How To Make Really Inexpensive DIY Solar Power For Homes

Posted on 2008 under solar cost, solar power for homes, solar power residential | No Comment

14 Dec

Here’s a great way to get solar power for homes on the cheap. How? Do it yourself!

Mike Davis is an astronomer who simply wanted to practice his hobby away from his home town’s bright light-pollution. So he went out and bought some land in a remote part of Arizona, but there was one major problem … No electricity!

Now Mike’s a resourceful fellow, so he decided to go diy solar power for homes by creating some diy solar panels using inexpensive, blemished and damaged solar cells from eBay! How cool is that? Well, what’s even more cool is that I’m about to show you just exactly how he did it!

In order to start the process of creating diy solar power for his home, Mike first bought a couple of bricks of 3 by 6 mono-crystalline solar cells. He worked out that it takes a total of 36 of these type solar cells wired in series to make a panel. As each cell produces about 1/2 volt, therefore 36 in series would give about 18 volts which Mike reckoned would be good for charging 12 volt batteries where he could store the power that the diy solar power is creating in the day time.

A solar panel is really just a shallow box. So Mike built a box shallow enough so the sides wouldn’t shade the solar cells when the sun comes at an angle from the sides.

He then cut two pieces of masonite pegboard to fit inside the wells. These pieces of pegboard act as the substrate that each sub-panel will be built on. He then added a Plexiglas front to protect the solar cells from the weather. His diy solar power system was coming together!

Laying out the cells upside-down in a grid pattern, Mike then proceeded to solder them together. When all 18 cells on each half panel were soldered together in series, Mike could then connect both half panels in series to get the desired voltage.

Using a basic soldering iron and fine solder, Mike used a rosen pen on the solder points on the back of the cells before soldering.

It’s really important here to use a very light touch with the soldering iron. This type of solar cell is as thin as paper and as thin and delicate as glass. If you push too hard, you’ll break the cells.

When all was done, Mike tested the half panel outside. Even through clouds he could see that the half panel was producing 9.31 volts. So he could be sure that the whole would system work. So all he had to do from there was build another solar panel just like it and his diy solar power would be off and running.

Mike then drilled a hole in the back of the panel near the top for the wires to create an exit point. To be sure that the panel doesn’t discharge the power from the batteries at night or during cloudy weather, each solar panel in the diy solar power system needed a blocking diode fitted in series. He added a polarized two-pin jones plug to the end of the panel wires.

Et voila! Job done! The finished product is giving back 18.8 volts and 3.05 amps in the sun for the grand sum total of just $104.85!

How much did it cost?

Part Origin Cost

Solar Cells                                  EBay                                                      $74
Misc. Lumber                              Homecenter Store                                    $20.62
Plexiglas                                    Scrap Pile                                               $0
Screws & Misc Hardware              Already on hand                                      $0
Silicone Caulk                            Homecenter Store                                    $3.95
Wire                                         Already on hand           $0
Diode                                      EBay                                                       $0.20
Jones Plug                                Newark Electronics                                    $6.08
Paint                                        Already on hand                                       $0

Total $104.85

This is an incredibly inexpensive price to pay for a reasonable amount of diy solar power. Of course there is a good amount of work needed to actually build the thing. Mike admits that creating diy solar power is not a job that everybody would enjoy doing, but those with the courage will certainly have a lot of fun. Diy solar power is not just good for your wallet. Diy solar power is good for your planet too!

This is just a quick overview of Mike’s diy solar power project. If you want more information, please visit Mark’s diy solar power website.

There, you can see a lot more details and more photos about how he created the diy solar power for his home.

From Sam Deane,
your solar power for homes guide,
at www dot go solar power for homes dot com.

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Info from treehugger.com Pic via: mdpub.com
The Trackback, http://www.gosolarpowerforhomes.com/solar-power-for-homes/how-to-make-really-inexpensive-diy-solar-power-for-homes by Sam Deane, unless otherwise expressly stated, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

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