This article covers how to make solar panels; you will still need a battery and the DC hook ups. Building your own is an easy task.
You will need the following items:
• Solar panels are made up of 32 to 36 cells. You will need a normal 4” piece of glass that is 2.3mm to 3mm thick for each solar cell
• Indium-Tim Oxide Powder (Sn02)
• Semiconducting nanocrystalline Titanium Dioxide (TIO2)
• Crushed blackberries, raspberries, pomegranate seeds or red Hibiscus tea
• Ethanol
• A Volt – Ohm meter
• Pencil lead
• Iodine electrolyte solution
• copper tabbing wire
• Solder
• Wood, peg board or other material for the panel frame
• Silicone caulk
• Counter electrodes
build your own solar panel
Step 1: If you want to make cheap solar panels, first step is to coat each piece of glass with a transparent conductive layer of Sn02. If you do not wish to do this yourself there are many companies that sell this glass pre-coated.
Step 2: To make your own solar panels, coat one side of the glass with a TIO2 solution that is made by crushing the TIO2 and adding water. This allows the glass plate to effectively transfer electrons.
Step 3: Dye the glass plates using a natural dye made from your berries. Soak the film until they are a deep red-purple color. Both sides must be uniformly stained. When sufficiently dyed, wash the film with ethanol and blot dry.
Step 4: Identify the conductive side of each plate. Use your meter to identify which side of the glass is conductive. Apply a thin layer of pencil lead to the conductive side of each surface.
Step 5: Place the glass plate film side up and place one or two drops of iodine on the film. Place the counter electrode so the conductive side is on top of the film. You will want to offset the glass plates so that the edges of each plate are exposed. This gives you a contact point to test each cell and extract electricity.
Step 6: As you can see there is no rocket science here. Pretty much anybody could make solar panels at home. Assemble your panel by connecting each cell together using your wire and solder. You will need to connect each cell together to make a solid grid. You can attach each cell to the frame by using caulk on the center of the glass.
Step 7: Now you know how to make your own solar panels, last step is to test your panel by taking it out in full sunshine and using your meter to see the voltage your panel is producing. A typical panel of this size can produce about 18 volts with no load.
This is how you build solar panels. It sounds complex and for some people it could be, but if you follow through you will proudly say “I can make my own solar panels”.