How to Build a Solar Panel - Equipment Needed

If you have decided to build a solar panel, then you might be curious to know what exactly the purpose of a solar cell is. The purpose of a solar cell is to generate electricity through the release of electrons from a solar panel that is subjected to electromagnetic radiation or protons and this in turn stores energy from the sun. When solar cells are joined together into arrays or panels we really see their true benefit delivering mass volumes of energy. The amount of solar cells that you need in order to gain energy depends on how much power that you would like to use, but it is possible to calculate how many solar panels you will need to build in order to power your whole house and it is available online.

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Before you begin building your own panel, you will first need some items, and for an example here is some of the equipment that you will need:

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An acrylite UV stabilized transparent sheet
ABS white sheet
4 Clear extruded acrylic bars
Adhesive glue
Silicone adhesive
2 eight ounce rosin code solders
Schottky barrier diode
5 Solar cell PV tinned interconnection ribbons
36 monocrystalline solar cells
Four position dual row barrier strip
Sixteen #8 insulated ring tongue terminals
Twelve gauge hook up wire black insulator
Twelve gauge hook up wire red insulator
Project enclosure box
Crimping tool
40 watt soldering iron

Once you have all of these items which you can find at various websites on the internet including, Radioshack, Byramlabs, and Google. Then you are almost ready to begin building your very own solar panel. However, before you begin to build a solar panel, there are a few optional items that you may want to use which are: A Multimeter, Temperature heat gun, Ethylene vinyl acetate sheet. Remember, these are optional items so if you do not have them, then don't worry because you can work without them. Also, depending on what size you are planning on building your solar system you need to make sure that you get all of the correct measurements for the material that you require, so before beginning to build your solar panel you should measure everything up so that you know that everything will fit. Now, once you have all of your equipment then you are ready to begin building your very own solar panel so read on to find out how to build a solar panel, good luck!

How to Build a Solar Panel - Equipment Needed

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Choosing the Right Soldering Iron

You can choose from wireless soldering tools like Butane Solder Irons, Solder Torches and Rechargeable Solder Irons or maybe an Instant Cool Solder Iron is on you list. Of course don't
forget about the traditional standbys like AC Soldering Guns and Soldering Irons.

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Before you make your purchase of your soldering tool there are some things you should take into consideration. What application will you be using your Soldering Tools? What type of heat will your soldering jobs require? Will you need a cordless soldering tool for more portability or will you be working at a repair bench where you will have easy access to a power supply? Also choosing the proper soldering tips should be an important factor you consider before making your purchase.

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So let's start off with the type of soldering tool you should choose. If your work is for the most part
performed at a service bench atmosphere then I would suggest choosing a Soldering Station. There are many choices of Solder Stations, but the general rule is to choose one that has an adjustable power (wattage) setting. This gives you many Soldering Irons in one tool. The Solder Station also gives you a place to quickly store your Solder Iron between uses. The biggest downfall of a Solder Station is it's lack of portability because of its size and need for an AC power supply.

If you decide to choose one of today's quick cool Solder Irons you may want to take these important factors into consideration first. They are indeed the best when it comes to portability. They don't require an AC power source, and most batteries in these type Solder Irons in most cases give you up to 10 hours of use before needing to be recharged. The downfall with these types of Solder Irons is the lack of power (wattage). The fast cool Solder Irons I have had the pleasure of using had a maximum power of ten watts. This may be ample power for small solder jobs or work with heat sensitive components, but if you are working with wire or larger components that are not heat sensitive this will not provide enough
power for the job.

Solder Irons and Soldering Guns that require an AC power source offer a wide variety of power (wattage) options and some portability in one package. Solder Guns offer a wattage that provide enough power for soldering wire and other large components, but don't allow the technician the flexibility to get into small areas. Solder Irons on the other hand give you the flexibility of a wide range of wattages for 6 watts up to 60 watts. They also allow you to change to different styles of soldering tips for almost every imaginable soldering job.

Butane Solder Irons also offer the technician the portability desired of a cordless Solder Iron, the choice of soldering tips and the power (wattage) required for most soldering jobs. Of course they require you to have additional butane on hand for refills, but for the most parts they make an excellent choice.

So now that you are an expert in regards to Soldering Irons go out there and shop with confidence. I'm sure you will find exactly what you are looking for.

Choosing the Right Soldering Iron

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DIY Solar - Soldering Solar Cells

If you are building "solar panels for your home", one of the most important things to learn is proper soldering of the solar cells. Building your own solar power system can be a very fun project, but if you are having trouble soldering your solar cells then stop right now! When I first started by first attempt to solder, I failed. I thought to my self, "what am I doing wrong", then I discovered the secret to soldering solar cells. Follow the instructions below for perfectly acceptable soldering techniques.
Cells I use - To start this mini-training series, you need to determine what type of solar cells to use. My own personal preference is the 3 x 6 inch cells that are rated at.5 volts each. I found that these are easier to solder and work with.
Soldering iron - This is one of the trade secrets of the pros, a proper soldering iron. I have found experimenting with different soldering irons and different wattage of heat the best solutions is to use a 40 watt iron. Buy a good heavy-duty iron, I suggest a soldering station with a wipe sponge to keep your tip clean at all times. The tip I prefer has a slight angle to it and can be easily replaced. To not use any tip wider than 1/8th inch.
Solder to use - This is a very important step in soldering solar cells, the proper solder. There are so many different solders on the market that your head will start to spin wondering which one to use. My rule here, KIS (keep it simple). Any electronics supply will carry solder made for electronics projects that will have a low melting point. This is crucial when soldering our cells.
Soldering flux - It is important that when doing a DIY solar project that you use proper flux. The purpose of soldering flux is to condition the metal that we are attaching to, so that the solder will draw or easily attach. Use liquid flux available in pens designed for electronics.
Heat sink - Here is one of the best steps to follow if you want perfect solder connections. If you want to have consistent soldered connections, then I would recommend using a piece of tempered glass. When I build all my solar cells I use ¼ inch tempered glass. I build all my cells by encapsulating them on the glass, so this works great for soldering them also.

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First thing you must do is plug your soldering iron in and let it come to the proper heat temperature. Next, prepare your tip for use by applying solder to it and see if it melts easily. The first time you use your iron you must clean your tip by applying solder then pulling it through your wet sponge, this will coat your tip with a glaze of solder. Now you are ready to get started.

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I start by making sure my glass is perfectly clean by using some type of glass cleaner. Now take one of your cells face up or the side that faces the sun, this is your negative side when hooking them up. Having already cut your tab wires to the proper length we can start to solder them to the cell.

Apply flux to the two silver strips on the solar cell. Here is a little trick to help make your soldering easier. Use sockets from a socket wrench set to hold down your cell while applying solder; this keeps it in place while preventing warping of the cell. Next, lay your tab wire flat against the silver strip and hold in place using a small flat tip screw driver. Apply a small amount of solder to your soldering iron; this will be all you need since the factory tab wires are already coated with solder. Now draw your soldering tip across the tab wire, you will get the proper feel for this as the solder melts as you move the iron along the solar cell. Keep doing this until you have enough cells to do one complete panel.

After soldering all your negative sides of your cells you are ready to start joining your cells together making your stringers of cells. Turn over one of the recently soldered solar cells then take another one and slide under the tab wires and dab each of the 6 silver solder points with flux, and attach the same way using solder for each of the solder points. Guess what, you have properly soldered your first solar cells!

What is great about this method is that you are already ahead of most people who do not know the proper way to solder solar cells. Just remember, just the right amount and do not leave the heat on to long or you will warp your cell and possibly damaged it.

DIY Solar - Soldering Solar Cells

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How To Use 3x6 Solar Cells To Build Solar Panels

If you're new to building or want to start building your own solar panel to save money, then you found the right article to read. Going green is great, but buying photovoltaic panels can be very costly. Currently, PV panels prices are still high over .00/watt and slowly decreasing. That's a great thing, but for now people like you and I need another alternative, a cheaper way to build it. So what materials are required and how do you build a solar panel?

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First, you must purchase solar cells, which are the component inside a PV panel that generates power. Silicon solar cells come in multicrystalline and monocrystalline, the monocrystalline being the more pure and powerful cell. There are other types of solar cells as well, but the most common solar cells used to build DIY solar panels are the 3" x 6" multicrystalline solar cells. These 3x6 cells come with about 1.6 - 1.8 watts of power. 36 of these 3x6 PV cells can be used to produce one 60 watt solar panel, which is powerful enough to power a laptop. Usually these 3x6 solar cells are sold in 108 pcs and can produce 3 solar panels with a total of 180 watts of pure solar power.

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Next, you'll need to purchase solar ribbon or PV wires. These wires are used to connect and interconnect your 3x6 solar cells together in an array so they can be used to build your DIY solar panel. These solar ribbons are known as tabbing wire and bus wire. The tabbing wire is thinner in width and is used to interconnect the 3x6 solar cells together. While, the bus wire is wider in width and is used to connect the array of 3x6 solar cells together. The usually length of tabbing wire comes in 50 feet, while the bus wire comes in 10 feet.

When you receive the materials you can finally build your DIY solar panel with the 3x6 cells. So, how exactly do you connect the 3x6 solar cells together with the PV wires? It's easier than you think. It's basically connecting the negative terminals to the positives in a huge array of PV cells and then you get one set of negative terminal and one set of positive terminal.

If you take a look at the front facing side of your cells, the blue side is the negative (-) side with 2 white bus bars. Behind the PV cells is the positive (+) side with 6 square white bus wires. To start the connection of the cells, you get the tabbing wire and cut in 6" lengths and then using a soldering iron, solder the tabbing wire onto the negative side or blue side of the wafer. The PV cell has two bus bars, so you must tab both the bus bars with the tabbing wire.

After you're done, grab another piece and turn both cells around exposing the positive sides. With the already tabbed unit, get the extended tabbing wire and solder it onto the new cell's positive bus bars. After they are soldered on, they should connect together without falling apart. Next, you will need to build 4 arrays of 9 PV cells. Once you're done with building each array, you connect them together with the bus wire at each end of the array. There will be three parts at which each array will break; you will need to solder the bus wire to those areas.

How To Use 3x6 Solar Cells To Build Solar Panels

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Weller WMRP 40W/12V Micro Soldering Pencil for WD1M and WD2M Soldering and Rework Stations Feature

Extremely short heat-up time
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Solar Energy House - Warnings Regarding DIY Solar Panels

It you are keen to create your own Solar Energy House you may well have considered DIY solar panels. Well, while I applaud your desire to have a solar energy house, let me warn you that you will not save money by making your own solar panels. Lets look at why.

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Cost of a DIY Solar Panel

40 Watt Soldering Iron

Lets ignore the cost of your time. Here is a list of the materials required:
- Clear plexiglass or low iron solar glass 2ft x 4ft x 1/4in or more
- 3/4in 2ft x 4ft plywood panel
- Solar cell kit (eBay) 9, comprising:

- 50 Solar cells each 3in x 6in, 1.75w, pre-tabbed
- 10ft tabbing wire and 10ft bus wire,
- Flux pen and solder

- Peg board 2 panels 2ft x 2ft
- Clear silicone caulk/sealant
- Junction box
- Paint, stainless screws, wood for frame
- Diodes

Total cost 2. Take off for the 10 extra solar cells that are not required, gives a total of 2 for the materials to make a 60 watt solar panel. This works out at per watt.

Cost of Factory Made Panels
If you do a casual search on the Internet, most solar panels work out at - .50 per watt. But we ferreted around and found a 120watt panel for 8 retail, equivalent to .98 per watt. There are also a number of wholesalers willing to sell direct to the public, and minimum order quantities can be as low as two panels. We found a 225watt solar panel wholesale for 9 (min order 2 panels), equivalent to .44 per watt.

Warnings & Dangers of DIY Solar Panels
Also, if you are thinking about making your own solar panels to cut the cost of your solar energy house, please be aware of the following:
- In the US, you will NOT be allowed to connect your home made solar panels to the grid. If you want your solar energy house to be connected to the grid, you must use solar panels with UL certification. Many countries have similar regulations.
- Commercially manufactured solar panels come with 25 year performance guarantees. DIY solar panels have no guarantees and will probably last just a few years at best.
- With any home made solar panel there is a risk of fire from poor quality soldering. If your DIY solar panel ignited and resulted in fire damage to your house, your insurance company might be a little reluctant to pay out for a fire caused by a solar panel that did not have UL certification.
- And the final nail in the coffin of a home made solar energy house: in the US, home made solar panels will NOT qualify for the significant rebates and tax credits that are available.

If you want solar panels for your solar energy house and want a system that is safe, reliable, qualifies for rebates and will really cut your electricity bills, forget DIY. DIY can be a great introduction to understanding what it means to have a solar energy house, but it is not a viable alternative to factory made solar panels.

Make a Solar Panel as a Science or DIY Project
However, if you want to make your own solar panel as a science project, this can be fun, satisfying and very rewarding. On completion you will also have a solar panel you can show off to your friends and something you could use to provide light for a yard, shed or outbuilding.

If you want to make a solar panel as a science project, consider buying one of the "how too make solar panels" guides. Some of these are very good and do an excellent job of showing you (they have some very good videos) what to do, how to do it and when to do. Yes, a guide will add $40 - to the cost, but that could be money very well spent, just don't fall for all the marketing hype!

Conclusion
If you want a solar energy home and to reduce your electricity bills, forget the DIY route. But, although you won't save money or reduce your electricity bill, making a solar panel as part of a science project should be very satisfying and educational. If you do not want to spend the $40 - for one of the DIY solar panel guides, there is a lot of information on the Internet. I wish every success with your Solar Energy House.

Solar Energy House - Warnings Regarding DIY Solar Panels

40 Watt Soldering Iron

Special Price!!! Weller WMRP 40W/12V Micro Soldering Pencil for WD1M and WD2M Soldering and Rework Stations

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>> Click here to update Cheapest prices for Weller WMRP 40W/12V Micro Soldering Pencil for WD1M and WD2M Soldering and Rework Stations <<

Weller WMRP 40W/12V Micro Soldering Pencil for WD1M and WD2M Soldering and Rework Stations Feature

Extremely short heat-up time
Changing soldering tips is quick and easy and requires no tools
Chrome plated aluminum pencil weights just 75g
Just 45mm tip-to-grip, so you're close to the work
Tip has integral comfort grips for "no-tool" tip change

Weller WMRP 40W/12V Micro Soldering Pencil for WD1M and WD2M Soldering and Rework Stations Overview

SAVE NOW on the special offers below!

Available In Stock.

This Weller WMRP 40W/12V Micro Soldering Pencil for WD1M and WD2M Soldering and Rework Stations ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping.

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