making your own or buying them completed SOLAR PANELS

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VanDeusen
VanDeusen Solar Expert Posts: 129 ✭✭✭✭✭
in Solar Beginners Corner #1
has anyone made there own solar panels? Is it cheaper? was it easy?
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  • mike95490
    mike95490 Solar Expert Posts: 9,583 ✭✭✭✭✭
    #2
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    Re: making your own or buying them completed SOLAR PANELS

    depends on the panel lifetime and exposure you are looking for. If you want 5+ years lifetime, buy a regular panel. If you want to build a moisture trap, with some PV cells in it, it's a great weekend project, and it will even work for a year or 3 depending on your climate, but as moisture (water VAPOR) creeps in, it will start to fail.
    Powerfab top of pole PV mount | Listeroid 6/1 w/st5 gen head | XW6048 inverter/chgr | Iota 48V/15A charger | Morningstar 60A MPPT | 48V, 800A NiFe Battery (in series)| 15, Evergreen 205w "12V" PV array on pole | Midnight ePanel | Grundfos 10 SO5-9 with 3 wire Franklin Electric motor (1/2hp 240V 1ph ) on a timer for 3 hr noontime run - Runs off PV ||
    || Midnight Classic 200 | 10, Evergreen 200w in a 160VOC array ||
    || VEC1093 12V Charger | Maha C401 aa/aaa Charger | SureSine | Sunsaver MPPT 15A

    solar: http://tinyurl.com/LMR-Solar
    gen: http://tinyurl.com/LMR-Lister ,

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  • VanDeusen
    VanDeusen Solar Expert Posts: 129 ✭✭✭✭✭
    #3
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    Re: making your own or buying them completed SOLAR PANELS
    mike90045 wrote: »
    depends on the panel lifetime and exposure you are looking for. If you want 5+ years lifetime, buy a regular panel. If you want to build a moisture trap, with some PV cells in it, it's a great weekend project, and it will even work for a year or 3 depending on your climate, but as moisture (water VAPOR) creeps in, it will start to fail.



    yea I keep hearing of people building there own so I was curious as to what is detailed.. What you just said is enough for me to continue buying them from the manufactor as they warrant them. Thanx
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  • Solar Guppy
    Solar Guppy Solar Expert Posts: 1,989 ✭✭✭
    #4
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    Re: making your own or buying them completed SOLAR PANELS

    With today's prices at 1 dollar watt for Asi panels factory produced panels, its cost about 2-3X more to build it yourself .. it's a scam targeted at the uneducated, by sellers hawking cells of unknown quality on FleaBay
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  • VanDeusen
    VanDeusen Solar Expert Posts: 129 ✭✭✭✭✭
    #5
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    Re: making your own or buying them completed SOLAR PANELS
    Solar Guppy wrote: »
    With today's prices at 1 dollar watt for Asi panels factory produced panels, its cost about 2-3X more to build it yourself .. it's a scam targeted at the uneducated, by sellers hawking cells of unknown quality on FleaBay


    FLEABAY.... Love it that made me laugh... I sure cant find them for a 1. per watt although I would love to find it... If you know where you get them for that price I would love it if you drop me a MSG and let me know where you get them. I am paying about 2.40 a watt as I buy 125's for 300.00
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  • AntronX
    AntronX Solar Expert Posts: 462 ✭✭
    #6
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    Re: making your own or buying them completed SOLAR PANELS

    $1.82/watt non-UL Evergreen re-brands here. Or $1.20/watt thin-film from DuPont. With prices this low, makes little sense to buy Evergreen cells on Ebay at $0.5 - $0.75 per watt and to deal with soldering, glass, vacuum, glue...
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  • ArmyVet
    ArmyVet Banned Posts: 20 ✭
    #7
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    Re: making your own or buying them completed SOLAR PANELS

    Well I made my Own panel. It does about 100 watt max.
    Now granted I havent mounted it outside, I usually take outside when its a nice sunny day to get the Full Solar expirence. YOu have to watch for dampness. for sure.
    I get 19.6 Volts Dc at 5.8 Amps Dead cicuit . My controller shows 5.1 Amp max charge.
    So it does pretty good.

    Total cost $112.78

    Attachment not found. Heres a Pic of my Homemade Beast
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  • AntronX
    AntronX Solar Expert Posts: 462 ✭✭
    #8
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    Re: making your own or buying them completed SOLAR PANELS
    ArmyVet wrote: »
    ...Total cost $112.78

    So, not including your labor cost, you paid $1.13/watt. Ehh... nice.

    How about slightly better looking 14.1% efficiency non-UL panel for $1.50/watt?
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  • ArmyVet
    ArmyVet Banned Posts: 20 ✭
    #9
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    Re: making your own or buying them completed SOLAR PANELS

    Yeah the $112.78 was for the first build. Now I have a less expensive way.
    I got lucky in town a couple weeks ago they were tearing down some building.
    I ended up getting some tempered glass windows 7 in total. All one size at
    36 x 48. So I can make some interesting panels with that size of glass.
    Found a place were they were building a new place also. I ended up with 3 truck loads of scrap wood and thin 1/2 inch plywood also. Perfect Materials.
    This will help bring the cost of making them wayyyyy Down. I can get the Solar cells
    for $65 for 40 and diode,wire and free shipping. and maybe 10-15 $ for extra stuff to be needed.
    So then i can build for $75- 80 per panel..
    Reducing the cost is all key for me. I am a disable Army Veteran. I have plenty of time
    in the day, I can wake up and see hey its sunny. Panels outside day !
    I refuse to let them see the rain. Even if a rain storm comes I have a big Tarp I can use to cover them. So I will buy 7 of those $65 kits and pray to make a good 6 panels. I would be happy with 600 watts power. Right now when sun is up.
    I can run my TV all day on my 750 watt inverter it producing enough to watch it all day. I use this for thing I use alot during the day. Nexted will be my computer.
    roughly need 200 watts there alone.
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  • niel
    niel Solar Expert Posts: 10,300 ✭✭✭✭
    #10
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    Re: making your own or buying them completed SOLAR PANELS

    your diy is cheaper? not by much and you lose some power having to cover them or pull them out of the rain. let us know 5 or 10 years down the road how they are doing.
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  • VanDeusen
    VanDeusen Solar Expert Posts: 129 ✭✭✭✭✭
    #11
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    Re: making your own or buying them completed SOLAR PANELS

    seems like at the end of the day, its easier to just buy them factory made as I dont have to babysit them as much. I have mine mounted so it would be a pain to keep moving them around.
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  • randall_l
    randall_l Registered Users Posts: 6 ✭
    #12
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    Re: making your own or buying them completed SOLAR PANELS

    I guess it depends on how you build your panel.

    Since I'm just beginning in solar, I wanted the full experience--plus, I wanted to experiment.

    I built a small 12V (14.3V in full sun), 5W, not really useful for anything, panel and included piping for solar heating--I figured it would be good for transferring heat from the panels. After I built it, I plopped it in a tank of water for 2 weeks. At the end, it was dry as the day I sealed it. Yay silicon sealant!

    Of course, being in Canada, the best I can find is $4.00CDN/Watt on commercial panels. I built mine for $3.60CDN/Watt. Not a huge savings, unless you consider the bonus of including solar heating in the same panel.


    I've since dismantled the panel and used parts for other projects, but next time, I'll include a moisture sensor in the panel for the submersion test.

    Cheers!
    Randall
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  • BB.
    BB. Super Moderators, Administrators Posts: 33,461 admin
    #13
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    Re: making your own or buying them completed SOLAR PANELS

    From a guy known to be a grumpy old man / kill-joy on DIY solar panels--

    Be aware that thermal cycling is a huge issue with solar panels (both home made and factory built). It is very difficult to make your own solar panels that will not have differential expansion problems, thermal expansion/contraction stresses, and issues with voids/air space "breathing" (hot air expanding pushes out through seals, cold air contracting, drawing air/oxygen/moisture in).

    The other is fire. Larger panels (10's-100's of watts) can generate significant heat if their internal wiring shorts, goes high resistance, arcs--And can ignite the surrounding material (typically wood and plastic). Please ensure that the panels are installed on a non-flammable structure and not on the roof of a residence.

    Yes, the chances of fire are small--but they are real (even a few code compliant GT solar systems have caught fire).

    Otherwise--have fun with your project. You will learn a lot.

    -Bill :D
    Near San Francisco California: 3.5kWatt Grid Tied Solar power system+small backup genset
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  • randall_l
    randall_l Registered Users Posts: 6 ✭
    #14
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    Re: making your own or buying them completed SOLAR PANELS

    Yes, I did have some of those issues with my first couple builds. I finally ended up using liquid electrical tape on the ribbons on the back and on all other connections to make them air/water tight.

    Also, I used some fiber splicing tape (this particular stuff contracts with heat but returns to normal size, is electrically insulative and thermally conductive--I don't rememer where I found it) in between the cells and around the outside, between the cells and the aluminum frame. Finally, one of the sites I maintain computers for has a small, now unused, hyperbaric/vaccuum chamber that I was able to seal the unit in and let the double-bead of sealant cure.

    Plus, it was really cool to play with balloons and balls in the hyperbaric/vaccum chamber! I love science.

    I'm certainly not saying I have the answers--or the skills to do it even as close as the commercial boys. I'm just playing around, learning and having fun. Besides, 2-week submersion test in an old fish tank outside in the desert sun (50F day/night temperature difference) isn't going to tell me how it'll hold up for 20+ years.

    I've got to admit though, that seeing my home-built solar panel work while submersed in water for 2 weeks was really exciting.

    By the way, are there companies that make integrated solar electric/heat panels? It would certainly be easier than going to all this trouble.

    Cheers!
    Randall

    Edit: Forgot to mention, no wood or plastic. Aluminum, copper pipe and tempered glass.
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  • BB.
    BB. Super Moderators, Administrators Posts: 33,461 admin
    #15
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    Re: making your own or buying them completed SOLAR PANELS

    There is at least one solar PV+Thermal panel setup:

    sundrumsolar.com

    Lots of debate here about whether or not it is work the trouble.

    -Bill
    Near San Francisco California: 3.5kWatt Grid Tied Solar power system+small backup genset
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