustraliaPosts: 2127 |
I don't know what you mean by killing the panel. The shadow will reduce the series string output considerably. Bypass diodes are used to allow current to bypass the shaded cells and still get to the load. There will be a reduced current, as the cells left in the string will no longer be at the same MPP to the unshaded panel strings. All the commercial panels have bypass diodes, usually across 18 or more cells. I know of an extreme use in a solar car, where diodes were placed across all the cells. If making my own panels again, I would only place the diodes where they can be replaced without dismantling the panel. I have made 2 solar arrays from discrete cells for solar cars. One had 512 cells[polycrystalline/tiled] of 8sqm in one array, and the other 500cells, arranged as smaller panels. Neither arrays had bypass diodes. One had a power redistribution system that electronically compensated for shaded cells, and the other had many parallel connected MPPT and the shadow had to cover a significant part of the car to lower the output power much. I would not opt for making really large panels. smaller panels are easier to swap out. Home made panels will not have as long a life as the factory ones, and some will stop working. Better to swap out a smaller panel. Possible to repair a smaller panel as well. 16, or 32cells would be a more manageable size. Gordon. become more energy aware |
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