The sun is a huge and stable source of energy, it would be foolish not to use it. The power emitted by the sun is 1000 W / m². you won't be able to use all the power, but you will be able to use some of it. With the help of photocells, you can collect up to 140 W from each m².
Solar panels are several solar cells that convert solar energy into electricity.
What is the structure of a solar battery? These are one or more solar cells that convert solar energy into electricity.
Electricity is getting more expensive every day and will continue to grow in price. Now companies are looking for new sources of energy and trying to manufacture them. One of the most popular such sources is solar panels. Every day there are more and more chargers based on solar panels. They are used at home, in the office, in industry. Solar energy is being used more and more.
Advantages of a solar battery
- Durability. Such an energy source will work for you for a very long time, so when you purchase a solar battery, you sign a long-term contract with it.
- Simple building. You can make a battery yourself at home, there is nothing difficult in this. Below are instructions on how to do this.
- Little weight. Due to the peculiarities of their design and the material used, solar panels weigh little, which is a huge plus in some industries.
- Amenable to repair. Batteries of this kind break quite rarely, but if they do, they can be easily repaired.
- Environmental friendliness. Solar panels are environmentally friendly, they use an inexhaustible resource - sunlight. In addition to environmental friendliness, they have another advantage - noiselessness.
You need to know that such an energy source is not ideal, it also has disadvantages. First, solar panels are quite expensive. Second, they take up a lot of space. Thirdly, they need careful care - batteries react to dirt, they must always be kept clean. Fourth, depending on the weather and time of day. You can get solar energy only if the weather is favorable and during the daytime. On overcast and cloudy days, battery power can be reduced by 10 times. Fifth, low efficiency. It is about 10 to 25%.
At the moment, there are several factories in Russia that produce solar panels, but you can make them yourself at home. They won't be as powerful as professional makers, but they might work for the home.
The structure of the solar battery
The main function on which the structure of the solar battery depends is the generation of energy.
The basis of the battery is photocells, which must be connected in series and in parallel. The most popular solar cells are made from silicon. There is a huge amount of silicon in the reserves of our planet, but the process of its purification is very costly, which causes difficulties. An alternative to silicon is copper, selenium, indium, organic solar cells, etc. One solar cell has a very small power, it is not suitable for industrial use, so the elements are connected together, thereby increasing their power and efficiency. The resulting "bundle" of elements is very fragile, so it is covered with a protective layer (glass, film, plastic). All together and forms a solar battery.
The main characteristic of a battery is its capacity. It is formed depending on the current and voltage in the battery. The parallel connection of the plates is responsible for the magnitude of the current, and their sequence is responsible for the voltage. It is also possible to connect not only the plates inside the battery, but also the batteries themselves.
If we describe each level of the photocell, starting from the base, it will look like this:
- metal substrate;
- silicon;
- anti-reflective coating;
- conductor plates.
The battery will look different:
- frame;
- photocell;
- anti-reflective sheet;
- protective covering.
Make a solar battery with your own hands without effort
Have you ever tried to build your own energy source at home? It's time to try it.
So that the solar battery at home brings you the greatest benefit, it should be on as long as possible sunlight.
You also need to use batteries that will collect energy. Homemade batteries will come in handy when you travel, when you go out into nature, and at home.
There are several ways to make a solar energy source at home.
The first way is pretty simple. You will need to purchase solar modules. They can be ordered online. Modules may not be the most good quality, to build a battery, any will do. Look, maybe there are a couple of modules in your home.
If you plan to consume solar energy only in good weather, then the battery is not needed, the sun will be the energy source. Be careful when building - the modules are very fragile! A strong finger pressure on the module is enough to crack it and go to the trash can.
The number of modules you need depends on the required battery power and where it will be used in the future. Take the modules and solder them on a flat table in several identical chains. Solder the chains together so that you get a rectangular sheet of modules. For example: 3 rows of 5 modules each. Fix the protective layer on top, ordinary glass will do. Take care of the base of the battery too, use plywood, plastic sheet or something else. Fasten the resulting modular sheet together with the base and protective layer. For this, ordinary construction tape is suitable. Important rule: do not press your battery, make sure that there is a small gap between the module, the base and the protective glass. Next, install the block on the structure and stretch the wires there.
You should not press the battery too hard, you need to make sure that there is a small gap between all the elements.
The next method is also quite simple and practical. It was described above how to make a battery at home from modules, and now another option will be offered - how to make a battery from diodes.
Choose D223B diodes, they have many advantages over the rest. Firstly, they are cheap, a box of 100 pieces costs 130 rubles. Secondly, the paint is easily removed from them. You need to hold them quite a bit in acetone, and then wipe them with a rag, and the paint will come off. Thirdly, they are compact. Your design will take up little space and will be convenient for transportation. Fourth, these diodes have a good voltage - about 350 mV in direct sunlight. Look at your home, diodes could have been with you for a long time.
Start by cleaning the paint off the diodes, dip them in acetone and let them sit for a while. Under these conditions, the paint will get wet, and then you can easily remove it. While preparing the basis for the battery. Take a plastic plate, the width should be such that in the future you can make holes in this plate.
Take a sheet in a cage, draw a diagram and observe the scale. Better to do 1:1. The cage can be 5x5 mm, 10x10 mm, no longer worth it. The scheme should have the following form: the closing rows should be solid, i.e. simply connect the top and bottom row in series. The rows between the trailing ones will be different. Rows 2 and 3, 4 and 5, 6 and 7, and so on will be connected in the center, forming a square one cell in size. Now we need to return to the diodes, which are soaked in acetone. Carefully remove them and clean off the paint. Using a voltmeter, determine where the positive of the diode is. Bend the positive terminal to make a hook. Make holes in the plastic plate according to the diagram, and then thread the diodes into these holes and solder them. The battery is ready, you can test it with a voltmeter.
Such homemade solar panels will definitely find application in everyday life, make your life more comfortable and reduce costs. Making a solar panel at home is not difficult. Assembly takes about an hour.
Getting electricity from alternative power sources is very costly. For example, using solar energy when buying ready-made equipment, you will have to spend a significant amount of money. But nowadays it is possible to assemble solar panels with your own hands for a summer residence or a private house from ready-made photovoltaic cells or other improvised materials. And before you start buying the necessary components and designing the structure, you need to understand what a solar battery is and how it works.
Solar battery: what is it and how does it work
People who are faced with this task for the first time immediately have questions: “How to assemble a solar battery?” or "How to make a solar battery?". But having studied the device and the principle of its operation, problems with the implementation this project fall off by themselves. After all, the design and principle of operation are simple and should not cause difficulties when creating a power source at home.
Solar battery(Sat) - these are photoelectric converters of energy emitted by the sun into electrical energy, which are connected in the form of an array of elements and enclosed in a protective structure. Converters - silicon semiconductor elements for direct current generation. They are produced in three types:
- Monocrystalline;
- polycrystalline;
- Amorphous (thin film).
The operating principle of the device is based on photoelectric effect. Sunlight, falling on photocells, knocks out free electrons from the last orbits of each atom of the silicon wafer. The movement of a large number of free electrons between the electrodes of a battery generates a direct current. Next, it is converted to alternating current for home electrification.
Choice of photocells
Before starting design work on creating a panel at home, one of three types of solar energy converters must be selected. To select the appropriate elements, you need to know their technical characteristics:
- Monocrystalline. The efficiency of these plates is 12–14%. However, they are sensitive to the amount of light entering. Slight cloudiness significantly reduces the amount of electricity generated. Service life up to 30 years.
- Polycrystalline. These elements are capable of producing an efficiency of 7–9%. But they are not affected by the quality of illumination and they are capable of delivering the same amount of current into the cloud and even cloudy weather. Operational period - 20 years.
- amorphous. Manufactured from flexible silicon. They produce an efficiency of about 10%. The amount of electricity produced does not decrease due to the quality of the weather. But expensive and complex production makes them difficult to obtain.
For the manufacture of SBs on their own, you can purchase type B converters (second grade). These include cells with small defects, even if you replace some components, the cost of batteries will be 2-3 times less than the market price, thanks to this, save your money.
To provide a private house with electricity from alternative source energy best suited the first two types of plates.
Site selection and design
Batteries are best placed according to the principle: the higher the better. A great place would be the roof of the house, it does not get a shadow from trees or other buildings. If the structure of the ceilings does not allow to support the weight of the installation, then the place should be chosen in the area of \u200b\u200bthe cottage, which most of all perceives radiation from the sun.
The assembled panels must be positioned at such an angle that the sun's rays fell as perpendicularly as possible on silicon cells. The ideal option there will be the possibility of correcting the entire installation in the direction behind the sun.
Making a battery with your own hands
You will not be able to provide a house or cottage with electricity at 220 V from a solar battery, because. the size of such a battery will be huge. One plate generates an electric current with a voltage of 0.5 V. The best option is considered to be a SB with a nominal voltage of 18 V. Based on this, it is calculated required amount photocells for the device.
Frame assembly
First of all, a homemade solar battery needs protective frame (case). It can be made from aluminum corners 30x30 mm or from wooden bars at home. Using metal profile on one of the shelves, a chamfer is removed with a file at an angle of 45 degrees, and the second shelf is cut off at the same angle. Frame parts cut to the required dimensions with machined ends are twisted using squares made of the same material. A protective glass is glued to the finished frame on silicone.
Plate soldering
When soldering elements at home, you need to know that to increase voltage must be connected successively, and for increase in current - parallel. The flint wafers are laid out on the glass, leaving a gap of 5 mm between them on each side. This gap is necessary to compensate for the possible thermal expansion of the elements during heating. The transducers have two tracks: on the one hand, " plus", with another - " minus". All parts are connected in series in a single circuit. Then the conductors from the last components of the circuit are output to a common bus.
To avoid self-discharge of the device at night or cloudy weather, experts recommend installing a 31DQ03 Schottky diode or equivalent on the contact from the “middle” point.
After finishing soldering work with a multimeter, you need to check the output voltage, which should be 18-19 V for full support private house with electricity.
Panel assembly
Soldered transducers are placed in the finished case, then silicone is applied to the center of each flint element, and from above it is covered with a fiberboard substrate for their fixation. After that, the structure is closed with a lid, and all joints are sealed with sealant or silicone. The finished panel is mounted on a holder or frame.
Solar panels from improvised materials
In addition to assembling SBs from purchased photocells, they can be assembled from improvised materials that any radio amateur has: transistors, diodes and foil.
transistor battery
For these purposes, the most suitable parts are KT type transistors or P. Inside there is a rather large silicon Semiconductor Element, needed to generate electricity. Having picked up the required number of radio components, it is necessary to cut off the metal cover from them. To do this, you need to clamp it in a tesk and carefully cut off the upper part with a hacksaw for metal. Inside you can see a plate that will serve as a photocell.
Transistor for a battery with a sawn-off cap
All these parts have three contacts: base, emitter and collector. When assembling the SB, you need to choose a collector junction due to the largest potential difference.
Assembly is carried out on a flat plane from any dielectric material. You need to solder transistors in separate series circuits., and these chains, in turn connect in parallel.
The calculation of the finished current source can be made from the characteristics of radio components. One transistor produces a voltage of 0.35 V and a short-circuit current of 0.25 μA.
Diode battery
Diode solar cell D223B can indeed be a source electric current. These diodes are the highest voltage and are made in a glass case, covered with paint. The voltage at the output of the finished product can be determined from the calculation that one diode in the sun generates 350 mV.
- We put the required number of radio components in a container and fill it with acetone or another solvent and leave it for several hours.
- Then, you need to take a plate of the right size from metal material and mark up for soldering power supply components.
- Once wet, the paint can be easily scraped off.
- Armed with a multimeter, in the sun or under a light bulb, we determine the positive contact and bend it. Diodes are soldered vertically, because in this position, the crystal is best able to generate electricity from the energy of the sun. Therefore, at the output we get the maximum voltage that the solar battery will generate.
In addition to the two methods described above, the power supply can be assembled from foil. A homemade solar battery, made according to the step-by-step instructions described below, will be able to produce electricity, albeit of very low power:
- For DIY you will need copper foil 45 sq. see. The cut piece is processed in a soapy solution to remove fat from the surface. It is also advisable to wash your hands so as not to leave grease stains.
- Emery needed remove the protective oxide film and any other kind of corrosion from the cutting plane.
- On the burner electric tiles with a power of at least 1.1 kW, a sheet of foil is laid down and heated until red-orange spots form. Upon further heating, the resulting oxides are converted into copper oxide. This is evidenced by the black color of the surface of the piece.
- After the formation of oxide, heating must be continued within 30 minutes to form an oxide film of sufficient thickness.
- The frying process stops and the sheet cools down along with the oven. With slow cooling, copper and oxide cool at different rates, which makes it easy for the latter to peel off.
- Under running water oxide residue is removed. In this case, it is impossible to bend the sheet and mechanically tear off small pieces so as not to damage the thin layer of oxide.
- The second sheet is cut according to the size of the first.
- In a plastic bottle with a volume of 2–5 liters with a cut neck, two pieces of foil should be placed. Secure them with crocodile clips. They need to be positioned so that they did not connect.
- A negative terminal is connected to the processed piece, and a positive terminal is connected to the second one.
- Salt solution is poured into the jar. His the level should be 2.5 cm below the top edge of the electrodes. To prepare a mixture 2-4 tablespoons of salt(depending on the volume of the bottle) dissolve in a small amount of water.
All solar panels are not suitable for providing a summer house or a private house with electricity due to their low power. But they can serve as a power source for radios or charge small electrical appliances.
Related videos
In obtaining electricity by alternative methods in Lately there is a trend towards active development. And this is despite the fact that such an approach is still very expensive if you plan to purchase ready-made equipment. Don't expect a quick return on your investment.
Nevertheless, many zealous owners of houses and even apartments are considering such opportunities more closely. And some of them go on the path of self-creation necessary equipment, at least as a starting experiment. So, for example, a do-it-yourself solar battery can well be created at home, since today you can purchase everything you need to assemble it. Moreover, there are several ways to assemble solar panels from different components.
For those who want to try to collect such a source of electricity on their own, this publication has been reassigned.
General concepts about the principle of obtaining electricity from solar energy
People who decide to assemble a solar battery have a lot of questions, and for many, this task is seen as not at all feasible due to the apparent complexity of its design. However, in fact, there are no special difficulties in its assembly. And you can be convinced of this by examining the diagram and considering how the master, who has made more than one such device, does the work.
A solar battery is a set of photoelectric converters of solar energy into electrical energy.
Separate photocells are connected into a single panel and are protected on both sides by materials resistant to ultraviolet, moisture and other atmospheric phenomena. This is important, since batteries are most often operated in an open, unprotected space - this can be the roof of a building, a balcony railing, or a clearing near a house.
The general design of the system for obtaining electrical energy from solar is whole line devices and devices connected in a single circuit:
- Converter plates are semiconductor photocells that have the ability to generate direct current when exposed to light. The plates are interconnected according to a certain scheme with special tires (flat conductors), and are assembled into a battery in a common housing.
- Panel-batteries assembled from photocells are connected to the controller with the selected current and voltage parameters necessary to charge the battery.
- The accumulator or the whole battery of such accumulators accumulates a charge.
- A special inverter converts direct current into alternating current with a voltage of 220 V (if necessary).
Such a series of devices is used in the scheme when it is planned to supply separate permanent points of consumption or even completely power the entire house from solar energy. The energy accumulated in the battery during the day can be used on cloudy days or at night. Simpler schemes are also used, when solar batteries act only as an auxiliary power source, and energy storage is not required. The panel in this case can be directly connected to the device-consumer. However, this option is less reliable, since the stability of the power supply will depend entirely on the availability of the sun at the moment.
The use of solar panels to fully supply the house with energy is relevant in regions where the number of sunny days during the year prevails. This is usually "famous" for the southern regions of the country. In other conditions, they are most often used as additional sources of power supply.
The solar panels from which the panel is assembled are divided into three types:
— monocrystalline;
- polycrystalline;
- amorphous (thin-film).
The efficiency of the structure, as well as its total cost, directly depends on the features of the structural structure of the plates.
Monocrystalline and polycrystalline solar cell option
Monocrystalline the wafers are made from silicon single crystals grown by the Czochralski method. They differ high quality and have a good (by the standards of photocells) efficiency equal to approximately 20÷22%. Because of this, their cost is quite high.
The sun's rays, falling on a single-crystal surface, contribute to the emergence of a directed movement of free electrons. The plates are connected on both sides to the busbars, which are then connected to the common electrical circuit of the system.
The high efficiency of this type of plates is due to the fact that the sun's rays are evenly scattered over the surface of the crystal.
Polycrystalline photocells are made of a semiconductor having a polycrystalline structure. It is this type of battery that is considered optimal for creating a solar energy conversion system. The cost of elements, and as a result, of whole batteries is lower compared to single-crystal devices. This is due to the peculiarities of the production of photovoltaic cells, since fragments left over from single crystals are used in their manufacture.
If we compare these two types of products, we can distinguish the following differences, identified by testing by independent companies:
- Polycrystalline plates differ in appearance from single crystals, as they have a non-uniform color of the surfaces, with alternating dark and light areas.
- During operation, all photocells experience a gradual decrease in power. So, after a year of operation for single crystals, it decreases by 3%, and for polycrystalline elements - by 2%.
- The total amount of electricity generated by a single-crystal module is about 30% higher than that of polycrystalline cells, with their same area.
- The cost of polycrystals is 10÷15% lower than monocrystalline batteries.
Amorphous solar modules
This type of cells is a dense flexible film, which greatly simplifies the process of installing batteries.
There are three generations of such photocells on the modern market:
- Elements of the first generation are unijunction. They have a low efficiency - only 5% and a relatively short service life - no more than 10 years.
- The film of the second generation is also of a single-junction type, but its efficiency level has been increased to 8%, and the service life has also been increased.
- Third-generation thin-film batteries have an efficiency of up to 12%, and have a long service life, competing with crystalline options.
Despite not outstanding characteristics, second-generation single-junction thin-film modules remain the most popular. They are affordable and pack a decent amount of power that can easily compete with the crystalline battery options.
Comparison of solar photocells
If we compare crystalline and film batteries, then the latter have a number of significant advantages, due to which preference is often given to them:
- Amorphous film elements respond better to temperature changes, in particular, to its increase. During the sunny months of the year, this type of battery is able to produce more energy than its crystalline counterparts - when heated, they can lose up to 20% of their power.
- Film batteries continue to generate energy even in diffuse sunlight, unlike crystals, which do not generate energy in cloudy weather. In weak or scattered light, an amorphous film is capable of generating up to 20% of the energy of its nominal values. Not too much, but better than nothing.
- The cost of crystalline panels is much higher than film ones. Moreover, the price of the latter continues to decline due to the active increase in their production volumes.
- Film solar cells have fewer defects and vulnerabilities. The fact is that during the formation of the panel, the rigid plates are soldered together, and the film is installed in the body of the structure as a whole.
If we sum up the results and display them in a table, then comparative characteristics film amorphous and rigid crystalline solar cells will look like this:
| Parameters | Crystal panels | Amorphous thin film batteries |
|---|---|---|
| Product efficiency | 9÷20% | 6÷12% |
| Output voltage of one photocell | About 0.5V | About 1.7V |
| Light spectrum of maximum sensitivity | Closer to red, that is, for effective operation, bright sun is needed. | Closer to ultraviolet, that is, susceptible to diffuse lighting. |
| Flexibility | Fragile and brittle, require a mandatory rigid base and reliable protection against mechanical stress. | Flexible, easy to bend, do not break. |
| Reliability in extreme conditions | They require a rigid base and reliable protection against mechanical stress. | More resistant to mechanical stress, although they also require protection. |
| Durability | With proper protection, operated long time, but over the years, the efficiency of the products gradually decreases. | High-quality products made in compliance with the technology burn out in the sun by 4% over the first 4-5 years of operation. Cheap Chinese analogues can fail in 2-3 years. |
| Weight | Heavy. | Lungs. |
It is necessary to clarify what is produced and combined options solar cells, that is, consisting of crystalline and amorphous elements. That is, all the advantages of both types are used to the maximum. However, the cost of such products is very high, so they are not as popular as the batteries mentioned above.
What affects the efficiency of solar panels?
In order not to be surprised that solar panels operate with different efficiency in different periods, it is necessary to highlight the factors that affect the efficiency of the system. Moreover, the points mentioned below act on solar batteries of all types, but with different intensity.
- As the temperature rises, the performance of any photocells in the panels decreases.
- With partial dimming, for example, if the sun hits only part of the panel, and a certain number of elements remain unlit, the output voltage drops due to the losses of the unlit plates.
- Panels equipped with lenses for concentrating radiation become completely ineffective in cloudy weather, as the effect of focusing the light stream disappears.
- To achieve high efficiency of the solar battery, it is necessary correct selection load resistance. Therefore, the panels are not connected directly to the devices or the battery, but through the controller that manages the system, which will ensure the optimal operation of the battery.
Disadvantages of solar panels
Solar panels have a number of disadvantages, having learned about which many homeowners immediately refuse to purchase and install them.
- For getting enough energy, it is necessary to install a very large number of rather large batteries. It is clear that for their placement it will be required large areas. Many owners of private houses use for their installation sunny side roofs.
- We must not forget that the battery will work efficiently only if its front side is periodically cleaned from accumulated dust, dirt, stains of dried rainwater. And this means that it is necessary to provide convenient and easy access to the surface.
- Solar panels do not function effectively at dusk and do not work at all at night. To use energy from them at any time of the day, you need to connect to several batteries, which for solar period accumulate energy.
- For a large number of batteries, if the system is planned as the main source of energy, a separate room may be required.
- Solar energy is considered environmentally friendly, but the photocell plates themselves contain toxic substances such as cadmium, lead, arsenic, gallium, etc. When the structure is heated, these substances can be released not only into the environment, but also into the premises of the house if the batteries are installed on the roof or balcony of the house. The best option would be to install the system away from residential buildings.
- When installing batteries in an open area, for higher efficiency of their work, the system is often equipped with a special photocell that reacts to the position of the Sun, and a rotary mechanism that will turn them after the movement of the star. Efficiency increases, but the complexity of the system and the cost of project implementation increase.
- So far, there is no need to talk about the high efficiency of such systems. Their efficiency is at best 20%, the remaining 80% of the solar energy received by the surface goes to heat the battery itself, average temperature which can reach 55÷60 degrees. As mentioned above, when the photocells are heated, their efficiency decreases.
- To prevent overheating of the batteries, certain forced cooling systems are used. For example, fans or pumps are installed that pump the refrigerant. It is clear that such devices also require electricity as well as periodic maintenance. In addition, they can significantly reduce the reliability of the entire structure. Well, the problem of effective passive cooling of batteries has not yet been solved.
How to assemble a solar panel at home?
If, after studying the information presented above, the desire to start manufacturing a solar battery has not disappeared, you can experiment by creating and testing your own creation. Next, the assembly of a panel of single-crystal wafers will be discussed in detail.
In the example shown, the home craftsman assembles a 750 x 960 mm panel, consisting of 36 mm rigid single-crystal plates. The plates are installed in four rows, with 9 photocells in each. A gap of about 10 ÷ 12 millimeters is maintained between the photocells.
| Illustration | Brief description of the operations performed |
|---|---|
 | For work, you will need, first of all, the plates themselves. The wizard recommends purchasing them with a margin, since they may have different output voltage parameters, and from them it will be necessary to select 36 pieces that have the closest indicators to each other. The tire is a tinned copper tape, that is, it is already tin-plated, which makes it easier to solder. It will take about 10 meters of a narrow tire 1.6 mm wide and 2 meters wide, 5 mm wide. For electrical work you need to prepare a regular soldering iron for 40 watts. flux for soldering is rosin dissolved in alcohol, alcohol for degreasing soldering surfaces and their subsequent cleaning from flux residues, cotton pads and sticks. In this case, acrylic glass 5 mm thick is used as the basis for mounting the entire module. For the subsequent sealing of the photocells, the master decided to use a strong colorless transparent PVC film ORACAL®751, which is often used to fix advertising on vehicles. |
 | A few words about why the tire width is 1.6 mm. Metal tends to expand when heated and contract when cooled. On a solar battery, this process will occur constantly, that is, during the day the soldered tires will increase in size, and at night - on the contrary, which is not very useful for the structure. On experience, the master tested a tape 2 mm wide, and yet he chose a width of 1.6 mm. In terms of conductive qualities, these tires do not differ much from each other, and the narrower one is still less prone to linear deformation. |
 | Having prepared everything you need, it makes sense first of all to sort the plates. As mentioned above, despite the fact that this is one model, they can often have different performance in practical work. And for the harmonious operation of the battery, the values \u200b\u200bof the generated voltage should be as close to each other as possible. For example, in this case, during the test, it was found that the photocells in equal conditions(at artificial lighting) can generate between 0.19 and 0.35 volts. It is better if elements that have the closest possible values are collected in one panel, say, from 0.30 to 0.33 volts. If one or two elements are installed in the complex that differ significantly in output voltage, then they will create unnecessary resistance and begin to overheat. Thus, plates that clearly fall out of the total mass are rejected. |
 | When mounting the plates, a gap of 10 ÷ 12 mm will be left between them. It is needed so that the film that fixes the elements on the acrylic glass holds them from all sides. |
 | Next, you need to lay two plates on the table at a distance of 10 mm, and use them to measure how long you need to cut narrow tires. As you can see, on the outer side of the plates for fastening, two metal current-collecting strips are provided, and on its reverse side, the fixation points are indicated dotted, with windows. |
 | On the front side of the plate, approximately 3 mm must be retreated from its upper edge. |
 | On the reverse side of the second panel, the tire should also not reach the bottom edge by the same 2 ÷ 3 mm. |
 | After determining the length of one connecting bus, the remaining connecting elements are measured along it. For every two plates, two pieces of the tire will be required, that is, a total of 72 pieces are needed. When cut, the tires look as shown in the photo. It is not at all necessary to harvest all the segments at once - they can be cut in the course of work. However, if they are nevertheless prepared all at once, then it is recommended to collect them and fasten them with an elastic band. So they will not get lost, and will not interfere on the table. |
 | First, the busbars are soldered to the front side of all the plates. But before soldering, the metal current-collecting strips on the plates must be prepared by degreasing with alcohol. For this work, it is convenient to use cotton swabs - they are dipped in alcohol and walked along the strip. This process is necessary to improve the quality of soldering. |
 | Next preparatory stage rosin flux strips are applied to strips cleaned with alcohol. It is better if it is poured into an elastic container in the form of a marker (glue stick) with a soft tip. So it will be easier to work, if necessary, squeezing and distributing the required amount of the composition. |
 | The next step is to solder the busbars to the outside of the plates. The tire is placed on a metal contact strip and aligned. Further, holding most of the tire, gently pressing it to the strip, its upper side is fixed with a soldering iron 20 ÷ 30 mm in length. Additional solder is not used in this case - a layer of tinning on the bus itself is quite enough. Now it is fixed and will not be able to move, so it will be quite easy to fix its remaining long side to the surface. |
 | To do this, the plate must be turned to itself with the opposite side, so that the long part of the tire is at hand. Holding the tire and pulling it slightly, carefully run a soldering iron along it, making sure that it does not slip to the side. The tinned tape is well soldered to a properly prepared surface - it is enough to run a well-heated soldering iron over it once without haste. If burrs remain on the tape, they must be smoothed out immediately, since this side of the plates must be pressed against the acrylic glass. |
 | After soldering both tapes to the plate, they must be wiped with alcohol using a cotton swab or disk. All remaining flux must be removed from the surface. |
 | In the same way, all 36 plates are sequentially prepared, or only 9 photocells are prepared in order to assemble one of the four strips of the solar panel. Here, each master does what is more convenient for him. |
 | Next, the assembly of prepared photocells in one strip will be considered. In the same way, the connection of the remaining three strips of the solar panel is made. |
 | First, a plate is taken, which will be the first in the strip. It is laid face down on the table, along with the busbars soldered to it. Then the strips for soldering, highlighted on the reverse side of the plate with contact windows, are processed with alcohol, and then with flux. Further, stepping back from the edge of about 3 mm along the line passing through the windows, a piece of the tire is laid, and in the same way as on the outside, it is soldered to the surface. The free ends of the tires should be located in the opposite direction relative to those soldered to the front surface - they will be needed when switching the entire number of elements into a common battery with wide tires. |
 | Now you need to connect the first and second plates of the row together. To do this, the ends of the tires soldered to the front side of the first plate must be brought to the back side of the second plate. In this case, the plates are placed parallel to each other at a fixed distance (10 mm). For convenience, you can markup on the desktop in advance, that is, make a kind of template for the relative position of the plates. |
 | The solder points of the contacts are treated with alcohol, and then flux is applied to them. |
 | Now you can solder the tires. To do this, they are also carefully, slowly, carried out with a heated soldering iron. After soldering both tires, they also need to be wiped with alcohol to remove the remaining flux. |
 | Further, the third and all subsequent plates of the row are switched in the same way. The result should be four strips of 9 photocells connected as shown in the illustrations. |
 | Ready-made, soldered rows of photocells are alternately laid on a pre-prepared acrylic glass of the required size. A distance of 50 ÷ 60 mm must be maintained from the edges of the elements to the edge of the glass. On the glass, the rows are temporarily fixed with short strips of transparent adhesive tape. |
 | The "golden rule" of serial switching of DC power supplies: the plus of the previous element is connected to the minus of the next - and so on. In the ranks, this rule is observed. Now it is very important not to break it when laying the rows in the battery. Thus, the sections of the busbars of the first and third rows protruding from the left should be soldered on the outside of the panel, which in this case is turned to the acrylic surface. In the second and fourth row, the ends of the tires fixed on the back of the light side of the plates should protrude. If you make a mistake, the serial connection will be broken and the battery will not work. |
 | As a result, the design of the stacked panel should look like this: When all the rows are fixed on the glass with adhesive tape, they must be combined into one system. |
 | The electrical connection is carried out according to the presented scheme. As a result, the top will be "plus", the bottom "minus". |
 | Wide tires are used as connecting elements - this is well shown in the diagram above. The protruding ends of thin tires are soldered to them. Excess after soldering should be bitten off with wire cutters. |
 | This photo shows well extreme point bus switching. After finishing work, the panel must be checked for operability using a tester by switching it to a voltmeter and setting the probes to plus and minus. |
 | The panel can be checked first on the desktop - there will be no big indicators, but the assembled panel will demonstrate that it is “live”. And then you can check by taking the battery out into the sun. |
 | The probes of the multitester are attached to the extreme positive and negative tires. |
 | Even in cloudy weather at idle, the battery produces 19.4 volts - this indicates the correct connection of the panels. |
 | There was no sun at the time of the test, and the current is small, only about 0.5 amperes. But even in cloudy weather, the battery produces about 10 watts of energy. |
 | In parallel, it is recommended to check the plates for overheating - it is easy to feel it with the back of your hand. If individual plates against the general background are clearly overheating, then it is advisable to replace them immediately - this is not difficult to do so far. |
 | If the battery is working properly, then you can finally seal it - roll it into a film. The service life of this film is seven years, but as practice shows, it functions perfectly even longer. The film has an adhesive layer covered with a protective substrate, which is removed as the coating is glued to the photocells and acrylic glass. |
 | The first thing to do is to lay out the film on top of the structure and align the edge from which it will begin to stick. The quality of gluing the entire web depends on how aligned the edge is. Full sealing must be achieved, without wrinkles or voids, as the film is designed to reliably protect photocells from any external influences. |
 | Next, you need to carefully separate the protective layer from the film along the entire edge, by about 40 mm, immediately fixing it on the glass. |
 | This operation is carried out very carefully, when gluing the film is leveled and smoothed. Here it is necessary to remember that peeling off and leveling a certain section of the film will no longer work, therefore it is necessary to do the work qualitatively right away. The film should not be stretched, but at the same time, it should not gather in folds. |
 | The protective backing is folded down and gradually removed as it is glued. Having freed 20÷30 mm of the film, it is smoothed to the photocells and the gaps between them, that is, to the acrylic glass. |
 | The process of wrapping the battery in film is long and painstaking, so you need to be patient and do it slowly. If the film is still wrinkled or left to the side, it must not be peeled off, as the photocells will be damaged. In this case, it is necessary to cut and paste an additional fragment on top of the already fixed film. The main thing is to cover the entire surface of the battery. This illustration shows the edge of the panel rolled up. It is clearly seen that perfect smoothness is not required, the main thing is a snug fit of the film over the entire area. |
 | When the film is pasted, the finished panel can be tested. To do this, the battery must be taken out into the sun and the tester connected to it again. |
 | As you can see, the battery outputs almost 20 volts. Then the short circuit current is checked - it was 3.94 amperes. And this is neither more nor less - almost 80 watts. |
 | To test under load, a 24 V light bulb was connected to the battery through an ammeter. The result in the photo is that it burns, although not at full incandescence, but brightly enough. |
Many masters, in addition to glass and film, also use the frame of the battery, putting it in a rigid frame. This gives the structure the necessary strength and increases its reliability.
If you plan to assemble and use several solar panels, then they are connected either in series - to increase the output voltage, or in parallel - this way you can achieve higher current and total power
The complex of panels through the controller is connected to the battery - energy storage, and from it there is distribution to consumption points, directly or through an inverter.
* * * * * * *
So, as you can see from the information provided, it is quite possible to assemble the battery with your own hands. You will need some knowledge of electrical engineering and installation, perseverance and attentiveness.
Another thing is that you should first carefully weigh the expected effect from the battery and the cost of components and all the equipment necessary for the system. How cost-effective will the system be, especially taking into account local climatic conditions? Won't her creation just turn into a "toy" for an active middle-aged man?
Perhaps some questions about this will be removed by the video below:
Video: The main mistakes made by beginners when planning a home solar power plant
The sun is an inexhaustible source of energy. People have long learned how to use it effectively. We will not go into the physics of the process, but we will see how this free energy resource can be used. A homemade solar panel will help us with this.
Operating principle
What is a solar cell? This is a special module, which consists of a huge number of the most elementary photodiodes. These semiconductor elements were grown using special technologies in a factory on silicon wafers.
Unfortunately, these devices are by no means cheap. Most people can't get them, but there are plenty of ways to make your own solar panels just in case. And this battery will be able to compete with commercial samples. Moreover, its price will not be comparable to what the stores offer.
Building a silicon wafer battery
The kit includes 36 silicon wafers. They are offered with dimensions of 8*15 centimeters. The total power figures will be about 76 watts. You will also need wires to connect the elements together, and a diode that will perform the blocking function.
One silicon wafer delivers 2.1 W and 0.53 V at currents up to 4 A. The wafers must only be connected in series. Only in this way can our energy source deliver 76 watts. There are two tracks on the front side. This is the "minus", and the "plus" is located on the back. Each of the panels must be positioned with a gap. You should get nine plates in four rows. In this case, the second and fourth rows must be deployed opposite to the first. This is required so that everything is conveniently connected into one chain. Be sure to take into account the diode. It allows you to prevent the discharge of the storage battery at night or on a cloudy day. The "minus" of the diode must be connected to the "plus" of the battery. To charge the battery, you need a special controller. With the help of an inverter, you can get the usual household voltage of 220 V.
Assembling solar panels with your own hands
Plexiglas has the smallest refractive index. It will be used as a body. This is enough inexpensive material. And if you need even cheaper, then you can buy plexiglass. In the worst case, you can use polycarbonate. But it is not suitable for the case in terms of its characteristics. In stores, you can find a special coated polycarbonate that is protected from condensation. It also provides the battery with a high level of heat protection. But these are not all the elements that the solar panel will consist of. With your own hands, glass with good transparency is easy to pick up, this is one of the main components of the design. By the way, even ordinary glass will do.
Frame making
When mounting, silicon crystals must be fixed at a short distance. After all, you need to take into account various atmospheric influences that can affect changes in the base. So, it is desirable that the distance is about 5 mm. As a result, the size of the finished structure will be somewhere around 835 * 690 mm.
A solar panel is made by hand using an aluminum profile. It has the maximum similarity with branded products. At the same time, a homemade battery is more sealed and durable.
For assembly, you need an aluminum corner. A blank for the future frame is made from it. Dimensions - 835*690 mm. In order to fasten the profiles to each other, it is necessary to make technological holes in advance.
The inside of the profile should be coated with a silicone-based sealant. It must be applied very carefully so that all places are missed. The efficiency and reliability that the solar panel will have depends entirely on how well it will be applied.
With your own hands, now you need to put a sheet of pre-selected transparent material into the frame from the profile. It could be either something else. An important point: the silicone layer must dry. This must be taken into account, otherwise a film will appear on the silicon elements.
At the next stage, the transparent material must be squeezed well and fixed. To make the fastening as reliable as possible, you should use hardware. We fix the glass around the perimeter and from four corners. Now the solar panel, made by hand, is almost ready. It remains only to connect the silicon elements together.
Soldering crystals
Now you need to lay the conductor on the silicon plate as carefully as possible. Next, apply flux and solder. To make it more convenient to work, you can fix the conductor on one side with something.
In this position, carefully solder the conductor to the contact pad. Do not press on the crystal with a soldering iron. It is very fragile, you can break it.
Latest assembly operations
If it is the first time for you to make solar panels with your own hands, then it is better to use a special marking substrate. It will help to arrange the necessary elements as evenly as possible at the required distance. In order to correctly cut the wires of the required length connecting the individual elements, it should be noted that the conductor must be soldered to the contact pad. It is slightly moved beyond the edge of the crystal. If you make preliminary calculations, it turns out that the wires should be 155 mm each.
When you collect all this into a single structure, it is better to take a sheet of plywood or plexiglass. For convenience, it is better to pre-position the crystals horizontally and fix them. This is easily done with tile crosses.
After you connect all the elements together, stick double-sided construction tape on each crystal on the reverse side. You just need to slightly press the back panel, and all the crystals will be easily transferred to the base.
This type of fastening is not sealed in any way additionally. Crystals can expand at high temperatures, but that's okay. Only a few parts need to be sealed.
Now with the help it is necessary to fix all the tires and the glass itself. Before sealing and completely assembling the battery, it is advisable to test it.
Sealing
If you have a regular silicone sealant, then you do not need to completely fill the crystals with it. This way you can eliminate the risk of damage. To fill this design, you need not silicone, but epoxy resin.
This is how you can easily and naturally get electrical energy almost for nothing. Now let's look at how else you can make solar panels with your own hands.
Experimental Battery
Efficient systems for converting solar energy require factories of huge size, special care for them and a serious amount of money.
Let's try to make something on our own. Everything you need to experiment can easily be bought at a hardware store or found in your kitchen.
DIY solar panel from foil
For assembly, you will need copper foil. It can be easily found in the garage or, in extreme cases, easily purchased at any hardware store. To assemble the battery, you need 45 square centimeters of foil. You should also buy two "crocodiles" and a small multimeter.
To get a working solar cell, it is desirable to have an electric stove. You need at least 1100 watts of power. It should glow to a bright red color. Also prepare an ordinary plastic bottle without a neck and a couple of tablespoons of salt. Get a drill with an abrasive nozzle and a sheet of metal from the garage.
Getting Started
First of all, we will cut off a piece of copper foil of such a size that it completely lies on the electric stove. You will be required to wash your hands so that there is no residue left on the copper. greasy spots from fingers. Copper is also desirable to wash. To remove the coating from the copper sheet, use emery.
copper foil
Next, put the cleaned sheet on the tile and turn it on to the maximum possible. When the tile begins to heat up, you will be able to observe the appearance of beautiful orange spots on the copper sheet. The color will then change to black. It is necessary to hold copper for about half an hour on a red-hot tile. This is a very important point. So, a thick layer of oxide peels off easily, and a thin one will stick. After half an hour has passed, remove the copper from the stove and let it cool. You will be able to watch how pieces fall off the foil.
When everything cools down, the oxide film will disappear. You can easily clean most of the black oxide with water. If something doesn't come off, it's not worth trying. The main thing is not to deform the foil. As a result of deformation, a thin oxide layer can be damaged; it is very necessary for the experiment. If it is not there, a do-it-yourself solar panel will not work.
Assembly
Cut the second piece of foil to the same dimensions as the first. Next, very carefully, you need to bend the two parts so that they enter the plastic bottle, but do not touch each other.
Then hook the "crocodiles" to the plates. The wire from the "non-fried" foil - to the "plus", the wire from the "fried" - to the "minus". Now take the salt hot water. Stir the salt until completely dissolved. Let's pour the solution into our bottle. And now you can see the fruits of your labors. This homemade solar panel, made by hand, can be further improved a little.
Other ways to use solar energy
Solar energy is no longer being used. In space, it powers the famous rover on Mars from the Sun. And in the United States of America, Google data centers operate from the Sun. In those parts of our country where there is no electricity, people can watch the news on TV. All this thanks to the sun.
And this energy allows you to heat the house. The do-it-yourself air-solar panel is very simply made from beer cans. They store heat and release it into the living space. It's efficient, free and affordable.
For a long time, solar panels were either bulky panels of satellites and space stations, or low-power photocells in pocket calculators. This was due to the primitiveness of the first single-crystal silicon photocells: they not only had a low efficiency (no more than 25% in theory, in practice - about 7%), but also noticeably lost efficiency when the angle of incidence of light deviated from 90˚. Considering that in Europe in cloudy weather, the specific power solar radiation can fall below 100 W/m 2 , too large areas of solar panels were required to obtain any significant power. Therefore, the first solar power plants were built only in conditions of maximum luminous flux and clear weather, that is, in deserts near the equator.
A significant breakthrough in the creation of solar cells has returned interest in solar energy: for example, the cheapest and most accessible polycrystalline silicon cells, although they have a lower efficiency than monocrystalline ones, are less sensitive to operating conditions. A solar panel based on polycrystalline wafers will give out enough stable voltage under partly cloudy conditions. More modern photovoltaic cells based on gallium arsenide have an efficiency of up to 40%, but are too expensive to make a solar battery with your own hands.
The video is a story about the idea of building a solar battery and its implementation
Is it worth doing?
In many cases solar will be very useful: for example, the owner of a private house or cottage, located far from the mains, can even support his phone charged from a compact panel, connect low-power consumers like car refrigerators.For this purpose, ready-made compact panels are produced and sold, made in the form of quickly folded assemblies based on synthetic fabric. IN middle lane In Russia, such a panel measuring about 30x40 cm can provide power within 5 W at a voltage of 12 V.
A larger battery can deliver up to 100W electrical power. It would seem that this is not so much, but it is worth remembering the principle of operation of small ones: in them, the entire load is powered through a pulse converter from a battery of batteries that are charged from a low-power windmill. Thus, it becomes possible to use more powerful consumers.
Using a similar principle when building a home solar power plant makes it more profitable than a windmill: in summer, the sun shines most of the day, in contrast to the fickle and often absent wind. For this reason, the batteries will be able to gain charge during the day much faster, and the solar panel itself is much easier to install than requiring a high mast.
It also makes sense to use a solar battery solely as an emergency power source. For example, if a gas heating boiler with circulation pumps, when the power supply is turned off, it is possible to power them through a pulse converter (inverter) from batteries, which are maintained charged by a solar battery, keeping the heating system operable.
TV story on the subject