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I'm preparing and deciding on which materials to buy from where to buy them for building my solar panels. Price checking can take a long time so I thought I would see if anybody knows about current good deals on all materials for building modules. Thanks everybody.
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There are quite a few solar installers in Minnesota. You may not be able to get panels as cheaply as in California, but they will still be cheaper than DIY and almost certainly last a whole lot longer. I suggest you look up the local chapter of ASES and hang out at a couple meetings to get to know some people.
It's just not possible to build a module by hand for less than what the robots in the factories cost. You don't have access to the same economies of scale and bulk purchasing power. You also don't have the ability to manage quality control to ensure the module will last a reasonable time.
Just like building your own FM radio, the only real reason to DIY is for education and to say that you did it. Don't expect it to be cheaper or as good.16x TenK 410W modules + 14x TenK 500W invertersComment
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Global economics
Over here in the UK to buy 1000w of panel can easily cost you £1000, I just bought 1000w of cells for £170, so I'm amazed at the amount of people saying ''buy dont build''
AND thats at 1kw panel prices, to buy smaller panels the cost per watt goes UP!
So I'll be building....Comment
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Import duties are a bit on the silly side - the UK seems to be at the max. If the government is not stealing from you then factory built is best and cheapest.
DIY panels - for a science project they are great but for production a really difficult thing to do well.
BTW - the cells will be far, far cheaper than the rest of the supplies.[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]Comment
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Usually those single cells are not Grade A and can actually be rejects from the Panel manufacturers. My guess is that you may get half of those cells to actually produce their nameplate wattage.
Also unless you have a way of sealing them under glass without air and moisture your panels will not last more than a year.
Yes it is cheaper to build your own panels, but at a cost of shorter life time and poor quality as compared to manufactured panels.Comment
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They quote ''in excess of 4w per cell'' and trust me i will sit and test each cell for something near to 4w...
I'm new to solar but not electronics so I can test them with a degree of the required skill
as this is a one off build etc I will be scavenging for the glass and as many materials i can reuse, I'm already shocked at the cost of tabbing wire and wondering if its worth the cost against copper wire and a bobbin of solder which is cheaply available.
My worry is the encapsulation etcComment
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You should be worried about the encapsulation. Get it wrong and the panel is useless. Also use the wrong type of solder and you will destroy the tabbing.
As for testing the cells, I guess you have the appropriate light system that simulates the sun at peak output. Otherwise you will never see the max output wattage available from either a single cell or even a manufactured panel.
Building a panel from scratch can be fun and a learning experience. Trying to make a long lasting solar panel that way is next to impossible unless you have the right equipment and facility to do so.Comment
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I'm beginning to wish I had done some decent quality research on this on the practicality side to the level i did on the electronics side....
I just watched hours and hours (maybe a hundred...) of DIY videos, then hours of looking around for a source of ''grade A'' cells at a fair price, and thought two tubes of glue and some old glass would get it up and running and good for ten years.
I've earned the noob hat .....
But now that the cells have been ordered and the money has left the bank, its a one way trip, I have to continue, the option is selling the cells knowing what i now know, and I cant do that to someone else.
Seems problem isnt that it cant be done, just it cant be done economically at current market prices, glass will be free, non aicidic construction silicone isnt too expensive, its the resin, if i can find a cheap supplier or cheaper substitute of the right UV fastness and is non corrosive to the cells etc, then it may still be possible to save the project
i have never tried to work out yet how much resin 250 6'' cells need....Comment
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I built a tester with a 100W spot and dummy load resistors; with a DVM it checks the
integrity of all 4 leads, as well as the total. Most cells were good, or had a crack.
Regular 37/63 electronic solder seems to be good, but the tabbing wire is needed on
the cells for that special process (pre solder plated). And the rosin tubes.
After a few tries I finally made an initially good panel. it took expensive tempered
glass, precision cut aluminum angle, some 1/4" square plastic 2" guide pieces
epoxied to the glass, about 5 times as much of that very expensive encapsulant as
the videos indicate, and a home made frame vibrator to work out the air bubbles.
It used 3" by 6" cells because I had so much trouble with 6" X 6" cells breaking;
potato chips are "RUGGED" by comparison.
My conclusions in making a panel that will actually work for a while:
Lessor methods have no chance. This one is too big for its power output, way
too heavy, way too labor intensive, and the components far too expensive. Buy
commercial if you are serious. Bruce RoeComment
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Thanks for the reply, and your right about the potato chips...
I held my first cell by the corner, turned to show it to the wife and as my body turned the tiny wind resistance took the corner i was holding clean off.....
I seem to be luck watching some videos that my 6x6 cells are all flat and not curved.
I have decided to go with eva as i can get enough of that to do a layer between my cells and the glass and a back layer cheaper than any qsil or sylgard method.
I am looking at other backing methods, I can see why a back layer is needed to weather seal the back of the cells, but i dont see why it needs to be eva, theres other rtv rubbers that are non acidic so i am going to look at the cost of a glass/eva/cells/rtv.
It would have to be done with glass/eva/cells/something like vinyl, and i was thinking 'visqueen', this would then be removed and replaced with a brushing of black rtv rubber. if it didnt want to remove, it would be left on....
I have interesting days ahead.....Comment
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