When considering to build a homemade solar panel, you should pay attention first on planning and preparation. Determine the scope of the project you will be doing, also consider the time and space that will be available to you. The project success will depend on how experienced you are in the field. Planning for a successful project will greatly depends on how accurate you are in your goal, how much time you plan to allocate the project and the preparation of your workplace. It is easy to learn how to build a homemade solar panel at the comfort of your own home, doing it in the backyard or in the garage.
1 – First to consider before attempting to start the project is to determine how many solar panels you will build in a single time. If this is your first time building, it is a good idea to start in a small scale project like one or two solar panels. Remember, learning through experience along the way as you do your project is a priceless asset you can have.
2 – Decide on where you will be making your first panels, prepare that workplace and the necessary tools needed as well. A section in your garage could serve a good workplace. While doing the work, you will need an access to power outlets as you will be using soldering iron in soldering the solar cells. A well-ventilated area is recommended to disseminate the fumes produced by the flux of the soldering iron.
3 – Time is another one to be considered, especially if you are a newbie and first time builder. Not only you will allocate certain amount of time on building your panels, but there is a need for an extra time for learning. Sometimes it can be tough to estimate how much learning curve you are going to pass. But with proper time planning, allocation and doing it more often can shorten lessen the time frame for learning. Practice makes it perfect.
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Upon succeeding all the initial preparation for project on how to build a homemade solar panel, it is now time to gather all the materials and the necessary tools needed to start the project. You might have already in your toolbox some of these basic tools you will use.
Homemade Solar Panel Basic Toolkit Include;
- Low-wattage soldering iron (65Watts)
- Soldering lead
- Screw driver
- Tabbing wire to connect the solar cells altogether
- Bus wire to connect the solar to connect the solar panels in series (if you are building more than one solar panels)
- Multimeter to measure and test output voltages of each solar cell and your finished product, the solar panel
- jigsaw, use to cut the plywood for the base of the solar cells
- UV resistant paint to seal the panel
- Paintbrush for the paint application
- Drills to make holes on panel frame
- Some screws and staple gun
Now that you have all your necessary tools, it is time to get your hands on solar cells, the most common solar cells are crystalline silicon and indium copper selenide. Although it is entirely possible to build solar panels using broken solar cells that came from broken solar panels, some point of views differ as to how much you can save over re-using these solar cells that are still intact and have been voltage rated. These are inexpensive as advertised by its vendors. But if you consider the cost of receiving pieces of cells that don’t work plus the additional cost of solder and wire to connect them together and the amount of time spent on assembling it altogether, you might want to opt buying solar cells with predictable voltage output. But, the cheap solar cells from broken solar panels can be very useful and a good way for experiment, this way you can have the best experience, hands-on and gain expertise.
To cover your solar cells, a plexiglass is need and a tempered glass is recommended as this can withstand strong winds or a branch of tree breaks and lands on it. Also check that the plexiglass you will be using is resistant to the sun’s ultra violet rays. As this can cause discoloration when continuously expose to sunlight and can reduce the efficiency of your homemade solar panel.
Plywood is commonly used for the strong and hard base for the homemade solar panel. Either metal or wood can be use to frame. The frame will encapsulate both your homemade solar panel base (plywood) and the plexiglass that cover the solar cells. Make sure this frame is sealed by applying that UV resistant paint. This is necessary so that water and dust cannot enter inside the panels. Also, you can easily clean the panels with water when this become dirty overtime.
Once you finished your first homemade solar panel, it just gets even easier on the next one. A feeling of satisfaction will rule over you and keep you aiming to make more homemade solar panel for your home solar power system. By this time you already have a good workplace and a complete toolkit so you can start to build your homemade solar panel.
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