Homemade solar panels

[South Easter]

I saw a post on the old board (29 July 2002) about making your own solar PV arrays.  Has anyone got more recent experience with this?

[Volvo farmer]

It's a lot of work and unless you can buy the cells at at very good price, you may end up close to the price of a commercial panel. I built 600W of them for about $2/watt and still think maybe my money might have been better spent on a commercially laminated product. It was a fun project though!

http://www.fieldlines.com/story/2005/2/26/11119/5985

http://www.fieldlines.com/story/2006/9/16/05931/0581

[cyplesma]

I'd have to second that on the cost being cheaper in the long run to buy off the shelf instead of making your own.

I don't have pictures but I went with .25" thick plexiglass. It bent so easily and since the cells are so fragile, I got about 3 weeks of use before a cat finally walked on it and a couple of cells cracked.

I haven't quite given up on homebuilt panels just yet, I have another plan (I think someone else has tried it or was going to), but I'm basically going to have some boards made with some through holes to make sub panels, just have to find a way to mount the sub panels to the main plexiglass.  thick plexiglass gets expensive (for me) very quickly.

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[wind pirate]

I agree with the posters above that it really isn't that much cheaper than commercial. It is expensive either way. But it is fun. This guy on ebay has a great tutorial for $2.99 that can give you more information. He sells all the stuff to make your own panels and his prices are about $3.50 / watt which isn't that bad - no removing wax or sorting through broken ones, etc.

All in all very informative "how to" and after all we are a bunch of DIY kind of people....

Not affiliated, etc..... did buy the how to though...

Here's the link. Sellers name is livingoffthegrid

http://cgi.ebay.com/Solar-Panels-Assembly-How-To-Guide-UPDATED_W0QQitemZ180141491395QQihZ008QQcatego
ryZ41981QQtcZphotoQQcmdZViewItem

WP

[howlet]

Ive been having great fun designing, developing, making/laminating panels and slowly acquireing the other components and hardware necessary for several tracking mounts that I feel will produce a cost effective and substantial 48 volt array. I have set my mind to achieving the goal and I'm willing to take things somewhat slowly, Thats the only way I can come across the needed equipment at price ranges that I can afford. Never the less these deals will come, sometimes alot quicker that one would think. And the bottom line is that the array will be alot cheaper that buying a turnkey package deal plus I get the thrill of knowing that I put this together myself(with a little help from God of course!) Jeff

[snowcrow]

Hi Jeff, I've been collecting parts for my panel too!! I'm using one of those sliding glass shower doors, the glass may not being the best for UV transmission, but it is tempered. For the frame I'm using an old aluminum storm door. I think the hardest part in making the panel is soldering the tabs onto the cells, without breaking them!!! I buy 40 of the 6" round 3 watt cells. I still have to buy the backing sheet from www.livingoffthegrid.com and build a makeshift vacuum press for applying the backing to the panel.

Hi South Easter, The lamination of the panels is one of the most important parts of the whole process!! Any air or moisture allowed to come in contact with the solder joints and tabs will cause oxidation over time, which is the cause of most panel failures. So.. the better the seal, the longer the panel will last. I think I'll be doing a small panel or two, before I attempt my 120 watt panel, just to get the method down. I know that once you apply heat to those sheets, it's a done deal!!

Blessings, Snow Crow

[Soulbringer]

Hi snowcrow,

I read your comment about homemade solar panels. So I wanna ask you if there is not a problem to you can you suggest me where I can read more info about the whole process from buying cells to module. Thanks in advance.