Cutting solar cells

[Guest]

Okay. well Im back
Seein as there are no other solar Panel forums.. Not like this one anyway.

I figure I give it a second chance.

But I have several questions and experiments that I am tampering with.

I just like to know what is the purpose of cutting solar cells into smaller cells?

Do they cut them in smaller cells because it produces more volts?

And also... What do they cut solar cells with?

[SunEagle]

My guess is that a smaller cell will produce about the same voltage as a large one but less amps.

[Guest]

I hope you are right! Becuase that would be damn kewl!
I mean... I been drawing some stuff
Series and Parallel Combined.
And if you are right... Then I'd like to also add smaller cells to this array.

I wish to combine smaller mono cells with big mono cells, that can either produce more amp and more volt.

What you think?

[inetdog]

I have never tried cutting them, but the mechanical characteristics are similar to a thin layer of glass. So scoring with a diamond took and then carefully snapping at the score line seems a likely bet.
However they crack even more easily than glass and so I would expect to lose a few to unintended crack propagation.
You cannot fire polish the cut edge the way you might with glass.

Larger cells cost less per square inch that smaller cells, so it you have a source of cheap 6" cells and want to make a smaller panel of the same voltage (same number of cells) you could break the 6" up into, for example, nine 2" square cells.
You would have to make sure that each smaller cell has a top surface metallic electrode line that you can connect tab(s) to. The back is a continuous metallic layer.

Example: a nominal 12V battery panel will need about 36 cells, whether they are 6" square, 6" by 2" or 2" square.

[Guest]

Oh Yea. I got like over 3000 cut mono solar cells. That I get for pretty cheap on ebay. for 100pcs I can get it for 8 bucks.

Im just wondering if they produce more volts cut up.
Say you have just as much coverage as a mono cell with these tiny cells. Would this infact produce more voltage?

I know when you have solar in parallel. All P-Side and N-Side connected together you produce more Amp and less Volt.
And Series you Produce more Volt.

But do these tiny cells produce more volt. I dont know lol..
But it makes sense to cut them and specifically use it for 12v battery.

I guess I have to run expirement and find out myself...

It be a rough expirement seeing as I dont know exactly the mono cell the person used to cut. So Im not sure what that cell wattage is to try and compare accurately with full cells.

Just wondering if anyone knew the advantages, if producing more volt or amp cut up solar cells

[inetdog]

I hope you are right! Becuase that would be damn kewl!
I mean... I been drawing some stuff
Series and Parallel Combined.
And if you are right... Then I'd like to also add smaller cells to this array.

I wish to combine smaller mono cells with big mono cells, that can either produce more amp and more volt.

What you think?

I think that you do not understand the fundamentals of series and parallel electrical circuits or else I am misunderstanding what you propose. (By the way, it is not at all clear to me what the graphic is intended to represent.
Basic rules:

When you put cells, batteries or panels (strings of cells) in parallel, they much all have the same voltage. Not hard for silicon PV cells, since they all produce essentially the same voltage at the same temperature, regardless of size.

When you put cells, batteries, or panels in series, each unit must have the same current. That is where the problem lies, since cells will differ in current by size and amount of light hitting them as well as from different efficiencies and temperatures.

For example, if I put two identical cells in parallel (same voltage) and then try to put that combination in series with a single cell I will get twice the voltage but only the current of a single cell. The second cell in the parallel combination is wasted.
Similarly combining large and small cells in series will not work.

[SunEagle]

Some of the Thin Film type solar panels (not really individual cells) generated very high voltages. These were similar to the ones that were about 7" to 10" wide and 25ft long.

For "cell" type pv it comes down to how many of them are wired in series to get the voltage you are looking for. A panel with 36 cells would get you about 18volts. 60 cell closer to 30volts. The size would be around 4" to 6" which would then determine the amp output and the panel wattage rating.

[Guest]

What I understand is to get Increased Voltage you use Series.
To get Increased Current you set them in Parallel.

In my Diagram I show the Increased current going through the Increased voltage.

What im thinking is with increased amperage, it also increase voltage once it get there to the junction box.

You know more than me about this. Im just trying to throw my theory at you.

[Guest]

This diagram is pretty nice what I found off internet.
Im just trying to combine both parallel and series. And I try explaingin that in my diagram

[inetdog]

What I understand is to get Increased Voltage you use Series.
To get Increased Current you set them in Parallel.

In my Diagram I show the Increased current going through the Increased voltage.

What im thinking is with increased amperage, it also increase voltage once it get there to the junction box.

You know more than me about this. Im just trying to throw my theory at you.

If you want to use series and parallel you must divide the available cells up into parallel groups, each with exactly the same number of cells. You can then put those groups in series.
Or you can divide the cells up into series groups of exactly the same number of cells and then put those groups in parallel.
Anything else, including trying to wire one group of cells in series and parallel at the same time, will not work (the double wiring just produces short circuits.)

[Guest]

Ive done other examples. Would you possibly be able to draw what you mean? dosnt have to be fancy. it be easier for you to draw it and then I can understand clearly.

[Guest]

Why does it matter. Should the bus and tabbing just allow conductivity no matter what, shouldnt they just all add up in the conductor

[Guest]

Heres something else ive been trying to play with... Although I believe I need atleast 1 amp for the diode to transfer the voltage to mono cell.

I dont really know what Im doing. I just keep trying to play around and do recordings of different diodes....

What im trying to do is have the solar cell producing 3.60volt into the mono cell that only makes 0.61 volt. So Im just trying to make the volts increase in mono cell so it will be 4+Volts with 6+amps perhaps larger..

What im thinking is I need a Array of these tiny Cells creating 3.60 volts and low amp. And create atleast 1 amp out of array of small cells but high voltage. To push high voltage into my mono cell, so in return in creates high wattage.


But what im not sure about diodes, and Ive been researching is that you need more amps and volts to make diode work.

Im trying to stop the current and voltage from mono cell to go into the small solar cell that produces high voltage.

[sensij]

At this level of discussion, it is important to comprehend that the amount of *power* you can generate from a given area of cells is fixed. Playing with the series/parallel arrangement gives you the ability to get more volts and less amps, or less volts and more amps, but if you do everything right, when you multiply volts times amps, the number will stay the same. It isn't clear what you are trying to accomplish.

You can't take a high voltage low amperage arrangement of small cells and put them in series with a full sized mono cell and get anything good. The low amperage assembly will limit the amperage of the entire circuit, and you won't get anything close to the rated power out of the large cell.

[inetdog]

What im thinking is I need a Array of these tiny Cells creating 3.60 volts and low amp. And create atleast 1 amp out of array of small cells but high voltage. To push high voltage into my mono cell, so in return in creates high wattage.


But what im not sure about diodes, and Ive been researching is that you need more amps and volts to make diode work.

Electricity does not work that way, no matter what kind of diodes you use and where you put them.

You cannot "push" a high voltage low current source into a high current low voltage cell to get high voltage and high current at the same time.