How To Make Your Own Solar Panels
Although the price of solar panels has fallen sharply in recent years, they are still besides expensive for many people to install at home. If you desire to proceeds all the benefits of solar power, whether reducing your carbon footprint or lowering bills, is there some other mode of doing it?
In other words, tin can you build your own DIY solar panels, and save money while learning some new skills?
You will be pleased to know that you can. Although it can seem daunting, in that location is cipher stopping y'all from ownership all the components and creating a solar panel from scratch. Equally ever, if you take piffling experience working with electricity, nosotros recommend seeking communication from a qualified electrician.
In this guide, we volition bear witness you how to:
- Gather the components
- Attach the cells
- Connect the cells
- Construct a box
- Add the protective Plexiglas
- Mountain the panel ready for use.
So, the starting time stride is to gather all the components you need. You lot may have some of these already, while others are easy to notice in a local hardware shop or online.
Phase ane – DIY solar panel components
You lot need a number of components to create your DIY solar panel, including:
- Solar cells
- Tabbing wire
- Bus wire
- Soldering iron
- Flux pen
- Wood
- Plywood or acrylic sail
- Screws
- Wood gum
- Drill
- Multi-meter
- Silicone sealant
- Wire cutters/pliers
The almost of import component, of form, are the solar cells that provide the power for your panels.
Step 1 – The solar cells
Photovoltaic solar cells lie at the heart of the solar console, and convert energy from sunlight into electricity that yous can use and store. There are many types of cell, manufactured in countries including the USA, China, Nihon, and Germany, from hard silicon to organic solar cells.
These cells are very piece of cake to find online, and you may even be able to buy them locally. As ever, check the reviews to make sure y'all are buying reputable components, because skimping on quality to relieve money can backlash.
While at that place are diverse different types of cell, each with their own advantages and disadvantages, the best type for home use are polycrystalline cells. These offering a practiced cost-to-efficiency ratio and are very durable, meaning that they will final you a long time. You tin can look to pay about $ane.50 per watt for these cells.
Step 2 – How many cells?
Naturally, y'all too need to piece of work out how many cells you need. To do so, you lot must commencement summate how much energy you shall require from each solar console y'all make. There's lots of jargon surrounding solar free energy production, only thankfully we've written a helpful article explaining various solar power terminologies in layman'due south terms.
When you buy cells, the manufacturer's specifications will include their capacity, then you can easily piece of work out how many y'all need. We recommend buying a few extra considering accidents are inevitable and you volition take some breakages.
Some manufacturers coat cells with protective wax before aircraft, and so clean this off with hot, non boiling, h2o.
Step 3 – Testing the cells
Before you start working on your cells, it is a good idea to exam them then that y'all can reject any defective units. Place the cells in directly sunlight, and on a clean surface with the positive side facing upwards.
With a multimeter, test each cell, looking for a voltage of most 0.5V for a 1.75-watt cell. If you find a value significantly less than this, the prison cell is probably defective. Check the amps in the aforementioned style, for an optimal current of about 3.5 amps.
Phase ii – Adhere the Cells
The side by side stage involves attaching the cells to a backing lath. As a discussion of communication, yous should wear gloves and handle cells advisedly because they are very delicate. For extra safety, habiliment a mask and safety spectacles when soldering.
Step 1 – The bankroll board
To start the process of building a DIY solar panel, set the cells to a backing board fabricated from a non-conductive textile such as plastic, drinking glass, or woods. Wood is a expert option because it is easy to drill and cut, but many people cull to use a canvass of acrylic.
Lay your cells out in the chosen configuration earlier measuring and cutting the board to size, adding about another 2.5cm/1 inch for the motorcoach wires at the end of each row of panels. It is ordinarily easier to lay out the cells in long rows, such as four rows of x cells.
Step 2 – Cutting the tabbing wire
A typical solar cell has two big, parallel wires across the shorter orientation. These wires connect to the tabbing wires and allow electricity to menstruation through the console, connecting to the next cell in the assortment. To make tabbing wires, simply measure the length of these larger lines, double it, and cut.
Step four – Flux
Plough the cells over and, on the dorsum of each cell, use a fluxing pen to run ii or three lines of flux down the length of each jail cell strip. This protects the component from the oestrus of soldering.
Step 5 – Solder
Now, with a soldering iron, melt a thin coat of solder onto the back of the cell strips gear up to lay the tabbing wire along them.
You tin can also buy pre-soldered tabbing, which may exist a good option if you are not experienced with a soldering iron, but they are more than expensive
Step half dozen – Bond the wire
Now, simply heat upwards the first half of the tabbing wire with the soldering fe, and bond information technology to the cell. Repeat this for every cell.
Stage 3 – Connecting the cells
With your cells prepared and tabbed, you tin can now connect them together. When doing this, remember that the elevation of the cell is negative while the lesser is positive. When connecting, you volition connect the positive side of a prison cell to the negative side of the side by side.
Stride 1 – Glue the cells
Ready the cells to the board with a small-scale dab of strong glue on the back of each, making certain you lay them out in the right direction.
Leave the ends of the two tabbing wires sticking upward between the cells, and exit a few centimetres of infinite at the terminate of each row for the bus wires. It is important to remember that each row runs in the contrary direction to the previous one.
Pace 2 – Solder the cells together
With your flux pen, use some flux along the thick lines on each jail cell, known as the contact pads, and solder the free ends of the tabbing wire to these pads. Overall, the ii tabbing wires connected to the rear of a prison cell connect to the front of the side by side jail cell along each row.
Step 3 – Add your omnibus wire
On the commencement row, solder some tabbing wire to the front end of the first cell and make sure the two wires extend a few centimetres beyond the jail cell into the additional space you lot left on the backing board.
To create the omnibus wire, cut a slice of wire to the aforementioned length as the distance between the two tabbing wires and solder them together.
Pace 3 Connect the 2d row
Now, you need to connect the end of the first row to the beginning of the 2nd. To do this, use a longer slice of charabanc wire that covers the two tabbing wires on the start cell and the two tabbing wires on the second. Solder all 4 wires to the bus wire.
Step four – Connect the remaining rows
Use the same process to connect the rest of the rows, and upon reaching the end, connect the two tabbing wires on the final row with a curt bus wire.
Stage 4 – Construct the panel box
The adjacent stage involves edifice a panel box to hold everything in place and protect the unit of measurement from the elements. Construct the box from a not-conductive material, such as wood or plastic.
Pace ane – Measure the jail cell console
The panel used to hold the cells gives you a base measurement for the size of the box. You lot now demand to brand a backing lath and the sides of the box.
For the backing board, add nearly 2.5 cm (i") on every side to allow some space for the sides of the box. In improver, leave enough free space in the corner for a square piece of forest to hold the protective screen later.
Stride 2 – Cut the box
Cut a sheet of written report plywood to the correct size and utilise a piece of 2.five cm ten v cm (1 inch x ii inch) timber to build the sides of the box. Cut two lengths to fit the long sides of your box, and two pieces to fit forth the short side. Connect these together using screws and advisable joints or brackets.
Although the wood does non have to be exactly two inches alpine, don't make information technology as well alpine or it will shade some of the panels and reduce efficiency.
Pace 3 – Adhere the sides
At present, simply lift the constructed frame onto your plywood and screw into place. Use at least three screws per side to brand certain information technology is strong and sturdy.
Pace 4 – Pigment the box
Pigment the finished box any color yous like, and apply an exterior waterproof pigment for maximum durability.
Step 5 – Attach the solar unit of measurement
Now, y'all tin glue your panel into the box, leaving two holes in the terminate of the panel for the motorcoach wire to laissez passer through, one in line with the first row, and the other in line with the final row.
Footstep 6 – The diode
Another of import footstep, for prophylactic, is to join the final autobus wire to a suitable diode, which is a little larger than the total amperage of the entire panel.
Connect this to the bus wire, making certain that the lighter coloured end of the diode points towards the battery. The diode is a 'i way valve' that prevents current from flowing back into the solar panel from the battery.
Step 7 – Connect the wires
Next, connect a wire from the diode to the final block with solar panel connectors, and another from the short bus wire at the finish of the kickoff row. Fix the cake in place to the outside of the box frame.
Footstep eight – Connect to the accuse controller and battery
For the next important office of wiring, link wires from the concluding block to the accuse controller, making certain that you connect the positive and negative electrodes correctly.
Finally, you can connect the accuse controller to the batteries in line with the manufacturer's guidelines.
Phase four – Add the Perspex
With a sturdy box constructed and the wires connected, it is time for the final bear on, calculation the Perspex cover to the superlative of the box. This volition protect the fragile electronics while assuasive sunlight to stream through.
Step i – Cut the Plexiglas
Offset past cutting the Perspex to size then that it fits the inside of the box snugly. You can use normal glass, just it is difficult to cut to size and more than likely to pause. Perspex can deteriorate over time, but it is cheap and easy to supersede.
Footstep two – Cut and fix blocks
In the corners of the box, where you left some complimentary infinite, attach some blocks of wood to agree the Plexiglas in place. Cutting iv blocks from 2.5cm x ii.5cm wood, making sure that they are high enough to hold the Plexiglas in a higher place the cells, merely below the lip of the box. A drop of wood glue holds them in place securely.
Stride 3 – Fix the Plexiglas in place
Now, identify the Perspex on top of the blocks and fix into place with advisable screws, ideally with washers to prevent the plastic cracking. It is always adept practice to drill guide holes for screws, and avoid over-tightening.
Step iv – Sealing
All that remains is to make the box watertight by laying a dewdrop of silicone sealant effectually the edge of the Perspex. Make sure that the surfaces are clean and dry to ensure the sealant sticks.
Stage 5 – Mounting the panel
Now, the final task is to mount the panel in place, whether in a permanent location, such equally on the summit of a pole, on a roof, a cart, or a solar generator box.
Wherever y'all identify it, you want the maximum amount of daily sunlight across all seasons of the twelvemonth, with your completed DIY unit of measurement facing the correct direction at the optimal angle.
Final Verdict
Hopefully, this guide has given you a few ideas on how to make your ain DIY solar panels. Whether you want to live off filigree, lower your electricity bills, or reduce your carbon footprint, these panels can relieve you a lot of money and as well help you learn some useful new skills.
FAQs
Can a DIY solar console ability my home?
On its own, a DIY solar panel volition non take the capacity for a typical domicile. At first, it will supplement your power supply and help to lower bills, or you can connect information technology to a solar generator. Of grade, if y'all enjoyed the project, in that location is null to stop you from calculation more at a afterward date.
What sort of batteries practice I need?
Because solar ability does not e'er produce power when y'all demand it, you may desire to add batteries to store power and add together backup capability. While you can employ lead-acid batteries, lithium ion batteries are the best option because they are efficient, easy to maintain, and cost effective over time.
How long will the panel last?
The solar cells usually last for a couple of decades every bit long every bit they are protected from the elements. For the remainder of the unit, brand sure that everything is painted with adept quality paint and that you accept applied silicone anywhere water might enter the unit. Don't forget to check your console occasionally for wearable and tear, and make any repairs.
How tin I be sure my DIY solar panel is safety?
Building a DIY solar panel requires some electrical cognition to prevent whatsoever gamble from electrocution or fires. If you are unsure, we recommend consulting an electrician before and during the projection to protect you and your electric system from harm.
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Author Bio
Robert is a renewable energy and sustainability specialist with 10+ years of feel in the solar and renewable free energy infinite.
With experience in different organizations in the industry, he operates semprius as a passion project promoting sustainable renewable free energy ideas and products.
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