The sun is an inexhaustible source of energy. People have long learned how to use it effectively. We will not go into the physics of the process, but we will see how this free energy resource can be used. A homemade solar panel will help us with this.
Operation principle
What is a solar cell? This is a special module, which consists of series-parallel connections of a huge number of the most elementary photodiodes. These semiconductor elements were grown using special technologies in a factory on silicon wafers.
Unfortunately, these devices are by no means cheap. Most people can't get them, but there are plenty of ways to make your own solar panels just in case. And this battery will be able to compete with commercial samples. Moreover, its price will not be comparable to what the stores offer.
Building a silicon wafer battery
Kitfor an alternative energy source includes 36 silicon wafers. They are offered with dimensions of 815 centimeters. The total power figures will be about 76 watts. You will also need wires to connect the elements together, and a diode that will perform the blocking function.
One silicon wafer delivers 2.1 W and 0.53 V at up to 4 A. The wafers must only be connected in series. Only in this way can our energy source deliver 76 watts. There are two tracks on the front side. This is the "minus", and the "plus" is located on the back. Each of the panels must be positioned with a gap. You should get nine plates in four rows. In this case, the second and fourth rows must be deployed opposite to the first. This is required so that everything is conveniently connected into one chain. Be sure to take into account the diode. It allows you to prevent the discharge of the storage battery at night or on a cloudy day. The "minus" of the diode must be connected to the "plus" of the battery. To charge the battery, you need a special controller. Using an inverter, you can get the usual household voltage of 220 V.
Assembling solar panels with your own hands
Plexiglas has the lowest refractive index. It will be used as a body. This is a fairly inexpensive material. And if you need even cheaper, then you can buy plexiglass. In the worst case, you can use polycarbonate. But it is not suitable for the case in terms of its characteristics. In stores you can find a special coated polycarbonate that is protectedfrom condensate. It also provides the battery with a high level of heat protection. But these are not all the elements that the solar panel will consist of. With your own hands, glass with good transparency is easy to pick up, this is one of the main components of the design. By the way, even ordinary glass will do.
Making a frame
When mounting silicon crystals must be mounted at a small distance. After all, you need to take into account various atmospheric influences that can affect changes in the base. So, it is desirable that the distance is about 5 mm. As a result, the size of the finished structure will be somewhere around 835690 mm.
A do-it-yourself solar panel is made using an aluminum profile. It has the maximum similarity with branded products. At the same time, a homemade battery is more sealed and durable.
For assembly you will need an aluminum corner. A blank for the future frame is made from it. Dimensions - 835690 mm. In order to fasten the profiles together, it is necessary to make technological holes in advance.
The inside of the profile should be smeared with silicone-based sealant. It must be applied very carefully so that all places are missed. The efficiency and reliability of the solar panel will depend entirely on how well it is applied.
With your own hands, now you need to put a sheet of pre-selected transparent material into the frame from the profile. It can be polycarbonate, glass or somethingmore. An important point: the silicone layer must dry. This must be taken into account, otherwise a film will appear on the silicon elements.
At the next stage, the transparent material must be pressed well and fixed. To make the fastening as reliable as possible, you should use hardware. We fix the glass around the perimeter and from four corners. Now the solar panel, made by hand, is almost ready. It remains only to connect the silicon elements together.
Soldering crystals
Now you need to lay the conductor on the silicon plate as carefully as possible. Next, apply flux and solder. To make it more convenient to work, you can fix the conductor on one side with something.
In this position, carefully solder the conductor to the pad. Do not press on the crystal with a soldering iron. It is very fragile, you can break it.
Last assembly operations
If it is the first time for you to make solar panels with your own hands, then it is better to use a special marking substrate. It will help to arrange the necessary elements as evenly as possible at the required distance. In order to correctly cut the wires of the required length connecting the individual elements, it should be noted that the conductor must be soldered to the contact pad. It is slightly moved beyond the edge of the crystal. If you make preliminary calculations, it turns out that the wires should be 155 mm each.
When you collect all this into a single structure, it is better to take a sheet of plywood or plexiglass. For convenience, it is better to pre-position the crystals horizontally andfix. This is easily done with tiling crosses.
After you connect all the elements together, stick double-sided construction tape on each crystal on the back side. Just lightly press the back panel and all the crystals will be easily transferred to the base.
This type of attachment is not sealed in any way. Crystals can expand at high temperatures, but that's okay. Only certain parts need to be sealed.
Now, with the help of mounting tape, you need to fix all the tires and the glass itself. Before sealing and fully reassembling the battery, it is advisable to test it.
Sealing
If you have a regular silicone sealant, then you do not need to completely fill the crystals with it. This way you can eliminate the risk of damage. To fill this design, you need not silicone, but epoxy.
It's so simple and easy to get electrical energy almost for nothing. Now let's look at how else you can make solar panels with your own hands.
Experimental Battery
Efficient systems for converting solar energy require factories of huge size, special care and a serious amount of money.
Let's try to make something ourselves. Everything you need to experiment can easily be bought at a hardware store or found in your kitchen.
DIY foil solar panel
Copper foil required for assembly. her withoutlabor can be found in the garage or, in extreme cases, easily purchased at any hardware store. To assemble the battery, you need 45 square centimeters of foil. You should also buy two "crocodiles" and a small multimeter.
To get a working solar cell, it is desirable to have an electric stove. You need at least 1100 watts of power. It should glow to a bright red color. Also prepare an ordinary plastic bottle without a neck and a couple of tablespoons of s alt. Get a drill with an abrasive nozzle and a sheet of metal from the garage.
Getting Started
First of all, let's cut off a piece of copper foil of such a size that it fits completely on the electric stove. You will be required to wash your hands so that there are no greasy stains from your fingers on the copper. Copper is also desirable to wash. To remove the coating from the copper sheet, use sandpaper.
Copper Foil Hot Dish
Next, put the cleaned sheet on the tile and turn it on to the maximum possible. When the tile begins to heat up, you will be able to observe the appearance of beautiful orange spots on the copper sheet. The color will then change to black. It is necessary to hold copper for about half an hour on a red-hot tile. This is a very important point. So, a thick layer of oxide peels off easily, and a thin one will stick. After half an hour has passed, remove the copper from the stove and let it cool. You will be able to watch the pieces fall off the foil.
When everyonecool, the oxide film will disappear. You can easily clean most of the black oxide with water. If something doesn't come off, it's not worth trying. The main thing is not to deform the foil. As a result of deformation, a thin oxide layer can be damaged; it is very necessary for the experiment. Without it, the DIY solar panel will not work.
Assembly
Cut the second piece of foil to the same dimensions as the first. Next, very carefully, you need to bend the two parts so that they fit into the plastic bottle, but do not touch each other.
Then hook the crocodiles to the plates. The wire from the "non-fried" foil - to the "plus", the wire from the "fried" - to the "minus". Now we take s alt and hot water. Stir the s alt until completely dissolved. Let's pour the solution into our bottle. And now you can see the fruits of your labors. This homemade DIY solar panel can be further improved.
Other ways to use solar energy
Solar energy is no longer being used. In space, it powers spaceships; on Mars, the famous rover is powered by the Sun. And in the United States of America, Google data centers operate from the Sun. In those parts of our country where there is no electricity, people can watch the news on TV. It's all thanks to the Sun.
And this energy allowsheat houses. The do-it-yourself air-solar panel is very simply made from beer cans. They store heat and release it into the living space. It's efficient, free, and affordable.
