How To Build Solar Panel

In this final part of the “How To Build Solar Panel” series, we’ll impart the finishing touches that make your solar panel project a winner. You’ll discover how to push your solar panel system up one notch so you’ll have a world-class DIY solar panel.

Here, I’m assuming that resources like money, time and skills are not lacking. What we’re trying to push for is a solar panel that will make you proud.

The Solar Panel Frame

The best material to use for the solar panel frame is aluminum. This is a material that will not rust easily and it’s able to carry away additional heat that may be trapped inside the solar panel. This is particularly important since heat can diminish the efficiency of the photovoltaic cells.

Diodes

The diodes you should be using are the Schottky types. These diodes have a much lower forward voltage drop so less power is wasted. And when the temperature gets higher the forward voltage drops further.

Solar Panel Cover

If budget allows and there is no hail at your area, the best cover that your solar panel can have is made of non-reflective glass. Solar panels covered with non-reflective glass can enjoy significantly higher efficiency because greater proportions of sunlight reach the solar cells.

Battery

If you intend to power outdoor equipment like sprinklers and gate openers, your battery will need to be sheltered from the rain and dew. Unfortunately it may be impractical to house these indoors as we’ll then need very long wires that may also be a safety hazard if it’s left lying around.

You can put the battery (or batteries) into a waterproofed electronics housing and seal up the opening (for the wires). In this way rain or dew will not cause short circuit to the battery.

By implementing all of the above tips to your solar panel project, you can surely make for yourself a world-class DIY solar panel project.

Continue Reading:

1. About
2. How To Build Solar Panel (Part 1 of 3)
3. How To Build Solar Panel (Part 2 of 3)

Building Solar Panels

If you’re interested in building solar panels, you must have retained a library of information in your head or even started your own DIY solar power project.

However I can almost guarantee you haven’t learned every trick in the book. In fact, if you read the rest of this page, you’ll discover three secrets that almost nobody knows about making solar panels…yet…

These tips are essential to help you convert more power from the sun and lower the cost of your project:

Secret #1: Use Anti-Reflective Glass

A good portion of sunlight that hits the surface of your solar panel’s glass covering gets reflected away. They never reach the solar (photovoltaic) cells. In order to generate more electricity, we need to have more sunlight penetrate the glass.

A simple method to do this is to use anti-reflective glass or use a layer of anti-reflective coating on the surface of the glass. This is proven to increase the power output of your solar panel by as much as 50%!

Secret #2: Angle Your Solar Panel

The greatest enemies of your solar power generator are leaves and debris that stays on the glass surface. This is obvious since they will prevent sunlight from reaching the solar cells. Therefore the simplest way to minimize such blockages is to angle your solar panel a little during installation. This will help them slide off the panel easily. Rainwater or snow can also move easily to the side of the panel when it hits the glass surface.

Secret #3: Join Broken Cells Together

If you are on a tight budget, you can drive down the cost of your project by joining broken solar cells together. With a little practice, you’ll get good at it. And you’ll soon wonder why aren’t more people doing this. (Perhaps it takes time…or because you need simple plans and a little effort… and… we’re lazy by nature) In fact, many suppliers will be very happy to sell you broken solar cells at unbelievable prices.

If you were to take these three tips and implement them, I assure you that your DIY solar panel will be working harder while the cost of building it becomes cheaper.

There are of course more tips than these to be learned about building DIY solar panels. So I encourage you to keep reading and learning from experienced folks who design and build for themselves solar panels that they use everyday. Some of these valuable resources can be found in magazines and on the Internet.

Continue Reading:

1. How To Build Solar Panel (Part 3 of 3)
2. Do-It-Yourself Solar Panels – Electricity Conversion From Sunlight
3. How To Find Used Solar Panels