make your own free energy solar power ,panel,cell ebook

8/3/2019 Make Your Own Free Energy Solar Power ,Panel,Cell eBook

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Ho m e m a d e S ol a r P a n e ls

This is t he f abricat ion t echnique t hat ha s evolved out of m y t rials and

errors. I 'm sure t here are many dif f erent ways t o build solar panels t hatw o u ld w o r k j u s t f i n e.

I have t ried t o keep m ine as simple as possible.

This shows t he cells upside down in a j ig made f rom st rips of mat boardst apled ont o a piece of 1 / 4 inch plyw ood. At t his point , t he t abs can bes ol de r e d t o t h e c e l ls. I f o un d a 3 0 w a t t i r o n t o b e t h e m i n i m u m

accept able and a low t emperat ure solder t o be t he best .

Here the cells are all soldered and a dab of silicone caulk is placed oneach one.

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I used 1/ 2 inch plyw ood f or my backing. I t sit s at op spacers as I align it

w i t h m a r k s o n m y j i g. W h e n i t i s i n t h e r i g ht p o si t io n I r e m o v e t h e

spacers and let it press int o t he silicone. You m ay be able t o ma ke outt h e 1 x 1 x 1 / 1 6 i n ch a l u m i n u m a n g le s t oc k t h a t ' s b o lt e d t o t h e u p pe rf ace of t he plyw ood. The angle st ock is bent int o an ' L' shape and t w o oft hem are set t o f orm a rect angular shape and bolt ed down. The met al

adds a great deal of st if f ness t o t he plywood.



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The next st ep is t o f lip t he rig over. This can be t ricky, but I f ind using

t w o small C- clamps opposit e each ot her holds t he backing and t h e j ig

t oget her just enough t o let me f lip it over wit hout any of t he cells movingo n m e . H e r e i s t h e n e w p a n e l w i t h t h e j i g r e m o v e d .



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Power is brought t o t he back of t he panel using bolt s count er sunk int o

t he plywood. The copper st rip is .01 5 copper sheet purchased online and

cut up into strips.



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The t erm inal bolt s are soldered t o t he copper st rip t o ensure a good

connection. The copper is also used to string the rows of cells together at

t he ends.



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A double layer ( t ot al t hickness about 1 / 4 inch) of f oam t ape pipe

insulat ion ( purchased at Home Depot ) is layed around t he perimet er of

t hree sides and in spot s across t he m iddle and w hat w ill be t he bot t omedge of t he panel. The space bet w een t he spot s will allow vent ilat ion.



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The f inished panel has plexiglas screwed dow n int o t he f oam t ape every

six inches. I used one inch me t al roof ing screw s t hat have a rubber

washer on t hem. There is also a layer of vinyl elect rical t ape ( 3M 88T)around t hre e sides of t he perim et er. This is experim ent al. I 'm hoping t het ape will prot ect t he f oam f rom UV radiat ion and make it last a l it t lelonger. I t is import an t t o predrill t he screw holes in t he plexiglas and

plywood, and t o do so on a solid surf ace. I f you t r y t o do it af t er t he f oam

t ape is in place, you w ill crack t he plexiglas f or sure.



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You will also need a Solar I nver ter , Inverters change Direct Current(DC) to Alternating Current (AC). Stand-Alone inverters can be used toconvert DC from a battery to AC to run electronic equipment, motors,appliances, etc. Synchronous Inverters can be used to convert the DCoutput of a PV photovoltaic module,Solar panel, a wind generator or acell to AC power to be connected to the utility grid. Multifunction

inverters perform both functions.Also Solar B atter ies are needed tocollect or save the free energy from the sun,find the best batteries thatwill suit all your needs.The solar panel cells are made of

p h o t o v o l t a i c ( P V ) c e l l s you can buy these materials online(internet) or at a store near you,I bought my materials 20 miles fromwhere I live in P.R. Please read carefully the Solar ebook that tells you

step by step how to make the Solar Panel cells for your use.The upperinformation isto make a FULL SIZE working Solar Panel cellstolight your home or businessetc.Solar batteries store power generated from the sun anddischarge the power as needed (through an inverter).

Good Solar Battery link; http://www.apexbattery.com/solar-batteries.html

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Solar I nverter

Solar Battery

BONUS

T h is low e r p r o je c t is a sm a lle r v e r sio n to tr y a t y o u r h o m ew ith y o u r k id s ,h a v e fu n . J

Also you can make

Mak e a so lar cell in yo u r kit ch en

A solar cell is a device for converting energy from the sun intoelectricity. Thehigh-efficiency solar cellsyou can buy at Radio Shack



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and other storesare made from highly processed silicon, and requirehuge factories, high temperatures, vacuum equipment, and lots ofmoney.

I f we are willing to sacrifice efficiency for the ability to make our ownsolar cells in the kitchen out of materials from the neighborhoodhardware store, we can demonstrate a working solar cell in about anhour.

Our solar cell is made fr om cuprousoxide instead of silicon. Cuprousoxide is one of thefirst materialsknown to display the photoelectriceffect, in which light causeselectricity to flow in a material.

Thinking about how to explain the photoelectric effect iswhat ledAlbert Einstein to theNobel prize for physics, and to thetheory ofrelativity.

*M aterialsyou will need

The solar cell is made from these materials:

1. A sheet of copper flashingfr om the hardware store. This normallycosts about $5.00 per square foot. We will need about half a squarefoot.2. Twoalligator clip leads.3. A sensitive micro-ammeter that can read currents between 10 and50 microamperes. Radio Shack sells small L CD multimetersthat willdo, but I used a small surplusmeter with a needle.4. An electric stove. M y kitchen stove is gas, so I bought a small one-burner electric hotplate for about $25. The little 700 watt burnersprobably won't work -- mine is 1100 watts, so the burner gets redhot.5. A large clear plastic bottle off of which you can cut the top. I useda 2 liter spring water bottle. A large mouth glassjar will also work.6. Table salt. We will want a couple tablespoonsof salt.7. Tap water.8. Sand paper or a wire brush on an electric drill.9. Sheet metal shearsfor cuttingthe copper sheet.



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How to build the solar cell

M y burner lookslike this:

The first step is to cut a piece of the copper sheeting that is about thesize of the burner on the stove. Wash your handsso they don't haveany grease or oil on them. Then wash the copper sheet with soap or

cleanser to get any oil or grease off of it. Use the sandpaper or wirebrush to thoroughly clean the copper sheeting, so that any sulphideor other light corrosion is removed.

Next, place the cleaned and dried copper sheet on the burner andturn the burner to its highest setting.



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As the copper starts to heat up, you will see beautiful oxidationpatternsbegin to form. Oranges, purples, and redswill cover thecopper.

As the copper gets hotter, thecolors are replaced with a blackcoating of cupric oxide. This is not the oxide we want, but it will flakeoff later, showing the reds, oranges, pinks, and purplesof thecuprousoxide layer underneath.



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The last bits of color disappear astheburner startsto glow red.

When the burner is glowing red-hot, thesheet of copper will becoated with a black cupric oxide coat. Let it cook for a half an hour,so the black coating will be thick. This is important, since a thickcoating will flake off nicely, while a thin coat will stay stuck to thecopper.



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After the half hour of cooking, turn off the burner. Leave the hotcopper on the burner to cool slowly. I f you cool it too quickly, theblack oxide will stay stuck to the copper.

As the copper cools, it shrinks. Theblack cupric oxide also shrinks.But they shrink at different r ates, which makesthe black cupricoxide flake off.



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The little black flakespop off the copper with enough force to make

them fly a few inches. This meansa little more cleaning effort aroundthe stove, but it is fun to watch.

When the copper hascooled to room temperature (this takesabout20 minutes), most of the black oxide will be gone. A light scrubbingwith your handsunder running water will remove most of the smallbits. Resist thetemptation to remove all of the black spots by hard

scrubbing or by flexing the soft copper. Thismight damage thedelicate red cuprous oxide layer we need to make to solar cell work.

The rest of the assembly is very simple and quick.

Cut another sheet of copper about thesame size asthe first one. Bendboth piecesgently, so they will fit into the plastic bottle or jar without

touching one another. The cuprous oxide coating that was facing up



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on the burner is usually the best side to face outwardsin the jar,because it hasthe smoothest, cleanest surface.

Attach the two alligator clip leads, one to the new copper plate, and

one to the cuprousoxide coated plate. Connect the lead from theclean copper plate to the positive terminal of the meter. Connect thelead from the cuprous oxide plate to the negative terminal of themeter.

Now mix a couple tablespoonsof salt into some hot tap water. Stirthe saltwater until all the salt is dissolved. Then carefully pour thesaltwater into the jar, beingcareful not to get the clip leadswet. Thesaltwater should not completely cover the plates-- you should leaveabout an inch of plate above the water, so you can move the solar cellaround without getting the clip leadswet.



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The photo above showsthe solar cell in my shadow asI took thepicture. Notice that the meter is reading about 6 microampsofcurrent.

The solar cell is a battery, even in the dark, and will usually show afew microampsof current.

Theabove photo showsthe solar cell in the sunshine. Notice that themeter hasjumped up to about 33 microampsof current. Sometimesitwill go over 50 microamps, swinging the needle all the way over tothe right.

How does it do that?



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Cuprous oxide is a type of material called a semiconductor. Asemiconductor is in between a conductor, where electricity can flow

freely, and an insulator, where electrons are bound tightly to theiratomsand do not flow freely.

I n a semiconductor, there is a gap, called a bandgap between theelectronsthat are bound tightly to the atom, and theelectronsthatare farther from the atom, which can move freely and conductelectricity.

Electronscannot stay inside the bandgap. An electron cannot gainjust a little bit of energy and move away from the atom'snucleusintothe bandgap. An electron must gain enough energy to move fartheraway fr om the nucleus, outside of the bandgap.

Similarly, an electron outside the bandgap cannot lose a little bit ofenergy and fall just a little bit closer to the nucleus. I t must loseenough energy to fall past the bandgap into the area where electronsare allowed.

When sunlight hits the electronsin the cuprous oxide, some of the

electronsgain enough energy from the sunlight to jump past thebandgap and become fr ee to conduct electricity.

The free electronsmove into the saltwater, then into the clean copperplate, into the wire, through themeter, and back to thecuprous oxideplate.

As the electronsmovethrough the meter, they perform the workneeded to move the needle. When a shadow falls on the solar cell,

fewer electronsmove through the meter, and the needle dipsbackdown.

A note about power

Thecell produces50 microampsat 0.25 volts.This is 0.0000125 watts(12.5 microwatts).



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Don't expect to light, light bulbsor charge batterieswith this device.I t can be used asa light detector or light meter, but it would take lotsof them to power your house asmany as40, 50 or more .

The 0.0000125 watts (12.5 microwatts) is for a 0.01 square meter cell,or 1.25 milliwattsper square meter. To light a 100 watt light bulb, itwould take 80 square meters of cuprous oxide for the sunlit side, and80 square metersof copper for the dark electrode. To run a 1,000watt stove, you would need 800 square metersof cuprousoxide, andanother 800 square metersof plain copper, or 1,600 square metersalltogether. I f this were to form theroof of a home, each home would be30 meterslongand 30 meters wide, assuming all they neededelectricity for wasone stove.

There are 17,222 square feet in 1,600 square meters. If coppersheeting costs $5 per square foot, the copper alone would cost$86,110.00 USD. M aking it one tenth the thicknesscan bring thisdown to $8,611.00. Since you are buying in bulk, you might get it forhalf that, or about $4,300.00.

I f you used silicon solar panels costing $4 per watt, you could run thesame stove for $4,000.00. But the panels would only be about 10square meters.

Or, for about a dollar, you can build a solar stove out of aluminumfoil and cardboard. For about $20, you can build a very nice polishedaluminum parabolic solar cooker.

M ake A flat panel solar cell

I madea more portable version of the solar cell in a flat panel form. Iused the clear plastic top from a plastic CD jewel case asthe window,and lots of siliconerubber glue to both attach the piecestogether andto insulate them from each other. The bigger thepanels the moreenergy you will make, size is no limit.



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The first step isto make a cuprous oxide plate like we did in the firstsolar cell. This time I sanded one corner clean all the way down to theshiny copper, and soldered an insulated copper wire to it for thenegative lead.

The positive plate is a U shaped piece cut from the copper sheeting, alittle bit larger than the cuprousoxide plate, with the cutout portion



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of theU a little bit smaller than the cuprous oxide plate. Anotherinsulated copper wire is soldered to onecorner of the U.

The first step in construction is to gluethe U shaped copper plate to

the plastic window. Use plenty of silicone glue, so the saltwater won'tleak out. M ake sure that the solder connection is either completelycovered with glue, or is outside of the glue U, asshown in the photo(completely covered in glue is best).

The photo below showsthe back side of thesolar cell (the side notfacingthe sun) at this point in the construction.

The photo below showsthe front side of the solar cell (the side thatwill face the sun) at thispoint in the construction. Notice that thesilicone glue does not completely cover the copper, since some of thecopper must eventually be in contact with the saltwater.



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The next step is to lay a good sizebead of glue ontotheU shapedclean copper plate. This layer will act as an insulator between theclean copper plate and the cuprous oxide plate, and must bethickenough to leave some room for the saltwater. Again, not all of thecopper is covered, so there will be plenty of copper in contact withthe saltwater.

Gently pressthe cuprousoxide plate onto thislayer of glue. Youshould press hard enough to make sure the glue sealsoff any gaps,but not so hard that the two platestouch.

The photo below showsthe back side of thesolar cell (the side notfacingthe sun) at this point in the construction.



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The photo below showsthe front side of the solar cell (the side thatwill face the sun) at this point in the construction. Note that I addedextra glue to form a funnel at the top to allow the saltwater to beadded.

Not shown in the photo is a generousextra bead of glue all aroundthe outside of the plates, to ensure that nosaltwater will leak out.Allow the glue to cure before going on to the next step.

Next, use a large eyedropper to add the saltwater. Fill the cell up

almost to the top of the copper plate, so it almost spillsout. Then seal



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the funnel with another generousbead of glue, and allow the glue tocure at least a half hour.

I n thephoto aboveyou can see the flat panel solar cell in action in thebright sun. I t is delivering about 36 microamperesof current. Y oucan also see the extra bead of glue around the edgesof the plates, and

fillingthe top of the funnel.



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Finally, another shot of the author'sshadow. Note that themeter nowreadsabout 4 microamperes, since nosunlight is falling on it.T his isthe same way you will build the bigger panels for your home,remember these are home madeto save you money and time, manypeople are usingthese methodsand are usingFREE ENERGY fromthe sun for there homestoday, included there is also a FREE BONUSthat will show you how to Build a Solar Water Heater and M UCHM ORE, please leave me your positive feedback and after I will leaveyou the same feedback enjoy!!

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http://www.consumer.gov.uk/renewables/schools/pdfs/11_16/science_activity_sheets.pdf

Co p y ri gh t 2 0 0 4 - 2 0 0 7 u l t i m a t e - m a l l - s t or e . i n c A ll r i g h t s r e se r v e d
http://www.consumer.gov.uk/renewables/schools/pdfs/11_16/science_activity_sheets.pdfhttp://www.consumer.gov.uk/renewables/schools/pdfs/11_16/science_activity_sheets.pdf

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