Finishing My 65 Watt DIY Solar Panel

Earlier this year I decided I would try building my own solar panel to see how easy/cheap it would be. Its turns out its pretty easy but not quite as cheap as I thought it would be. My panel cost around $150, where a commercial panel of the same size would have been around $200 not including shipping. I could have spent a little less if I had bought the solar cells in bulk or found salvage glass ect. But i just bought what i needed to try things out. Also had I built a 120 watt panel, the cost would have been a little over $200, versus a commercially made panel of the same size would have been about $300. So the larger you go, the more money you'll save.

I started by buying the solar cells off ebay (see post below) and soldering, aka tabbing, them together. Once I knew what size glass I needed (26" x 32") I went to the local glass supplier and ordered my sheet of glass which cost about $45.

Then I went to the local steel supply shop and picked up 20 feet of 1"x1" angle iron($16). I cut and welded the frame together, put in the glass and sealed it with silicon sealant. (Note: if you don't have access to a welding machine, the best thing to do is order an aluminum solar panel frame off ebay for around $35)

(To see pictures of how I made the frame, see the post below)

Next I had to install the solar cells in place and encapsulate them with silicone resin. The purpose of encapsulation is to keep moisture and condensation out.

Here is the frame with glass and paint sitting in my dining room, ready to have the cells installed and encapsulated

Here are the cells set in place ready to be taped down and encapsulated

Here are the cells taped down. I didn't get a shot of the resin being applied but it basically looks just like this photo since its completely clear.

And here she is finished and powering a small 12v computer fan. Not very impressive I know but its capable of powering about 20 of those fans simultaneously. Also the idea is to charge up deep cycle 12v batteries which are capable of powering almost all of your house hold electrical needs.

Welp thats it. I hope you liked my home made solar panel. Next time I'll probly spend the 15 or 20 extra bucks and buy the aluminum frame off ebay. Also I'm going to try out the dimpled glass they sell on there too. Supposedly it works better the normal tempered glass that I used. 

Solar Panel Frame

The fab shop aka dads tool shed

My trusty Miller Maxstar atop a high dollar welding stand.

1 inch angle iron used for the frame

Marked and ready to be cut

So much can be accomplish with a 4 inch Dewalt angle grinder

Angle iron cut and read to be tacked together

Frame is tacked on all four corners and then welded out as seen here.

The frame welded out and ready to be painted

First it gets a coat of primer

And then a nice coat of metallic silver paint. Unfortunately this was indoor paint so I had to sand it back off and repaint it with some textured out door pain the next day after I installed the glass.

Glass installed and held into place with this small brackets which are tacked on. Also a layer of silicon sealant is applied for waterproofing.

Glass installed ready to be repainted with the proper paint.

The next step is to order some epoxy resin, and taped down the cells and encapsulate them with the resin.

Solar panel

I'm in the process of building my own 65 watt solar panel. Here is a pic of all the solar cells tabbed together. Now I'm about to go buy some angle iron to cut and weld together for the frame.

Pics From Work

I help make the stuff, that makes a lot of your stuff. Good or bad it provides me a good living for the time being, and its my temporary way out of financial burden and a life indebted to a financial institution. I hope one day to either be working for myself and/or welding and fabricating for a company that doesn't play a role in the destruction of people or the planet. An example of this might, sustain-ably produced steam for energy generation, or bio fuels.  

A hydrogen membrane unit whosa whatsit

Instagrammin!

A weld made by the golden arm of all golden arms, Howard. Hes been welding for 42 years and he is a master. Unfortunately this picture makes this weld look pretty crappy but in real life it looks amazing. I hope one day to be able to weld that this.

iPhone

Just got an iPhone a few days ago. Having my email and iTunes library with me at all times is awesome. I didn't set up my Facebook or twitter account because I don't really like either of those social media sites. I certainly don't want to carry them around in my pocket at least.

Anyways I think I'm gonna try and post a bunch of photos on here I take with my phone. Hopefully I'll be doing some traveling soon and have some good pics to put up.