Homemade solar panel

xpc

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From my previous posts some will know that I will be building a 100% off grid cabin hopefully early next year and have been experimenting with all my self sufficiency projects before the big move.

I have already built a solar water heater and solar oven, next will be a small wind generator and recumbent exercise bike generator.

These 4" square PV cells were purchased from Edmund Scientific when I lived in Florida around 1987 for $5 each ($150 total). So far testing shows I should get 14vdc at 2 amps which is 28 watts, you can buy a nice 25 watt panel for $180 and would never spend all the time to wire these individual cells together again (except that I already had them in deep storage for 22 years).

pv_cells1.jpg

Laid out and ready to wire

pv_cells4.jpg

All wired and hooked up to a flashlight bulb on the kitchen table, 120 watt ceiling light is making all of 3 volts

pv_cells5.jpg

Mounted in an old storm window I cut in half and powering a 12 volt computer fan

pv_cells6.jpg

Wired up to the charge controller which then charges a deep cycle battery and then powers a 750 watt 12vdc to 120vac inverter. The meters are measuring everything from the voltage and current output of the panel to the charge rate of the battery to the output of the inverter. The controller shuts the panel off when the battery reaches full charge so you don't cook it and also shuts the load off when it discharges to 11.5 volts so you don't kill it.

This panel will only make enough power to keep a laptop running for a few hours a day when sunny, the real panel will be 200 watts and cost about $1000.
 

rebecca100

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You are going to have to show us the oven and water heater! How much did the panel come to all together with controller and all and how do I do that?!
 

xpc

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rebecca100 said:
You are going to have to show us the oven and water heater! How much did the panel come to all together with controller and all and how do I do that?!
oven is here
http://www.sufficientself.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=2998

water heater is here
http://www.sufficientself.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=2999

Solar photo voltaic panels are not really cost effective unless you can mortgage the house for $30,000 or have a small item to power where no electricity exists.

As said before I would never build another one because commercial units are much nicer for about the same price of $180 for the panel, $30 for the charge controller and about $100 for the deep cycle battery, the inverter was $75.

This area has an average of 4 sun hours a day which includes all storms and cloudy days in the year based on the last ten years of atmospheric data.

That means only 100 watts a day with this panel and would only run a TV for an hour or about one cent worth of electricity from the power company.

The average American uses about 25,000 watts a day, I use 5,000 watts here and the new cabin will be about 2,000 watts a day.
 

unclejoe

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OK girls. Stop drooling on everyone's monitor. Where going to need Bee's cow over here soon to clean things up. :lol:
 

delia_peterson

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unclejoe said:
OK girls. Stop drooling on everyone's monitor. Where going to need Bee's cow over here soon to clean things up. :lol:
:drool But did you see the pictures????? Thats drooling material!!
 
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