How I did it

Home Build Solar System

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How I did it

Using natures energy, isn't that everybody's dream?

Is it just me or are the prices of solar panels are to high and the subsidies limited?

So the way to get solar panels cheap is to build them yourself.

Also by making such a panel yourself you yourself can decide what the size or shape they are going to be.

To get the panel you need is after all the great advantage of making it yourself.

For example:

Most common panels are made of 36 cells, but it was more convenient for me to have a shorter panel so I made one from 28 cells (4 x 7 cell strings).

After many hours surging I got a plan together of how to build this first panel.

I ordered the cells from a manufacturer in Holland, ribbon through a contact who’s involved in a similar kind of project and the rest of the parts through local DIY stores.

The inverter (OK4) I got donated by a local solar shop who laughs at my idea (as who on earth is making his own panel and this will never work).

And I started building.

It seems harder than it really is!

Besides the necessary materials and tools, you do need some patience, because you cannot build a solar panel in an hour.

If I add up all the hours, it took me about 16 hours of work and 4 days waiting to let the sealing dry/harden.

To start I took a piece of MDF (Medium Density Fiberboard, which I had laying around in the shed) of the size I need (this is the size of the to be made panel) and I made a raster defining the place were the cells must come, this plate is also a nice flat basis to lay the cells on.

The size of the plate is 124 x 75 cm; this way I am able to make a panel with 4 rows of 7 cells (in between the cells a distance of 2 mm), and is there 10 cm on the side for sealing.

Each cell measures (in my case) 15 x 15 cm (this is depending on the make and kind of cell you are using) and I need 2 strips of cell ribbon wire per cell.

So I first cut all cell wires at the right size (2 x 15 cm = 30 cm connecting the front side of the first cell with the backside of the next cell)

Then I first soldered the wires (cell ribbon) to the front side of all cells.

After that I placed the cells upside-down on the MDF at there place in the raster. When they lay correct, I solder them together.

Finally I connected the 4 rows of 7 cells to each other with bus ribbon, so in the end I got a string of 28 cells with plus- and a minus-pole.

On the backside of each cell I did put a little bit of sealant to glue the cells.

Then I placed a plate of glass (exact same size as the MDF) on it all so the cells can get glued to the glass. After about 2 hours the sealant is dry enough to pick up the plate (now with the cells sticking to it) and turn it over, the cells now facing upward.

Next I did put small crosses (they use to place tiles on a wall or on the ground to keep a standard distance between the tiles) in between the cells so that at a later stage of the building process the 2 plates of glass will form a stiffer construction. When they are in place I did put the sealant all around the edge of the glass plate at a distance of about 3 cm from the edge.

I've been informed that you should give the sealant extra time to dray and to vapor out as that the vapors coming of the sealant which will be trapped in the panel might react with the cells.

Then I placed the other plate of glass on top of it so the cells are now sandwiched between the 2 plates.

Now I left it to dry for 24 hours.

Then there is still an open space between the 2 glass plates on the outer edge and I filled this with more sealant. Now I have to seals, so if one leaks then there is the next line of sealant. This way giving less chance of leakage.

I leave this to dry for another 3 days. When the sealant has dried fully, I took some aluminum profile to make a frame to protect the glass and to make the panel stronger.

So now I have a panel of 28 cells being a nice first step to make my own energy.

And here they are, the 2 panels outside producing its first power.