After you have done the preliminary planning for building solar panels at home, it’s time to gather the necessary tools and materials. Here is a basic overview of the equipment and materials you will need. You may already have some of them on hand.

Your basic tool kit will consist of solder, a low-wattage soldering iron, a small screwdriver, tabbing wire to connect the solar cells to each other, bus wire to connect the series of cells and a voltage meter to test the power. You’ll also need a jigsaw to cut the backing to size, some UV resistant paint to seal it and a paintbrush to apply the paint. If you need to make the frame, you may need a drill and some screws or a staple gun.

Next, you will need solar cells — usually crystalline silicon or indium copper selenide. Although it is possible to build a solar panel using broken solar cells, opinions vary as to how much money you really save over using solar cells that are intact and have been voltage rated. Broken solar cells may seem inexpensive when their prices are advertised in terms of pennies on EBay or other websites. But when you factor in the cost of receiving pieces of cells that don’t work and the additional cost of solder and wire to assemble more pieces, not to mention the additional time, you really may be better off buying solar cells with a predictable voltage output. Of course, if you are just experimenting anyway, broken cells could still provide a useful learning experience.

For the top of the solar panels, you will need glass or Plexiglas. But you need to make sure to use tempered glass that will not break during a hailstorm or when a tree ranch breaks and lands on it. And the Plexiglas you use must be resistant to the sun’s ultra violet rays, or it is likely to discolor from prolonged exposure and reduce the electrical output of your solar panel.

You can use plywood for a rigid backing to mount your solar cells on. And you an easily make wooden or metal frames to encapsulate the backing, cells and top layer of glass or Plexiglas. If you are making small solar panels, you might even be able to use a picture frame if it is deep enough to accommodate all of the layers.

But the good news is that after you have finished building solar panels at home the first time, it only gets easier. You won’t have a learning curve to slow you down. And you will know the best ways to organize your tools and materials, and to set up your work space.

Tags: solar cell, solar cells, solar electric systems, solar energy, solar panel

Filed under: Alternative Energy, Solar Power by admin
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