How to Build Your Own Electric Solar Panel
Posted by carrie_roll
How I built an electricity producing Solar Panel
It was easy. You can do it too
(From MdPub.com)
Michael Davis is amazing to be sharing all of this information for free. Thank-you Michael!
IMPORTANT NOTE: IF YOU BUILD THIS PANEL, PLEASE KNOW… you can’t just plug something in to this panel and think that it will work.
It may destroy whatever you plug in to it.
After building this panel, you will still need a:
- Charge controller
- Battery (12 Volt DC battery)
- Inverter (to convert the DC power to AC power)
Several years ago I bought some remote property in Arizona. I am an astronomer and wanted a place to practice my hobby far away from the sky-wrecking light pollution found near cities of any real size. I found a great piece of property. The problem is, it’s so remote that there is no electric service available. That’s not really a problem. No electricity equals no light pollution. However, it would be nice to have at least a little electricity, since so much of life in the 21st century is dependant on it.
I built a wind turbine to provide some power on the remote property. It works great, when the wind blows. However, I wanted more power, and more dependable power. The wind seems to blow all the time on my property, except when I really need it too. I do get well over 300 sunny days a year on the property though, so solar power seems like the obvious choice to supplement the wind turbine. Solar panels are very expensive though. So I decided to try my hand at building my own. I used common tools and inexpensive (and easy to acquire) materials to produce a solar panel that rivals commercial panels in power production, but completely blows them away in price. Read on for step by step instructions on how I did it.
So what is a solar panel anyway? It is basically a box that holds an array of solar cells.
Solar cells are the things that do the actual work of turning sunlight into electricity. However, it takes a lot of cells to make a meaningful amount of power, and they are very fragile, so the individual cells are assembled into panels. The panels hold enough cells to make a useful amount of power and protect the cells from the elements. It doesn’t sound too complicated. I was convinced I could do it myself.
I started out the way I start every project, by Googling for information on home-built solar panels. I was shocked at how few I found. The fact that very few people were building their own panels led me to think it must be harder to do than I thought. The project got shelved for a while, but I never stopped thinking about it.
After a while, I came to some conclusions:
- The main stumbling block to building solar panels is acquiring solar cells at a reasonable price.
- New solar cells are very expensive, and can even sometimes be hard to find in quantity at any price.
- Blemished and damaged solar cells are available on ebay and other places at a fraction of the cost of new perfect cells.
- These second rate solar cells could probably be used to make a solar panel that would work just fine.
Once I came to the realization that I could use blemished and factory-second solar cells to build my panels, I finally got to work. I started by buying some solar cells off of ebay
I bought a couple of bricks of 3 X 6 mono-crystalline solar cells. It takes a total of 36 of these type solar cells wired in series to make a panel. Each cell produces about 1/2 Volt. 36 in series would give about 18 volts which would be good for charging 12 volt batteries. (Yes, you really need that high a Voltage to effectively charge 12 Volt batteries) This type of solar cell is as thin as paper and as brittle and fragile as glass. They are very easily damaged. The seller of these solar cells dips stacks of 18 in wax to stabilize them and make it easier to ship them without damaging them. The wax is quite a pain to remove though. If you can, find cells for sale that aren’t dipped in wax. Keep in mind though that they may suffer some more damage in shipping. Notice that these cells have metal tabs on them. You want cells with tabs on them. You are already going to have to do a lot of soldering to build a panel from tabbed solar cells. If you buy cells without tabs, it will at least double the amount of soldering you have to do. So pay extra for tabbed cells.
I also bought a couple of lots of cells that weren’t dipped in wax from another ebay seller. These cells came packed in a plastic box. They rattled around in the box and got a little chipped up on the edges and corners. Minor chips don’t really matter too much. They won’t reduce the cell’s output enough to worry about. These are all blemished and factory seconds anyway. The main reason solar cells get rejected is for chips. So what’s another chip or two? All together I bought enough cells to make 2 panels. I knew I’d probably break or otherwise ruin at least a few during construction, so I bought extras.
There are lots of other sizes of solar cells besides 3 X 6 inches available. You could use larger or smaller cells for your panel. Just keep a few things in mind.
Cells of the same type all produce the same voltage no matter what size they are. So the same number of cells is always needed.
Larger cells produce more current (Amps) and smaller cells produce less current.
The total power your panel can produce is determined by Amps (x) Volts.
So using bigger cells produces more power, but the panel will be large and heavy. Using smaller cells keeps the panel small and light, but won’t produce as much power. Also, mixing cell sizes is not a good idea. This is because the current that your panel can produce will be limited by the smallest cell in the group and the larger cells won’t work to their full potential.
The cells I settled on are 3 X 6 inches in size and are rated at roughly 3 amps. I will wire 36 of them in series to get a little over 18 volts. The result should be a panel capable of delivering almost 60 Watts of power in bright sunlight. It doesn’t sound like a lot, but it sure beats no power at all, which is what I had on my property before. And that is 60 Watts all day when the sun is shining. That power will go into charging batteries which will primarily be used for powering lights and small appliances for only a few hours after dark. Once I go to bed, my power requirements drop to almost nothing. So 60 Watts is actually quite a lot of useful power, especially when I also have my wind turbine adding to the power production when the wind is blowing.
After you buy your solar cells, put them away in a safe place where they won’t get dropped, played with by the kids, or eaten by the dog until you are ready to install them in the panel. These cells are very fragile. Rough treatment and excessive handling will turn your expensive solar cells into little, blue, shiny shards that aren’t useful for anything.
A solar panel is really just a shallow box. So I started out by building myself a shallow box. I made the box shallow so the sides wouldn’t shade the solar cells when the sun comes at an angle from the sides. It is made of 3/8 inch thick plywood with 3/4 X 3/4 pieces of wood around the edges. The pieces are glued and screwed in place. This panel will hold 36 3 X 6 inch solar cells. I decided to make 2 sub-panels of 18 cells each just so make it easier to assemble later. So there is a center divider across the middle of the box. Each sub-panel will fit into one well in the main panel.
Here is my sort of back of the envelope sketch showing the overall dimensions of the solar panel. All dimensions are in inches (sorry you fans of the metric system). The side pieces are 3/4 by 3/4 and go all the way around the edges of the plywood substrate. also a piece goes across the center to divide the panel into two sub-panels. This is just the way I chose to do it. There is nothing critical about these dimensions, or even the overall design. Feel free to deviate in your own design. These dimensions are included here for those people who always clamor for me to include dimensions on my projects. I always encourage people to experiment and innovate on their own, rather than blindly follow the way I (or anyone else) does things. You may well come up with a better design.
Here is a close-up showing one half of the main panel. This well will hold one 18 cell sub-panel. Notice the little holes drilled in the edges of the well. This will be the bottom of the panel (it is upside down in the photo, sorry). These are vent holes to keep the air pressure inside the panel equalized with the outside, and to let moisture escape. These holes must be on the bottom of the panel or rain and dew will run inside. There must also be vent holes in the center divider between the two sub panels.
Next I cut two pieces of masonite peg-board to fit inside the wells. These pieces of peg-board will be the substrates that each sub-panel will be built on. 
They were cut to be a loose fit in the wells. You don’t have to use peg-board for this. I just happened to have some on hand. Just about any thin, rigid and non-conducting material should work.
To protect the solar cells from the weather, the panel will have a plexiglass front. Here two pieces of scrap plexiglass have been cut to fit the front of the panel. I didn’t have one piece big enough to do the whole thing. Glass could also be used for this, but glass is fragile. Hail stones and flying debris that would shatter glass will just bounce off the plexi. Now you can start to see what the finished panel will look like.
Oops! This photo shows a close-up of where the two halves of the
plexiglass cover meet over the center divider.
I drilled and countersunk holes all around the edges of both pieces of plexiglass so I could screw them onto the face of the panel with 1 inch drywall screws. Be careful working close to the edge of the plexi. If you get to aggressive it will break, as happened here. I just glued the broken piece back in and drilled another hole a short distance away.
Next I gave all the wooden parts of the panel several coats of paint to protect them from moisture and the weather. The box was painted inside and out.
The type of paint and color was scientifically chosen by shaking all the paint cans I had laying around in my garage and choosing the one that felt like it had enough left in it to do the whole job.
The peg-board pieces were also painted.
They got several coats on both sides. Be sure to paint them on both sides or they will curl when exposed to moisture. Curling could damage the solar cells that will be glued to them.
Now that I had the structure of the panel finished, it was time to get the solar cells ready.
As I said above, getting the wax off the cells is a real pain. After some trial and error, I came up with a way that works fairly well. Still, I would recommend buying from someone who doesn’t dip their cells in wax. The first step is a bath in hot water to melt the wax and separate the cells from each other. Don’t let the water boil or the bubbles will jostle the cells against each other violently.
Also, boiling water may be hot enough to loosen the electrical connections on the cells. I also recommend putting the brick of cells in the water cold, and then slowly heating it up to just below boiling temperature to avoid harsh thermal shocks to the cells. Plastic tongs and spatulas come in handy for teasing the cells apart once the wax melts. Try not to pull too hard on the metal tabs or they may rip off. I found that out the hard way while trying to separate the cells. Good thing I bought extras.
This photo shows the complete setup I used. My girlfriend asked what I was cooking. Imagine her surprise when I said solar cells. The initial hot water bath for melting the wax is in the right-rear. On the left-front is a bath of hot soapy water. On the right-front is a bath of hot clean water. All the pots are at just below boiling temperature. The sequence I used was to melt the bricks apart in the hot water bath on the right-rear. I’d tease the cells apart and transfer them one at a time to the soapy water bath on the left-front to remove any wax on the cell. Then the cell would be given a rinse in the hot clean water on the right-front. The cells would then be set out to dry on a towel. You should change the water frequently in the soapy and rinse water baths. Don’t pour the water down the sink though, because the wax will solidify in your drains and clog them up. Dump the water outside. This process removed almost all the wax from the cells. There is still a very light film on some of the cells, but it doesn’t seem to interfere with soldering or the working of the cells. A solvent bath would probably remove the rest of the wax, but that would be dangerous and stinky since the only solvents I could think of that would cut wax are either flamable, toxic or smelly, or all three.
Here are some separated and cleaned solar cells drying on a towel. Once separated from their wax stabilized brick form, they are amazingly fragile and difficult to handle and store. I would recommend leaving them as bricks until you are ready to install them in your panel. That way you won’t wreck them before you get to use them. So build the panel first. Now it’s time to start installing them in the panel
I started out by drawing a grid pattern on each of the two pieces of pegboard, lightly in pencil, so I would know where each of the 18 cells on them would be located. Then I laid out the cells on that grid pattern upside-down so I could solder them together. All 18 cells on each half panel need to be soldered together in series, then both half panels need to be connected in series to get the desired voltage.
Soldering the cells together was tricky at first, but I got the hang of it fairly quickly. Start out with just two cells upside-down. Lay the solder tabs of one cell across the solder points on the back of the other cell. I made sure the spacing between the cells matched the grid pattern.
I used a low-Wattage soldering iron and fine rosen-core solder. I also used a rosen pen on the solder points on the back of the cells before soldering. Use a real light touch with the soldering iron. The cells are thin and delicate. If you push too hard, you will break the cells. I got careless a couple of times and scrapped a couple of cells.
I repeated the above steps and soldered solar cells together until I had a string of six cells. I soldered tabs from scrapped cells to the solder points on the back of the last cell in the string of six. Then I repeated the whole process two more times to get three strings of six cells for a total of 18 for this half of the panel.
The three strings of cells need to be wired in series. So the middle string needs to be rotated 180 degrees with respect to the other two.
I got the strings oriented the way I wanted them (still upside-down) on top of the pegboard panel before the next step of gluing the cells in place.
Gluing the cells in place proved to be a little tricky. I placed a small blob of clear silicone caulk in the center of each cell in a six cell string. Then I flipped the string over and set in place on the pencil line grid I had laid out earlier. I pressed lightly in the center of each cell to get it to stick to the pegboard panel. Flipping the floppy string of cells is tricky. Another set of hands may be useful in during this step.
Don’t use too much glue, and don’t glue the cells anywhere but at their centers. The cells and the panel they are mounted on will expand, contract, flex and warp with changes in temperature and humidity. If you glue the cells too tightly to the substrate, they will crack in time. gluing them at only one point in the center allows the cells to float freely on top of the substrate. Both can expand and flex more or less independently, and the delicate solar cells won’t crack.
Next time I will do it differently. I will solder tabs onto the backs of all the solar cells. Then I will glue all the cells down in their proper places. Then I will solder the tabs together. It seems like the obvious way to go to me now, but I had to do it the hard way once to figure it out.
Here is one half panel, finally finished.
Here I used copper braid to interconnect first and second strings of cells.
You could use solar cell tabbing material or even regular wire. I just happened to have the braid on hand. There is another similar interconnection between the second and third strings at the opposite end of the board. I used blobs of silicone caulk to anchor the braid and prevent it from flopping around.
Here I am testing first half panel outside in the sun. In weak sun through clouds the half panel is producing 9.31 Volts. YAHOO! It works! Now all I had to do is build another one just like it.
Once I had two half panels complete, I could install them in their places in the main panel frame and wire them together.
Each of the half panels dropped right into their places in the main panel frame. I used four small screws (like the silver one in the photo) to anchor each of the half panels in place.
Wires to connect the two half panels together were run through the vent holes in the central divider. Again, blobs of silicone caulk were used to anchor the wire in place and prevent it from flopping around.
Each solar panel in a solar power system needs a blocking diode in series with it to prevent the panel from discharging your batteries at night or during cloudy weather. I used a Schottky diode with a 3.3 Amp current rating. Schottky diodes have a much lower forward voltage drop than ordinary rectifier diodes, so less power is wasted. Every Watt counts. I got a package of 25 31DQ03 Schottky diodes on eBay for only a few bucks. So I have enough left-overs for lots more solar panels
My original plan was to mount the diode inline with the positive wire outside the panel. After looking at the spec-sheet for the diode though, I decided to mount it inside since the forward voltage drop gets lower as the temperature rises. It will be warmer inside the panel and the diode will work more efficiently. More silicone caulk was used to anchor the diode and wires.
I drilled a hole in the back of the panel near the top for the wires to exit. I put a knot in the wires for strain relief, and anchored them in place with yet more of the silicone caulk.
It is important to let all the silicone caulk cure well before screwing the plexiglass covers in place. I have found through past experience that the fumes from the caulk may leave a film on the inside of the plexiglass and the cells if it isn’t allowed to thoroughly cure in the open air before screwing on the cover.
And still more silicone caulk was used to seal the outside of the panel where the wires exit.
I added a polarized two-pin jones plug to the end of the panel wires. A mating female plug will be wired into the charge controller I use with my home-built wind turbine so the solar panel can supplement it’s power production and battery charging capacity.
Here is the completed panel with the plexiglass covers screwed into place. It isn’t sealed shut yet at this point. I wanted to wait until after testing it because was worried that I might have to get back inside it if there were problems. Sure enough, a tab popped off one of the cells. Maybe it was due to thermal stresses or shock from handling. Who knows? I opened up the panel and replaced that one cell. I haven’t had any more trouble since. I will probably seal the panel with either a bead of silicone caulk, or aluminum AC duct tape wrapped around the edges.
Here I am testing the Voltage output of the completed panel in bright winter sunlight. My meter says 18.88 Volts with no load. That’s exactly what I was aiming for.
Here I am testing the current capacity of the panel, again in bright winter sunlight. My meter says 3.05 Amps short circuit current. That is right about what the cells are rated for. So the panel is working very well.
COST:
So how much did all this cost to build? Well, I saved all the recei
pts for everything I bought related to this project. Also, my workshop is well stocked with all sorts of building supplies and hardware. I also have a lot of useful scrap pieces of wood, wire and all sorts of miscellaneous stuff (some would say junk) laying around the shop. So I had a lot of stuff on hand already.
Your mileage may vary.
| Part | Origin | Cost |
| Solar Cells | eBay | $74.00* |
| Misc. Lumber | (Homecenter Store) | $20.62 |
| Plexiglass | (Scrap Pile) | $0.00 |
| Screws & Misc. Hardware | (Already on hand) | $0.00 |
| Silicone Caulk | (Homecenter Store) | $3.95 |
| Wire | (Already on hand) | $0.00 |
| Diode | eBay | $0.20± |
| Jones Plug | (Newark Electronics) | $6.08 |
| Paint | (Already on hand) | $0.00 |
| Total | $104.85 | |
Not too bad.
That’s a fraction of what a commercially made solar panel with a comparable power output would cost, and it was easy. I already have plans to build more panels to add to the capacity of my system. I’ll post more here as the project evolves. Stay tuned.
* I actually bought 4 lots of 18 solar cells. This price represents only the two lots that went into building this panel. Also, the price of factory second hand solar cells on ebay has gone up quite a lot recently as oil prices have skyrocketed.
± This price represents 1 out of a lot of 25 diodes I bought on ebay for $5.00.
UPDATE 07/18/08
Once again I stayed on my remote property during my recent vacation in Arizona. This time I had both my home-built wind turbine and my home-built solar panel with me. Working together, they provided plenty of power for my (admittedly minimal) electricity needs.
Here is a close-up of the solar panel in action. I have to move it several times each day to keep it pointed at the sun, but that isn’t really a big hardship. Maybe someday I will build a tracking system to automatically keep it aimed at the sun.
Thank-you Michael for sharing your awesome knowledge with the world!
IMPORTANT NOTE: IF YOU BUILD THIS PANEL, PLEASE KNOW… you can’t just plug something in to this panel and think that it will work.
It may destroy whatever you plug in to it.
After building this panel, you will still need a:
- Charge controller
- Battery (12 Volt DC battery)
- Inverter (to convert the DC power to AC power)
We’ll be posting soon about how you can build/buy these things, but if you want, you can also look for them on ebay.
67 Responses to “How to Build Your Own Electric Solar Panel”
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Dale Maenpaa says:
Hi
Do you have plans on how to build a wind turbine?
Thanks -
terry says:
I am just looking to really get into solar energy and I want to know how could I start a small business installing these panels, all help is help thank you
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Charles Johnson says:
Thanks Jonathan!! this is the best step by step instructions on how to build solar panels I ‘ve found. I cant wait to get started.
Thanks very much have a great day.
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Carl says:
Great project! It looks a lot easier and cheaper than I thought it would be. Most similar commercially made panels are about 5 times the price. I was wondering though, how do you know which side of the series is the postive side? Also, could you arrange the grid, put silicone on the back of all panels and put the board on top of the whole thing at once to avoid flipping them? Another question, if you have one break or go bad, how do you replace it easily? It looks like the soldering takes place on the back side and they are all glued on that side. Wouldn’t you need a better way to replace a broken one? Thanks for you help! This is an excellent article and very helpful!
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ativon yawo claude says:
YOU ARE A SPECIAL BEING OF A CHOSEN GENERATION, A ROYAL NATION, A PECULIAR PEOPLE. I AM EXCITED WHEN I SEE WHAT YOU ARE DOING, IT MARVELOUS. I WISH I CAN BE LIKE YOU.
thank you , Nobles people. CLAUDE YAWO ATIVON -
Terry says:
I have been thinking of making a solar panel to collect electric, it is not so cost effective in the UK, and bits are not so easy or cheep to come by. Your article was good and it has given me some good ideas on the way forward when I find the cells at the right price.
Thanks Terry -
Brian McEwen says:
This is great information. I was just wondering if you made a way to cool the panels as they lose efficiency above 25C
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Dale if you use a multimeter then you’ll be able to tell the difference between the two tabs as you must connect the cells in the correct polarity in order to get 18 volts open circuit.
You only require the diode(s) at the output to protect the battery.
I suppose the only time you need a diode is when you are connecting two or more cells in parallel. Anyway try and keep it simple.
good luck.
Aisea -
theresa says:
Hi, thank you, I have been trying to build solar and have built wind turbine out of plastic sewer pipe. I don’t understand on how to build the system to collect the wind and solar to use for electric, I get lost in that process. I was taught on to make your own solar cells with a little bit of hard work on you tube.
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Bello says:
Thanks for sharing this with us .We are waitng for how to build wind turbine too.
I will always remember you for this vauable contribution and your scietific way of choosing your paint.
thanks once more -
Harvey Nielsen says:
Excellent, job of explaining everything in a easily understanable fashion. I am in northern alberta Ca. We have long days in the summer, but pretty short ones in the winter. Thankyou for your help.
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GINO says:
I LIVE IN SOUTH AFRICA, AND MOST PARTS ARE DIFFICULT TO FIND HERE, HOWEVER WHEN I GET HOLD OF THEM I SHALL BUILD MY OWN PANELS.GREAT INFO! THANKS FOR SHARING YOUR TIPS AND KNOWLEDGE ON THE NET
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Ardis says:
thank you very much. I too am wandering which of the wires from the finished panel is + and which is -
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Ademola Adeyemi says:
I love havin a solar elericity system because it save a lot of cost e.g money, also in long term life and it make you to be sure of constant supply of power without distruption.
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montie harvey says:
thank you :
it is good to see that in these troubled times some of us are still wanting to help out thier fellow man without profiting from it .on a personal level the world could use more like you and should take as an example the overall bennifit that we could atchieve by bieing a little less greedy. thanks again . -
Hey Montie,
Thank-you for your comments and we are glad that you are getting great benefit from this article. We also think that it’s really incredible that Michael Davis was willing to so openly share this great information, and it definitely benefits the world.
In response to your comment about people being greedy… it is true that there are some greedy people in the world. But there is nothing greedy in wanting to be paid for the work you do. Web site hosting costs something (although minimal) digital cameras cost something, solar cells and scrap wood cost something, wires cost something, and an individual’s time is the most expensive thing any of us have…
So when someone wants to give of their time freely, they are truly doing humanity a service.
However, there’s also nothing wrong with wanting to be paid for the time you invest into sharing good information with others.
But once again, thank-you Michael Davis for sharing such great information. -
Ephraim says:
Your a Genius, God Bless and Praise the name of the Lord for you, Because this topic is what i looking For!.Thank you Very,very,very, Much For your Help topic to me!!
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Anonymous says:
I am interested in building a solar panel as per your instructions, but have hit a wall when it comes to procuring damaged or blemished solar cells on e bay. What is the secret of finding these????
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I have a list of places where you can get supplies for this project if anyone wants to email me at lhensley@webkraft-hs.net and put soler information wanted in the subject line.
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SNF says:
GOOD!!!!
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Emily A says:
Hello. This guide was better than the Home Made Power Plant guide which I paid for. (Frustrating). So I was wondering, after you built your solar panel, how did you hook it up to all the chargers and converters and batteries so that it could charge your home? Thanks
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victor nwaigwe says:
how wiil i ordered for the solar panel i am desprate in need of it am in nigeria please let me know ,
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Yakub Kolawole says:
Hi Jonathan,
A friend of the earth will remain one.
Your green thoughts have relieved all those interested in this from the industrial cost of the a photovoltaik module.
The secret has been released.
If I may ask how many kilowatts do you have with this panel? -
Akintobi Abdulhakeem says:
I really like this e-mail pack because this is what ‘ve been trying to look for since I saw something of this with one of my friends. pls keep it up. thaks for ur usual email to my box.
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Navan Naidu (South Africa) says:
Thanks for that informative yet simple to understand explanation of building a solar panel. I will get started as soon as I get hold of cheap cells. I intend then to cover as much as possible of my 8Ha farm and hopefully generate some income thereof by resselling to the utility supplier.
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This is a great guide. One thing I would like to add is that anyone looking to replicate this needs to read the directions on the volt/amp meter. It’s easy to ruin one of these if it is on the wrong setting.
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Gracelynn says:
Hi Jonathan,
This guide is the best one out there! I got some estimates from companies and they were alot more than you think, $65,000 and the state of florida was giving a $25000 rebate. I can not wait to get started on my project. -
help me to buy a solar cell
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Michael says:
I am still in study stage right now,but i am so excited to build my own solar panel for my own house and to have a business and help others with this knowledge you are giving me.Thank you very much!
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sade says:
Thanks 4 this training, may I thank you once again. God bless you.
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Gary says:
To make a 18 volts panel, for example, you connect 36 cells in series (36 cells times 0.5 volt each = 18 volts). And 36 * 1.75 (each cell in theory averages 1.75 watt) watt = 63 watts. The amps you will be getting is 63 watts divided by 18 volts = 3.5 amps.
My question is, if I connect 106 of these cells times 0.5 that theoreticaly would give me 53 volts isn’t that to much? -
victor says:
how can you help me buy of solar cell from eBay and i need there contant
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Thanks for the information. I used your info to build mine. It worked !!!! WOW thanks
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stephen says:
You and your project are awesome. I just went through another project with about the same output but had a buget of about four times as much.
Thank you Jonathan. I can’t wait to get started. -
JUPITER says:
hi guys,
hope you can post also on how to build wind generator
because of some place are not applicable in solar, also
wind generator is much applicable in my place
thank you very much
jupiter -
Jose Ruiz says:
This article is the best i ever read up to now, hope you explain more on the electrical connections among panel modules then to the house. thanks a lot.
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David Holt says:
Hey Micheal or some one pleas tell me when soldering the tabs on 3×6 solar cells do i need to solder them at all contact points top and bottem ? this is all i need to know before i start on my panel project thanks for sharing all the great info with us Thanks Again David Holt Texas
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Nitin Tiwari says:
Thanks for such a wonderful information about cheap solar panels.It will really help me for building by solar project.Thanks once again Jonathan.
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Hey everyone! Thanks for the nice words!
David,
Stay tuned this week as we’ll be posting a video from GreenPowerScience that will tell you how to soldier the tabs and join the cells together.
Nitin, thanks for your kind words and happy to be of help!
Warmest,
Jonathan
GreenJoyment.com -
ososo osuagwu says:
Thanks for making my day. It is highly refreshing to see solar panel information free and useful like this. In not too long i will build my own solar panel from the knowledge acquired. The problem we have in this part of the world is sourcing for disused solar cells. Remained blessed.
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bhupendra says:
Do you have plans on how to build a wind turbine?
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soe naing says:
Hi Jonathan, thank very much for yr kindness.This is the website I looked for.I am interested about renewable energy to save the world partly.I hope to improve about this subject and to do others benefits .
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Derick says:
Thanks you very much i must go now and try experiment on this. i am try to get information on thing for the longest time but this best so far. whenever you get to know about making the cells i would like you to shared it with me.
Thanks,
Regards.
Derick. -
Hi Jonathan,
I am try to get some of these solar panels but the information on ebay is limited.They do not have any contact infromation such as phone number,company name,address etc. I will be happy if you can assist me so that i could have try and shared my experience with others as well.
Thank you.
Derick. -
Alvanl says:
I am impressed with this project. I will soon be putting my cells together. thanks again for sharing this with me
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Hi Jonathan
I have been looking at your project and have a comment.
1. What do do in winter moisture will get in to your pannel
and damage your cells. If you are in a Very dry place that
is not a issue.if not I think one needs a Tedlar Backsheet
to make a system that will work for years
Thanks for a good project I am only adding a improvement
Arie -
TeOra says:
i thoroughly enjoyed and understood your step by step instructions. Its the delicacy of the cells that would be a problem for me i haven’t got the patience to be so careful.
I am going to inspect all my solar garden lights to see if i can do a mini mini version. who knows I might get a little buzz. thanks for the info Michael -
Donald says:
What is the difference between mono-crystalline solar cells and POLYCRYSTALLINE SOLAR CELLS?
It seems that the POLYCRYSTALLINE SOLAR CELLS for the same size produce more watts. -
herdem says:
I do türkiyede now we do not know who you teacher me to establish systems to sell turkey I’d tell you this about me to help me, you, you made this system as you are selling in this regard, I would like to receive information
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Max Benwell says:
First: I have found a company that I can purchase silicone waffers from for not too much money. My problem is that I do not know, nor can I find any information on the actual wiring of the panel I wish to build. Secondly: I plan to use marine batteries for my storage (which are deep cycle) but I can find noone to let me know if this is a good idea. Thirdly: I live in Florida (…the Sunshine State) so I have plenty of sunshine, I also have 3 acres, so I have plenty of space to install. I only use 500 kw per month, and this includes my hot water heater, which I can remove from my electric usage; my problem is that I need a formular to guage my solar panel size.
Is there anyone out there that can advise me or refer me to a site I can get my needed info?
Max -
Tm says:
The price of commercial units is plummeting considerably. Worth a look at the new technology – the CIGS process
60 w CIGS Solar Panels are under $600 completed and a look at you tubes “The Next Generation of Cheap Solar Cells”
at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMnx5tFrDDc&feature=related
gives some clues as to the future. There are some great videos there showing how cells are soldered together for those having problems. Regards TM. -
I have read your instructional on how to build a solar panel and am very impressed.
In sharing Your hands on knowlege, One is given an insight into your character.
In the 70′s I installed an Electro GMBH 7.5 KW windgenerator ,20m tower and 120vDC bank of storage batteries.at my mountain frm in Vieques,Puerto Rico. BAck then few were there to show,One had to learn on his own.A device to convert from DC toAC cost 1/2 as much as the generator,so with limited funds and world class stupity,we elected two 12 ft3 gas referigerators /freezers…they worked well,but limited in size.Our water was from a 35K gallon cistern of rainwater with the 2Hp pump operating on 120DC.Extremely quiet compared to AC…
Our hot water was from my own design using a scrap 96″ x 48″ copper AC cooling coil.Simply dangerously hot
Being in Puerto Rico @ lat 18-30N sunlight and wind was not a problem.
10 yrs with the Generator and HW solar panels taught me that no one system is the panacea for our problems.
I today find that a Static solar cell system is the way of the future…Simple and low maintenance.
The battery storage system is extremely expensive as they die out in time ..Ouch!!!We found this out with the windgenerator.
I am older now and probably not wiser,but really see the viability of solar cell configurations.
Its how we deal with the no sun times (Night) to solve right now.
Today ….with the Oil crisis and basic supply being where we are dependent on people who wish to collectively destroy us ,I feel we all must listen and see what we can do to bring this .proclimaterd crisis to a halt.One step is with
these ongoing workable concepts as you show..
Felicidades,
Esteban McGrath,P.E.
San Juan,Puertto Rico -
prabha says:
IT IS VERY EXCITING AND VERY INNOVATIVE.
THANX -
nitin palkute says:
thanks for showing new path that is how solar is used for any purpose. again thank for ideas.
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Lowell says:
EXCELLENT! EXCELLENT! EXCELLENT! is your article/instructions. If I knew of a word more complimentary… I would have used it.
The question/comments above, for me, need to have an answer along with the comment. I am a little slow about electricity. Do you find that shocking
None the less, I am in [very] serious mode in building solar panels for our home use.
Winter snow fall is going to be a problem for me at this time since we live in Michigan. I do have many questions B-4-I start construction so where can I go to get answers to my quries? That is only one of the questions I need to have answered even B-4-I get started.
Your help will certainly be appreciated. Thanks! -
We will shortly be moving into a 5th wheel trailer, and spending winters in the southern USA, and summers in western Canada. Do you have information on putting together a system for RVs? I hope to convince many of the RVers I meet, that solar is the way to go.
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Avery Jenkins says:
This is very informative and makes for good reading. But I want to know how to make a solar cell. Then O will make the solar panel.
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is great information, thanks. i want to know where i can buy the:
Charge controller
Battery (12 Volt DC battery)
Inverter (to convert the DC power to AC power)
thanks -
Charles Williams says:
Why do you paint the panels White? doesnt White reflect away the incoming heat? why not Black? doesnt Black absorb more heat? or is it that over heat absortion would create to much heat thereby building up internal condensation?? just curious.
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pecaslockey says:
Hello Solar Community,
I would like to build some solar panels for my RV on our 10 acres in Northern Nevada. If successful I would then like to install panels on the house we will be building in the next few years.
Any points on building solar panels for an RV would be helpful.
Thanks
Tim -
morgan roberts says:
i think this is a great post on to the intrnet but i have several questions. sorry if any of these questions sound stupid.
1.how many diodes do you need and where do you place them?
2. can the controller be this? it is what i found on ebay.Solar Panel Charge Regulator Controller 12V 5A 60W -
felix silvosa says:
thanks alot for sharing us on how to build a solar panel. its been a long time that i try to search this step by step procedure in building a solar panel. if you don’t mind, can i ask a favor from you? please show us the electrical diagram how to connect the panel into the house thru the main circuit breaker…thank’s alot
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Joseph says:
Thanks for being selfless. How do i build a windmill?
Good (green) Day,
I have 3 questions about the solar panel. I apologize if they sound stupid, I just want to be sure.
1. Each individual cell has two tabs coming out of one side to be soldered to the next cell on the side with no tabs. Is the (+) and (-) of each cell between the two long tabs or between a long tab and the other side of the cell that has no tabs?
2. It looks as if you wired both long tabs together to both “no” tabs of the next cell when connecting each set of six cells together. Are both long tabs the same point electrically? (and then I assume both “no” tabs are the same point electrically)?
3. Does each cell require a diode or one diade for complete panel?
Thanks
Dale Maenpaa