Make a solar cell in your kitchen

It was super, super, super cool, so we thank them for allowing us to post it at TheSolarPlan.com!  This is nifty! A solar cell is a device for converting energy from the sun into electricity. The high-efficiency solar cells you can buy at Radio Shack and other stores are made from highly processed silicon, and require huge factories, high temperatures, vacuum equipment, and lots of money. If we are willing to sacrifice efficiency for the ability to make our own solar cells in the kitchen out of materials from the neighborhood hardware store, we can demonstrate a working solar cell in about an hour.

Our solar cell is made from cuprous oxide instead of silicon. Cuprous oxide is one of the first materials known to display the photoelectric effect, in which light causes electricity to flow in a material.

Thinking about how to explain the photoelectric effect is what led Albert Einstein to the Nobel prize for physics, and to the theory of relativity.

Materials you will need

The solar cell is made from these materials:
A sheet of copper flashing from the hardware store. This normally costs about $5.00 per square foot. We will need about half a square foot.
Two alligator clip leads.
A sensitive micro-ammeter that can read currents between 10 and 50 microamperes. Radio Shack sells small LCD multimeters that will do, but I used a small surplus meter with a needle.
An electric stove. My kitchen stove is gas, so I bought a small one-burner electric hotplate for about $25. The little 700 watt burners probably won't work -- mine is 1100 watts, so the burner gets red hot.
A large clear plastic bottle off of which you can cut the top. I used a 2 liter spring water bottle. A large mouth glass jar will also work.
Table salt. We will want a couple tablespoons of salt.
Tap water.
Sand paper or a wire brush on an electric drill.
Sheet metal shears for cutting the copper sheet. 
A solar cell's purpose is to generate electricity through the release of electrons from a material that is bombarded by electromagnetic radiation or photons. Most crystalline solar cells are sensitive to visible radiation from 400 - 700 nanometers, which correspond to 3.1 - 1.8 electron volts, of the visible region as shown by ACEPT W3 Group (1999) and also into the near infrared spectrum. As the wavelength of the electromagnetic radiation increases, the amount of electron volts decreases. This means that infrared radiation has less electron volts than the visible spectrum of light (because it has a larger wavelength than visible light) and ultraviolet and gamma radiation has more electron volts than both the visible spectrum of light and infrared radiation (because they have a smaller wavelength than both infrared and visible light). Abramowitz, M., Davidson, M., Neaves, S. (2003) wrote that all forms of electromagnetic radiation originate from the atom which contain orbiting electrons around its nucleus. When those electrons absorb more external energy than they can contain in order to be stable, the extra energy is released in the form of an electromagnetic wave. That electromagnetic wave contains a magnetic field and an electric field, one offset by ninety degrees to the other along the propagation plane.
Determine What Your Solar Panels Will Support
One of the big reasons more and more people are adopting solar power is to "go green" or reduce their carbon footprint since studies have been conducted revealing that buildings, houses (or residences) contribute something in the neighborhood of 20,000 pounds of carbon dioxide per year each (you may not have a carbon dioxide generator where you live, but if you consume electricity, natural gas, water, sewer service and so on then those "services" create carbon dioxide as a byproduct of what you are consuming). Others may be adopting solar power because they have no choice (maybe you live on an island, for instance, where there is no power).

Regardless of the reason for getting or making your own solar panels, determine what they will be used for. If you want to provide power for an electric fence, you may only need one 100 Watt solar panel so your investment will be quite low. On the other hand, if you are trying to power your residence with solar panels, you will need more than 100 Watts. What I have found is that for a 1000 square foot residence, you would need roughly eight 100 Watt solar panels per person (this judgement is by no means scientific but a starting ballpark number to look into). To get a more precise reading on the amount of solar panels you would need, use this solar power calculator. Here's a quick glimpse of what to expect, in terms of power needs, if you use 350kwh of power in a month...you'll need 2700 Watts of power (27 - 100 Watt solar panels) and roughly 16 - 12VDC, 100Ah deep cycle batteries (batteries incase you plan to use electricity when the sun is not shining).

As you can see, defining the purpose of the solar panels and doing a little research may help a lot in getting an approximation of what it will cost. But, going back to the purpose of this project (to create a solar panel from component parts) can shave upwards of 30% of the cost of the solar panels. But, be ready to put in some work to create a solar panel. It does take time (90% of that time spent soldering like there is no tomorrow). It took me about 12 hours to tin wire, solder that to the solar cells, and then solder the solar cells together...for a single 100 Watt solar panel.

How to Make a Solar Panel – Everything You are Going to Need

There are several things you’re going to need when making a homemade solar panel, some of the main components include:

• Solar Cells
• Wood Plate
• Soldering Iron
• Solder
• Tabbing

Don’t worry; special tools are not required for this DIY ‘solar panel’ project, and you will probably have everything you need laying around the garage.
Now let’s go over the recommended materials for a basic solar system:

• Plexiglas
• Solar Cells
• Screws
• Lumber
• Jones Plug
• Wire
• Diode
• Caulk Silicon Material

Learning how to make a solar panel will quickly pay for itself as you will be saving huge amounts on your electricity bills… And is easily one of the most worthwhile projects you could take on.
I’m going to share with you a few tips I learned along my journey in learning how to make a solar panel.

• 1). A key factor when making your own solar panel is to obtain a workable photovoltaic cell for your solar panel experiment (needs to be user friendly and preferably cheap). You may also want to consider a lightweight 70mA solar cell made of Copper Indium diSelenide (CIS) to make your own solar panel.

• 2) Buy a CIS that already has tabbed cells (two little pieces of wire already soldered on them). The tabs make the creation of a solar panel much faster and easier, because you can dive right in and start stringing the cells together.

• 3) Connect the cells together in series, negative side to positive side through the tabs to accrue the voltage that you require. Solder the cells together, and then proceed to glue it on to the holding frame. After the wiring step is complete, cover the cells with plastic or glass.

Learning How to Make a Solar Panel Requires a Step-by-step Plan

That’s pretty much it, but I know you’re probably still left scratching your head. The truth is to properly learn how to make a solar panel; you will need detailed instructions and a step by step plan.
I scoured the Internet for countless hours searching through the latest and greatest “green energy fads”… And finally, after I had almost given up all hope, I came across a guide called Earth 4 Energy. The name rang a bell, and it turns out I had just seen it in Popular Science magazine a few months back.
So after debating for a few days, I took the plunge and bought the guide hoping to finally learn how to make a solar panel (the right way).
All in all, Earth 4 Energy delivered on all of its promises and after a bit of work I was finally able to make my own solar panel. I’ve been operating the solar system for a few months now and so far I’ve only noticed positive benefits. To tell you the truth, I haven’t had any trouble out of the solar panels at all.
At the end of the day, learning how to make a solar panel not only saves you money, but also helps save the Earth. And considering the fact that it’s relatively easy, there’s really no reason not to give it a try.

Click Here to Learn How to Make a Solar Panel Step By Step

Tagged as: homemade solar panel, how to make a solar panel, make a solar cell, solar energy, solar panels, solar water heater, wind generator

How to Build a Solar Panel – Harness the Power of Our Sun

So you’re interested in learning how to build a solar panel? You’re in the right place, but first let’s go over a little background information before we actually get in to the building process.

How to Build a Solar Panel – Turn Sunlight Into Power

The sun is by far the most abundant source of energy in all of our solar system. Investing in solar energy will allow you to take advantage of a power source that will still be (according to scientists) burning 5 billion years from today. Now if that’s not a solution for our current fossil fuels and increasing energy costs, then there isn’t one!
Consider the proper direction for your new solar panel. If you live in the northern hemisphere, your solar panels should face south to capture the most sunlight. It’s alright if your roof doesn’t face south however, you can simply mount the solar panels on a pole that does face the required direction.
Truth be told, learning how to build a solar panel is actually not too difficult, being that you already have basic carpentry skills. The first thing you should do is collect all the required tools and parts for the project. Most likely you will be able to find everything at your local hardware store, but if you’re having trouble, eBay is always a surefire alternative.

How to Build a Solar Panel In a Few Easy Steps

• Use your Rosin Flux pen to place the flux on to the strips of your solar cells. The reason behind this is to ensure proper connections in the wiring when you begin to solder the tab ribbons on to the solar cells. After that’s complete, you will need to connect the solar cells to one another.

• Build a “frame” for your new solar panels, since they’re going to be covered with Plexiglas. Make sure your frame is waterproof by using wood screws and more silicon to adhere the frame to the plywood board. Now you can secure the Plexiglas into place, using the screws and silicon. (NOTE: Make sure you drill the screw holes onto the Plexiglas before attaching the frame. If you forget this step, you’re likely to see cracking.)

• Make a solar cell in your kitchen

  A solar cell is a device for converting energy from the sun into electricity. The high-efficiency solar cells you can buy at Radio Shack and other stores are made from highly processed silicon, and require huge factories, high temperatures, vacuum equipment, and lots of money.
  If we are willing to sacrifice efficiency for the ability to make our own solar cells in the kitchen out of materials from the neighborhood hardware store, we can demonstrate a working solar cell in about an hour.
  

  Materials you will need

  The solar cell is made from these materials:
• A sheet of copper flashing from the hardware store. This normally costs about $5.00 per square foot. We will need about half a square foot.
• Two alligator clip leads.
• A sensitive micro-ammeter that can read currents between 10 and 50 microamperes. Radio Shack sells small LCD multimeters that will do, but I used a small surplus meter with a needle.
• An electric stove. My kitchen stove is gas, so I bought a small one-burner electric hotplate for about $25. The little 700 watt burners probably won't work -- mine is 1100 watts, so the burner gets red hot.
• A large clear plastic bottle off of which you can cut the top. I used a 2 liter spring water bottle. A large mouth glass jar will also work.
• Table salt. We will want a couple tablespoons of salt.
• Tap water.
• Sand paper or a wire brush on an electric drill.
• Sheet metal shears for cutting the copper sheet.

• How does it do that?

  
  Cuprous oxide is a type of material called a semiconductor. A semiconductor is in between a conductor, where electricity can flow freely, and an insulator, where electrons are bound tightly to their atoms and do not flow freely.
  In a semiconductor, there is a gap, called a bandgap between the electrons that are bound tightly to the atom, and the electrons that are farther from the atom, which can move freely and conduct electricity.
  Electrons cannot stay inside the bandgap. An electron cannot gain just a little bit of energy and move away from the atom's nucleus into the bandgap. An electron must gain enough energy to move farther away from the nucleus, outside of the bandgap.
  Similarly, an electron outside the bandgap cannot lose a little bit of energy and fall just a little bit closer to the nucleus. It must lose enough energy to fall past the bandgap into the area where electrons are allowed.
  When sunlight hits the electrons in the cuprous oxide, some of the electrons gain enough energy from the sunlight to jump past the bandgap and become free to conduct electricity.
  The free electrons move into the saltwater, then into the clean copper plate, into the wire, through the meter, and back to the cuprous oxide plate.
  As the electrons move through the meter, they perform the work needed to move the needle. When a shadow falls on the solar cell, fewer electrons move through the meter, and the needle dips back down.
  
  
  

  How To Build a Solar Panel Step-by-Step

  The most abundant source of fuel in our entire solar system is the sun. Knowing how to build a solar panel for your home or business will let you tap into a power supply which will, scientists predict, still be going strong 4 billion years from now. If that doesn't sound like a permanent solution to soaring energy bills and dwindling fossil fuel supplies, there isn't one!
  The first thing factor to consider in learning how to build a solar panel is whether you live in the northern or southern hemisphere. In the northern hemisphere, for example, solar panels for homes should face south in order to capture the maximum amount of sunlight each day. If the roof of the structure on which you'll be installing your solar panels doesn't face south (or north in the southern hemisphere), you can simply attach your solar panels to poles that have been installed in a location which does.
  Learning how to build your own solar panel, as long as you have the basic carpentry skills, is actually quite simple. Begin by gathering your tools and parts.

• 
  Our solar cell is made from cuprous oxide instead of silicon. Cuprous oxide is one of the first materials known to display the photoelectric effect, in which light causes electricity to flow in a material.
  Thinking about how to explain the photoelectric effect is what led Albert Einstein to the Nobel prize for physics, and to the theory of relativity.
   

• Check every inch of your solar panel and make sure there are no gaps where moisture can get in. Make 100% sure you seal ALL holes that you see with silicon, regardless of how small they may be! But even after sealing everything tight, moisture can still build up within the panels. To avoid this, simply drill a small hole at the bottom (away from the wiring). Now air is able to flow into the solar panel and help in the reduction of moisture buildup. Additionally, drilling a whole in the bottom will also protect you from any rain collecting!