instructables Food Living Outside Play Technology Workshop Homemade 63 Watt Solar Panel by lrsoftert on September 26, 2000 Intro: Homemade 63 Watt Solar Panel {am a young person interested in solar energy | decided to buld a solar panel. lam young and | can do then anybody ese ca owl ake you hough everything from butaing te tame io soldering. When th Is completed ths wi ive you 63 wats of lee energy thas good Tor camping ofr smal household toms. Let get, Stop 1: Tools and Ma Tools 1. Soldering ron 2 bat 8. Cauk Gun 1. Solar Cate 2. Bus Bar 3. Taboing Wie 4 Solder 5 Flux Pen 6 Piywoos 1 tam Pieces Primer 8. Super Paint 1. Scone Caulk 11. Wood Glue 12:14 Gauge Wie Stop 2: Build the Frame 11 he easiest pat of he solar panel Take skinny scrows. Screw down gently and slowly. Now use primero ir 2times and pant wih Supe for 8 good sea. now suggest tal you add & qua {sh i'can get back out easty iis mporart ha they are diied on tha beltom sof your pana ut nthe ain, huge amounts of water wont get. You ould alse seal tne pana of completly, but you dont make fa dry foom water could be wapped inside your pana. Make sute to seal the panel wal or otherwise water can get mn but not get back out nearly as 2338 Stop 3: Solder the Cells Together 5 cals can be tcky. recommend alow watlage soldering ton because they are lower temperature. Sart with 2 cal. Use your ux pen to fx the 6 dos 3 your solar eal Lay he Labs fom tha rst slat cal and ay them on lop ofthe dots ake sure fh cel alse upside down} Take your solenng on and 2b, Hold there unt you see heat wave go across the while dot. When you co, pul he soldering kon away. Repeat the above steps unt you nave vee. Stands of 12 solar eas. Now test your S stands of 12 solar cals fr 6 vols thay all ave 6 vos, glue the sands o Your plywood wih scone. Glue them the way that Stop 4: Solder the Bus Bar Soldering busbar is much easier han soldaring sla cals, You algo naa to salder tabbing west the untabbd dots on fst solar calf each rw. You need 0 the ne ‘and attach thom to tha bus ar and ten take the postive wires and alach them tothe bus ba. Then onthe se of ha here willbe anotne bus ba hat the negative sda, Do that onthe cpposte de and then ts or 18 vols, Now solder your postive and negative wies tothe bus bars. Now dl oes and run your wiestrcugh tem, Stop 5: Add Plexiglass and Your Done Silicone your wires tothe plywood. Now jst scone your plexiglass on and predl more holes and seew ton with screws and washers. Sea! up the wie holes rom the outside and yout done. The otal ost is about 200 dala and s much cheaper than buying a salar panel Now get started making oe energy fom te sun! PS. Please rte commonts. love to hre leas or questions you may hve. Don forget ate, comment, and subscribe!Comments Add Comment budiyanto says: Jan 8, 2010. 959 AM REPLY hel si-sory icant spask nggrs. but have vary much question fr you si. rom Indonesia. my gus {1d you can make aticon solar for step by step 2. what rom lam Sony Church Duval Hither! TYE} Lerme give you some insights about what you ae asking fe. ‘itwould be more expense to Bld yout own sileon sor cel. Only consider doing tha If youre thinking about bullng a actor fo it, considering that you wil have to procure machinery. equipment, and rates. And | aaume that you wl aver find materials sold on arta asl at a good pric, Ityou want to make a sola cel ow the ink below. However, snot using slicon an snot hat a eficen hips nsuctales comldMy-homemade-sola-cal-t/ ye Jl 14,2012. 657 AM REPLY 2. tyoute looking for pre-made sla al hema trom overseas cou ha suppl means that you solar panels, | suggest you check ook fr local supple inthe lntemet and nat fom overseas. Importing Buying tom a local ron wile the ona to ean the prt "nope that hep!) airsoftert says: Jan @, 2010. 8:35 PM REPLY Ifyou mean making the solr eas, you cant. You can buy them rm ebay. you mean making silcon he gu any hardware store even Watmar. lant, you eant. You can buy tom farmerboyk says: sun 24,2012. 6:91 PM REPLY (Re peta. you con. just aot ng lasting that power irsoftert says sun 26,2012. 9:37 PM REPLY ‘Tata what | mean, noting vable Sep 3,2011. 131 PM REPLY 1 get it fom somewnere. This guy mad @ homemade solar cel with copper ip/www youtube.camwaten?v=gSEaWa9Pg20 imajem says: Mar4, 2011, 942 AM REPLY Does anyone know how to feed the energy back nto he grt? That would be help? henry32008 says ‘Aug 28, 2011.13 PM REPLY Gide verter. airsoftert says: Mar, 2014, 624 PM REPLY hitputwwvesolarpoweroptps comigidted-slar-system aspx Thi ould ol you what you need o know. kktwags =: ‘Apr 10,2010. 12:1 PM REPLY | made 4 60 wat sole panes hey work great fo the most pat. we instaled them on our awning with 24's unerneath fo ato get trough however we having major moisture sues. wen we bull he fst wo we thought was because we used Yo much silcne and ddr seal up the sides good enough But we ust bul two more wih alt oss silcone and we sealed the sides wih aluminum tape however thre sl alt of moisture nthe panel. It la Starts wah fog and then turns no alot of wale droplets. Do you or anyones have any suggestions on how to eth ” why this happening ‘Wenavent been abi to come up wih anyother reason. pagrat says: Jl 19,2011. 1045 PM REPLY "sounds tke condensation to me. Perhaps moisture aden a, rapped inthe panels is condensing on the glass during the cooler tes of he evening? It [twas mine think Fd see about opening Some Roles, perhaps underneath so ran coming In would nt be 2 problem tp stivor in ies.comid/Homemade-63-Watt-Solar-PaneEARTHFORSOLAR says: Feb 15,2011. 220 PM REPLY you have the solar panel seal good and you are stl getng moisture,water or fog.hen the next hing is vent holes oft out | would try atthe op of i, OR two sas of a Roles and ail fan vo dry up tis Is good In he summer to Keep the solar cas cooler becouse they Work ‘much nize when they ate cooler ANY WHAY! You may not nave a molsture issue nthe winter a5 much Datwan the wood panes most need te vent holes not ig but small to gett out ‘So far my a glas ly solar pana! is doing good with no wateror moisture geting in| have made two so far have made he wood frame aly and stil ke them they ust ned alta more werk ut tay ae fun to Bla yal lass solar pana itpates google. comateleantorsolnglss-trame-y panel avid Grey_valentine have you thought about mounting @ computa fan inthe box? It shoulditbe any dain at think you would havea problem, Jan 16.2011. 609 PM REPLY (on the power you got some lr ow twough the Box dont irsoftert says: Jan 17.2011. 949 AM REPLY "do thnk there is encugh roam on the aides ofthe calls to fa computer fan inher. Thats great ea though. reisneros says (0211, 2010119 PM REPLY Profesional panes have cols that are ancased ina polymer. The most popular is called SLYGARD. You pourit over your cals and they are completely Poleced. Its not chesp though. Bu will cost your els get damaged or corrosion destoys them? irsoftert says: (0215, 2010.03 PM REPLY Td hnk i wort unless your solar panels your nly source of power and needs tat for 20 years, That wil outlast he frame reisneros says ost 4, 2010. 1208 PM REPLY "think your right That stu is too expensive for me, but that wil salve the problem airsoftert says: (0<14, 2010. 5:08 PM REPLY IReould be worth i for Kktwags use ance lt seams that they use thar pana’ power ona ragular be talonsblade says: ‘Apr 18, 2010.8:20 AM REPLY not sue his wl help but have you thought of away to maybe make vacuum seslale? you ate geting fog and water ropes forthe same reason Wwe get dew, the arnade nas moisture nt especialy ts made on awarm day. wary af can hold more molstue than coliwhy you get dew when Stars 1 get col). fyou seal up, and the a temperature drops then he molstute come outfog and water droplets). nt sure wt help bu think if ‘you wal ia cold day to mae ft, hen vacuum aut aa mucha ae posable before you seal it up might hel, ke sai, not an exper jst what thik s happening anda posse fx talonsblade says: ‘Apr 16, 2010.6:21 AM REPLY |ust sping ideas but maybe make in a room wih dehumiaier? neva usd one and have no dea how efctve thay are but ust acne Suggestion. airsoftert says: ‘Ape 10,2010. 5:12 PM REPLY This nas happened tomy pane! 1c. Di you dil holes nthe botom tke |? If youd that why there Is moisture in there. You can seal hose hol Lup wit alte bi of scone. Ifyou dé not dil holes Ils Because there was probably alte bi of moisture Inthe panel when you sealed them up and [lst kaeps evaporating and condensing. To fe that you have to unscrow the pewglags and et aout, then put new sicane on and screw i back on ‘When fogs up doesnt seem to ates output at al Hope ths habs, ite kktwags says: ‘Apr 10,2010. 6:42 PM REPLY ‘andrew thanks for your info, however dn dil any hole and we dd unscrew them and ar them out and sil fogs up. know treaty dont seam to ‘ect he ouput however ai ot the wood a the Botome and corode the one bus wi. Any oer suggestions irsoftert says ‘Apr 11,2010. 107 AMt REPLY ‘The ont thing can think of eto lt em alr out fora couple of days na wary, super dy place, Maybe even use a nar dye to ary Rout. Afar that sea! i'up again and wih aluminum tap. | quess this sto st jst happens when ts no profesional bull. Ago, make sure the sides of the ls late ae nating up tom he icone When up pat stew were Me, Tht shoul Rip eep more mist Hom (ating i: Goodluckkktwags says ‘Apr 13,2010. 1002 AMt REPLY ‘nce ‘alteedy dd that ns past weekend withthe aluminum tape and ang thers out and it sti das airsoftert says Jol22, 2010.47 PM REPLY Dri hole in the boom. iw staf up but wll go away asthe day warms up. mearrell say: 4l,2011. 1118 PM REPLY “Try itiag the ai-gap between glass and panels with clear epoxy ithe ype hat doesnt yellow). That wl solve the moisture lsue or corti. rocketman20 says Mar 16,2011, 929 AM REPLY airsoftert says: Mar 16,2011, 641 PM REPLY 105 dale. EARTHFORSOLAR says: Feb 47,2011. 1159 AM REPLY "added tis page o my ink page. Ths ice looking soar panel hp: slarels101comindex2 php ‘Thanks fr sharing you DIT Solar Pane Bows B Hw we hardwarehank soys Jan 24,2011. 6:06 AM REPLY You can reduce the cost by buyng surplus windows at communty recycling center (waste wanster station, BRING, Communty Feri - they nave ulus toes, youre nthe right place.) Also, sealing the cals wit Through The Root seems to work prety wellio keep mostre away tom hem = Hs ‘heap ond dea dear. i do an nstucable on my methed once fs al proven outin the summer eat. Nee nstuctona nought airsoftert says: san 24,2011. 6:08 PM REPLY Ifthe sealant works than tm lor t Maybe Mibu anther pane! and use “Thycugh The Roof so til ast along whe Pal says ‘Apr 27, 2010. 142 PM REPLY {im curious there's @ good reason fer uying to sea these up tobe alright? If you could make the pane! song but leave say mos ofthe backside open, so te top was sald and the sides fashed to prevent ran fom ning anything, woul! hi cause Wouble over time? Plywood wil abso the moisture in he ar over me even I pred and painted, so eventually there wal be molsue inside the panel Fogging wil be an Issue over ime the system cant be ventlated, us Ike a double pared window where the err airsoftert says: ‘Apr 27, 2010. 5:58 PM REPLY Fggig snot a huge issue forme because my panel has holes nthe back ol, sas soon ast warms up ate Beit unfoggs ‘ourmoneypit say: ‘Apr 16,2010. 1059 AM REPLY ‘Yu know those it silca gel packets fat come with so many things hese days to protect fem frm moisture dung sipping? Maybe tucking one of those Int the un along the sie somewhere, where R would etrere wih the operaton/sun capture would address the moutue lau? | always save thom Justin ease’ -our cottage s damp and use them to protect things ke a vintage clock love), GroenD says: Dee 25,2009. 9:34 PM REPLY Rather confusing - you us stated that you connected your postive and negative tabs tothe same busbar... You should (have) aka) a picure ofthe ‘overalayout- and incate where your postive & negalivesafe going, Asta nought «| Pyrotechnic-Robot says: Feb 3, 2010.528 Pit REPLY You connect each clin acer wing 20 the cll are connected from + to ~ elf eel le] el el) er) () solar cal) ‘2h coll only puts cut 5 vols so tis ype of wring gives you ahigher votage. airsoftert says: ee 31,2009, 2:49 PM REPLY Yeah guess | sad that wrong, wil ry to get a pete explaining it beter. Thanks for plating that outimalek says: ee 7, 2009. 4:26 PM REPLY Where are you feeding your elecety 1? Ive thought of using Lon battais ost the energy then using thao charge oir things, but L bales aren cheap. Rechargeable N-Hyaide batares seems buky and impractical And, after buying @ meter, aay DC disconnect. inva and an AC beaker Panel feeding the energy back no your gr can eos! quite ai aso. airsoftert says: ee @, 2009. 495 PM REPLY you use ifr carping then a coupe of deep cyle bates wir in paral Nocked Yo a 12 volt verter i juste. this fr whola house AGM or {ood because they can take abuse. Thay ate sealed sealed so they don need watering, As of ight now the panel sthooked up Snything a # wi be used for eampng. donald7777 says: Nov 10,2009. 7:14 PM REPLY how ate your soar panels stl working? airsoftert says: Nov 28, 2009.11.20 AM REPLY They si work tine Chiana_Rei says ‘Sep 27,2000. 2:56 AMM REPLY ‘Any wood wil split you just uy to slam a screw int it Just pred apt hol a ite smalethan your sere, wl prevent spits and also help wih geting the screw in stagh, | would go back and at least tack the tm down witb brads | dont thnk would ust that much money ln parte and that much tine to. {ue lone, Aso a few more pies of th proces and more detald instructions would Bena th be great, Good str ust needs ato pls, fegundezt says ‘Sep 26, 2008. 4:18 AMM REPLY whore and at what pie di you get the calls? A few pictures of he process wil be great a5 wel. The panllooks great airsoftert says: ‘Sep 28, 2008.0:07 AMM REPLY "gat he cls off bay for 105 dotars. | ordared S00 | had 14 extra cls. These cals ae pretabbed which ae he ones | suggest buying. 26 prtabbad ‘cl (how many | actualy used) cost 7285, You can alsa order tom Everbrghtsolar com ite