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1 Copyright 2009 GreenDIYenergy.com

The $98 Solar Panel

Do It Yourself (DIY) Instructions

GreenDIYenergy.com


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Legal DisclaimerThe authors and publishers both disclaim liability regarding any loss or riskincurred as a direct, or indirect, consequence of the application and usageof any of the contents within this Solar Panel Do It Yourself (DIY)instructional material.

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Working with renewable energy sources is dangerous. Since you aredealing with electricity, high roof tops or towers, and numerous otherunknown conditions, seek expert opinions and help where necessary. Theauthors and publishers assume that, while carrying out your DIY project,you are aware of all the risks and possible damages associated with homeimprovements and renewable energy.

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RememberSafety First!


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Table of Contents

SECTION PAGE #

The $98 Solar Panel 5

DIY Parts List and Cost 6

Finding Low Cost Materials 8DIY Building Components and Properties 10Building Your Solar Panel Box 14Cell Assembly 23

Final Panel Installation 32Testing Your New Solar Panel 40Finished Solar Panel 42


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THE $98 SOLAR PANEL:

Considering the high costs of retail solar panels

and installation, its not surprising that so manypeople are looking for alternative ways to createrenewable energy. The Do It Yourself movement isnow becoming very popular, and we are proud tooffer you some of the leading ideas about how youcan build your own solar energy and save a lot ofmoney in the process.

There are numerous variations in how you can builda solar panel. Some methods require more upfrontwork, but they can save you money. Others mayrequire a little more money to build, but they cansave you a lot of time in the construction process. Itwill be up to your individual time constraints and

your budget to determine the best route to take.

In the following pages, we will discuss how to buildthe solar panel housing made from scrap wood.While using another material, such as aluminum,may increase the life span of the solar panel, it willalso increase the upfront costs. We used pre-

tabbed solar cells in building this solar panel and,although it cost us more money upfront, it saved alot of time from not having to solder the tabs onto theindividual cells.


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DIY PARTS LIST AND COSTS:

Regardless of the materials you decide to use, youwill be able to produce solar panels that not onlyrival commercial panels in power and production, butthat will also completely blow them away in price.Above is a picture of the final product that this DIY

manual strives to guide you toward.


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To give you an idea of the costs associated withbuilding the solar panel for this guide, the followinglist is a breakdown of each part, its origin, and

individual cost. These are approximate figures, asparts and costs will vary over time and, dependingon your location, availability may differ.


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FINDING LOW COST MATERIALS:

Many components needed to construct a low cost

solar panel are cheap and easy to find, butpurchasing solar cells at reasonable prices is acommon stumbling block. The solar cells aregrouped together in solar panels to create energyfrom the suns rays.


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Above, new mono-crystalline solar cells are shown.Purchased online as a couple of bricks and utilizedfor the purposes of this guide, the cells are 3X6

inches in size and rated around three amps each.

New cells can be fairly expensive, so its important toshop around. One great way to save money on solarcells is by purchasing blemished, or slightly

damaged, cells. Many solar companies dispose ofold solar panels that they have removed fromhouses where their customer is buying new systems.By contacting the solar companies, you may be ableto take the trash off their hands for free.

Although more effort is required to purchasedamaged or used solar cells for highly discountedprices, the savings are substantial. Used solar cellsmust be cleaned up and tested for their outputratings, but they generally function just as well asnew solar cells.


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DIY BUILDING COMPONENTS ANDPROPERTIES:

Solar Cells:

Each individual cell produces approximately 1/2 Volt.36 solar cells in a series (pictured below) wouldproduce about 18 volts enough to charge 12 voltbatteries. (Yes, you really need that high of aVoltage to effectively charge 12 Volt batteries.)


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When 36 cells are wired together in a series,they produce a little over 18 volts.

A total of 36 solar cells must be wired in a seriesto create a panel capable of delivering almost 60Watts of power. Power generated can then beused to charge storage batteries and, later, beapplied toward powering lights and appliances.

You could even hookup an appliance directly toyour solar panel inverter, with no battery, fordirect energy.

When buying solar cells, we suggest that youacquire some extras in case you break ordamage them during the construction of yoursolar panel. There will probably be a learningcurve with your soldering, so gather a few extra

just in case.


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Besides the 3X6 inch solar cells used for the solarpanel created in this guide, there are a lot ofdifferent sizes out there. You could use larger or

smaller cells for your panel. Keep these things inmind when deciding upon a desirable solar cell size:

Amps X Volts = Watts of Power

The same number of cells is always needed for

a panel. Cells of the same type, no matter whatsize, produce the same voltage.

Larger cells produce more Current (Amps) andsmaller cells produce less Current.

Using larger cells may produce more power, butthe panel will be large and heavy. Using smallercells keeps the panel small and light, but wontproduce as much power.

Mixing different sized cells is not a good idea.

The Current your panel can produce will belimited and the larger cells wont work to their fullpotential.


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The solar cells pictured above already have metaltabs attached. If youre hoping to save time andenergy, purchasing cells with tabs already on themis suggested. You can save more money bysoldering your own tabs, but keep in mind that youalready have a lot of soldering ahead when building

the actual solar panel.


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BUILDING YOUR SOLAR PANEL BOX:

A shallow box serves as the skeleton to a solarpanel. We started out by building ours with scrapwood.

3/8 inch thick plywood

3/4 X 3/4 pieces of wood around the edges

The pieces are to be glued and screwed in place

Panel will hold 36 of the 3X6 inch solar cells

Make box shallow to prevent the sides from

shading any solar cells


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The image below depicts the dimensions of theexample solar panel in this guide. All dimensions arein inches.


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Assembly Hints: Solar Panel Box

Make two sub-panels of 18 cells each.

A center divider should lie across the middle ofthe box between the two sub-panels.

Drill 3 or 4 vent holes in the center divider to

allow ventilation. Drill a few vent holes on the bottom of the panel

(to prevent rain and dew from running inside).


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Small holes should also be drilled into the edges ofthe well to induce ventilation, ultimately serving twomain purposes:

To keep the air pressure inside the panelequalized with the outside

To let moisture escape.


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Substrate:

Use thin, rigid and non-conductingmaterial, such as the peg-board seenabove.

Create the substrate that each sub-panelwill be built on.

For our example, two pieces of masonitepeg-board were cut to be loose fits insidethe wells.


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Plexiglass Protector:

To protect the solar cells from the weather, the panel

needs a front cover. We used two pieces of scrapplexi. Using a larger piece is a definite option, but wejust happened to find two smaller pieces for free.

Drill and countersink holes around the edges ofthe plexiglass


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Use one-inch drywall screws and attach it to theface of the panel

Be careful when working close to the edges of theplexiglass. If you get too aggressive, it will break.

Glass could also be used, but its fragility makes it arisky material. Hail stones and flying debris thatwould shatter glass will bounce off plexi.

Painting the Box:

Applying paint prevents the infiltration of moistureand other hazardous weather conditions into yoursolar panel.


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Completely cover the top and bottom of thewooden box

Several layers may be needed for full coverage

It is recommended that you use UV ResistantPaint so that your box lasts longer in the harsh

outdoor environment.

Use light color paint such as white. Darkerpaints can increase heat, thus reducing theenergy output of your solar panel.


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Painting the Substrate:

Peg-board pieces, or other previously suggested

substrate material, also need protection from theweather.

Paint several coats on both sides. Otherwise,they will curl when exposed to moisture; curlingcould damage the solar cells that will eventually

be glued to them.


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CELL ASSEMBLY:

When the structure of the solar panel box is

complete, its time to prepare the solar cells forinstallation.

Lay out the cells on the panel

Draw a grid board on both pieces of pegboard toshow where each of the 18 cells will be located

Solder all 18 cells, on each sub-panel, togetherin a series

Connect both halves in series


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Assembly Hints: Cell Assembly

Soldering cells together can be tricky at first, but you

should get the hang of it fairly quickly. Use a low-wattage soldering iron and rine rosen-core solder.For our panel, a rosen pen was used on the solderpoints (located on the back of the cells) beforesoldering.


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Place two cells upside-down (seen above) Lay the solder tabs of one cell across the solder

points on the back of the other cell Make sure spacing between cells matches your

grid pattern Cells are thin and delicate - if you push too hard,

they will break.

Repeat steps to solder a string of six cells together,as seen below.


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Solder cells from scrapped cells to the solderpoints on the back of the last cell in the string ofsix

Repeat the whole process two more times to getthree strings of six cells (a total of 18 cells)

Wire three strings of six cells into a series

Rotate middle string 180 degrees, respecting theother two strings

Maneuver strings (on top of the peg boardpanel) to desired location while cells are stillupside-down and before gluing into place


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Gluing the Cells:

Gluing the cells in place can be a bit tricky.

Place a small blob of silicone caulk in the center

of each cell

Dont use too much glue and glue only in center


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Gluing in the center allows them to float freely on topof the substrate. The cells can then expand and flexmore-or-less independently, thus preventing the

delicate solar cells from cracking.

Flip the string of six cells over (right-side-up)

Align the string with the outlined grid you madeearlier.

The process of flipping the floppy string of cells canbe difficult - another set of hands may be usefulduring this step of the process.


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Notice a finished sub-panel (above).

An alternative option to ensure the safe installation

of the solar cells: Solder tabs onto the backs of the cells

Glue down all of the cells into their proper places

Solder the tabs together

Copper braid was used to interconnect the first andsecond strings of cells, but solar cell tabbingmaterial, or even regular wire, is a viable option.


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At opposite ends of the panel, between the secondand third strings, a similar interconnection occurs.

As seen above, blobs of silicone caulk are used toanchor the braid, preventing it from moving around.


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Sub-panel Test:

Its a good idea to test your first sub-panel for

functionality before creating the second half of yoursolar panel.

The first sub-panel is pictured getting tested outside.In weak sun, through clouds, the sub-panelproduces 9.31 Volts.


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Final Panel Installation:

Once both individual sub-panels are complete, you

can install them into the main panel frame and wirethe sections together. The half panels should dropright into place.

Use four small screws, like the silver ones in thephoto above, to anchor the sub-panels down


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Connect the sub-panels together by runningwires through the vent holes in the center divider

Use blobs of silicone caulk to anchor the wire inplace

Its important to leave a few vent holes open so

the two halves of the panel can breathe


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Diodes:

To prevent your panel from discharging batteries at

night or during cloudy weather, each solar panelneeds a blocking diode in series. For only a fewbucks on Ebay, we found a package of 25 Schlottky31DQ03 diodes with a Current rating of 3.3 Amp.Schlottky diodes have a much lower forward Voltagedrop than ordinary rectifier diodes, so less power iswasted.

The forward Voltage drop gets lower as temperaturerises, so it is best to mount the diode inside thepanel. It will be warmer, causing the diode to workmore efficiently.


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Use Silicone caulk blobs to anchor the diodeand wires inside the panel


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Drill a hole on the back of the panel, locatednear the top. Create a knot in the wires for strain relief Anchor them in place with more silicone caulk. Let all the caulk cure completely before screwing

the plexiglass covers into place.


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If the plexiglass and the cells arent allowed tothoroughly cure in the open air before screwing onthe cover, the fumes from the caulk may cause a film

to be left behind inside.

Seal the area outside of the panel where the

wires exit with more blobs of silicone caulk.


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Attach a polarized, two-pin Jones plug to theend of the panel wires.

Wire a mating female plug into the chargecontroller.


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TESTING YOUR NEW SOLAR PANEL:

Test the Voltage output by placing yourcompleted panel in the sun

Our meter says 18.88 Volts with no load - exactlywhat we were aiming for!


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Test the short circuit Current output

After placing the solar panel in bright sunlight, ourmeter relays 3.05 Amps of short circuit Current -

right about what the cells are rated for. The panel isworking very well.


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FINISHED SOLAR PANEL:

Our finished solar panel should produce around 60Watts of power. You can build a solar panel with adifferent number of solar cells and of varying sizes toachieve your desired power output.

So, how much did it cost to build this solar panel?

After saving all of the receipts from everythingpurchased, we determined that this project costsabout $100. Some supplies we utilized, such as thewood and plexiglass, were already lying around ourshop. These are common items that you can usuallyfind for free (or cheap) with minimal effort.


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Our completed solar panel is pictured here,collecting energy. In the distance, our homemadewind turbine is also hard at work.

Once you have completed your first solar panel, you

can start building more of them to expand your solarpanel collection, ultimately, creating more energy.Every Watt counts!

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