Home Solar Power Systems – Building Solar Panels for Your Home

A solar panel or cell is a device used to convert sunlight into electricity. One thing that is important in making a solar panel is to determine where you would be using it so that you will know how many watts is needed for it to work.

Making a blemished six inch diameter, Siemen’s PowerMax monocrystalline solar cell or a class B solar cell is a lot cheaper than building class A. Normally, a perfect operating solar cell can generate a maximum of approximately .55 VDC, 5.6 amps and 3 watts of power. Several materials are needed in making an efficient solar panel for your home. Materials for making a solar panel or cell are as follows:

• 1 48x48x1/8 inch Acrylite UV stabilized transparent sheet, used in place of the glass top sheet
• 1 48x48x3/16 inch ABS white sheet
• 4 72×1/4×1/4 inch clear extruded acrylic bar
• 1 adhesive glue
• 1 silicone sealant or adhesive
• 2 Eight ounce Rosin core solder
• 1 ERC81S-004 40V, 5A Schottyky Barrier Diode
• 5 .060 x .002 inch x 25 ft. solar cell PV tinned interconnection ribbon
• 36 Monocrystalline 6 inch solar cell rated at .5VCD, 5 Amp Peak.
• 1 four position dual row barrier strip
• 1 sixteen #8 insulated ring tongue terminals
• 1 twelve gauge hookup wire black insulator
• 1 twelve gauge hookup wire red insulator
• 1 3x2x1 inch project enclosure box
• 1 crimping tool
• 1 40 watt soldering iron

You must be very careful when building a solar panel for your home so that the device will not be messed up and function accordingly.

1. Getting started with it, you must first measure the voltage output of each solar cells with a light source that has constant output and has a fixed distance away, measure the DC voltage. The negative test lead should be placed on the side of the solar panel to indicate positive voltage. Check for the maximum voltage output and do it with all your solar cells. Remember that you do not have to force a higher reading since you will be grouping the solar cells according to their voltage.

2. After checking and grouping your solar cells, connect them together with tinned interconnection wire using a spool of interconnection wire and then cut it into 10.5 inch lengths for all six inch solar cells. Add solder to 5.25 inches of the wire on one end and then flip the wire and add up 5.25 inches of solder to the other end. Place the solar cells face down and solder them together.

3. After soldering all 36 solar cells together, sandwich them inside the UV sheet using a heat gun to adhere the sheet to the solar cells.

4. Take the ABS white sheet and cut it into 38 5/16 x 38 5/16 x 3/16 then drill a 5/16 inch hole through the sheet 6 inches from the right-top edge and 1 inch down from the right-top edge.

5. Place the 36 solar cells face up into the ABS white sheet and center them, and then cut off the excess UV sheet. Solder at least 3 inches of the color-coded wire to the #1 and #36 solar cells into the appropriate positive and negative interconnection and then push the other end of the wire into the 5/16 inch drilled hole.

6. Cut two acrylic bars to a length of 38.3125 inch and another two into 37.8125 inch respectively. One 38.3125 acrylic bar should be glued on top of the ABS white sheet, make sure that the edge of the bar is lined with the ABS white sheet and wait for the glue to dry up.

7. Do the same procedure on the bottom of the ABS white sheet. The 37.8125 acrylic bars should then be glued into the left and right side of the ABS white sheet.

8. Once the glue dried up, cut the remaining acrylic bar into 1 x 1/4 x 1/4 inch blocks and then glue each block into the center and in between each solar cell in an alternating pattern.

9. Cut down the 48 x 48 x 1/8 inch acrylite UV stabilized transparent sheet into 38 5/16 x 38 5/16 x 3/16 and then line up the acrylite sheet into the edges of the four acrylic bars and place it firmly on top, put a glue and allow it to dry.

Now you have your solar panel. Same procedure applies to the rest of the solar panels that you will be making. Remember to make sure that all the cells and other materials are in place to avoid malfunction or inefficiency in the performance of the solar panels you have made.

Now – I realize this does not sound very easy. But don’t worry! You will have help. Just take a look at my Small Solar Panels page and you will find out how to get instructional videos to help you with every step. They’re extremely helpful and I highly recommend them. Trust me – you will love them!

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