4 completed DIY solar panels 60 cell each

Showing all four completed panels. Shows how much better the one I made with the foam oven turned out than the ones I used heat lamps on. There is better control with the oven and less chance of causing bubbles from overheating a spot like with the heat lamps. I used a 500 degree heat gun for the heat source and foam board for the oven. there is another video on that. I goofed up with the last panel and forgot to invert every other row but was able to fix it by running buss wire on the back side from top to bottom on each row. Then I covered the buss wire with some extra tedlar I had left . I just siliconed it over the buss wire. I had a hard time pulling the tedlar back at the ends to re wire . I had to use a heat gun and it still pulled apart really hard. That 3 rd panel is the one that the silicone reacted with the EVA . It's still runny at the edges.
I forgot to mention that I made the tracker frame 5 ft longer and widened the gap between the panels to eliminate shadowing.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• DIY
• solar
• panels

[DanielBrown89]

Good demonstration.......

Commercial Solar panels are too expensive to buy!

It will take approx 15 years to pay you back

You can save your money by building solar panels by your own.

there's an Engineer from Chicago, his name is John Sommer

He has explained it all in his website

Just Go to Google and search for...

"Top DIY Solar Panels John Sommer"

Click the first result (Skip the Advertisement)

[wiboater4]

@DanielBrown89 I can buy solar panels for almost the same cost as it cost me to build these and then I get the 25yr warranty. plus they will put out more watts per panel than these. 

[Mrinfoone]

Have you tried mirrors on the sides? They reflect more light towards the solar panels. You will get around 30 to 50 percent more power on the cells...., hopes this helps. But make sure that the mirrors are wind resistant and don't get broken off in high winds.

[wiboater4]

@Mrinfoone The panels are mounted on a Solar Tracker already.

[PortlandMusicBox]

@wiboater4 Where do you get your solar panels? I am interested in getting a good price.

[wiboater4]

@helloman1976 That's what it costs if you do it right and use The EVA, TPE, junction boxes etc. that the commercial panels use. These should be 240 watt panels though. Is the 1.50 per watt on the 175's including shipping. From Sun Electric it would cost me over $200. for shipping to where I live. So the panel I built for $300 would have cost me close to $600. These are Monochrystaline cells 6x6 inch. They are running at 37 volts DC open. I think that's why the power jack didn't work well.

[helloman1976]

@wiboater4 You paid $300 a panel for the ones you made? Ouch! I get my panels for less than that and they are already built with a 25 year warranty. Monitor a website named Solar Blvd dot com and they sometimes have excellent deals. I got my mono 175W panels there for $1.50 a watt completed and I got my 200W poly panels on eBay for $1.40 a watt shipped and completed. I wouldn't put any time into those if you're paying $300 a panel. Also, check out my videos PJ grid ties are about 85% efficient.

[wiboater4]

@helloman1976 I've been watching those but you have to add in the shipping cost and the frame and junction box cost. These cost me $300. each. Each small cell is supposed to be 3.8 to 4.0 watts , so they should be around 200 to 240 watts per panel. I just put two enphase inverters on and ordered two more. I think I'm not getting good efficiency with the power jack 1200 watt grid tie inverter. I'll have to get an enphase "Envoy" to see what each panel is producing after the Enphase inverters on

[helloman1976]

It doesn't have to be perfect buddy it just has to work. Have you seen the Sunelec panels for 75 cents a watt? Next time get those and just install the junction boxes and put a frame on them...probably far cheaper.

[wiboater4]

Thank's