Did you know that broken, chipped or otherwise damaged solar cells can potentially be used to make a homemade solar cell capable of producing electricity. Just by doing some basic electrical wiring, you can connect several panels together in order to power a few batteries for an appliance or tow.
Lowering your electric bills this easy to do project is really cool and considered a dream by many homeowners. If you make more electric, there is not as much demand for it and this is why your utility bill will cost less. If you use an electrician to connect the solar power system to your house, more power will be produced and fed into the grid. The theory states that producing excess power will cause your electrical meter to reverse, thus creating credits to your monthly energy bill.
Nothing we talked about here is illegal, but its time for a reality check. To create excess you need a lot of power, which varies from the amount of energy usage and you personal demands. It would be hard to become a part time energy supplier based on the current solar panels on the market.
But, it is entirely possible to produce just enough power to reduce your energy bills by $10 or $20 bucks per month.
There are two processes one can choose when building if budget is an issue, using old broken solar cells wired together by you would be one choice, or a wholesaler can supply you with inexpensive larger solar cells which you would then still wire together yourself.
the basic concept is to make a working panel by utilizing the broken solar cells wiring Put together a group of similar sized chips. A multimeter or voltmeter measures the power output. When wiring solar panels, whatever the power produced is as large as the lowest power cell. If you would group a cell that gives of 200mv with another cell that gives of 65mv, both would be at the 65mv level.
After you have wired and soldered the cells, connect them to the bus or a gauge wire. Here's the basic concept, placing the cells on wood or another material, and topping with plexi-glass, seal the unit and that's all there is to it. To increase the power try connecting the bus leads to another array and then connect it to the battery.
You can also add a charge switch or charge controller which avoids letting the battery become overcharged, a diode which prevents power from reverse flowing to the panels at night, a power inverter so the battery power can be converted to A/C power, etc.
Building a panel out of new or slightly used solar cells that are whole involves the same basic process, except there is less soldering and electrical construction. The cells are already whole and probably wired, and if you buy or obtain several cells that are rated the same, you can be confident connecting them in series without a serious drop in power.
Broken solar cells can often be purchased cheaply, for example from highway departments. Whole solar cells you will almost always have to pay a premium for, and they can get pricey very quickly. Some solar cells may not produce any more power and some cells are inconsistent in the power they give off.
Whole solar panels will almost always give you more power than broken or chipped ones, based on a piece by piece comparison. Five whole solar panels even at 9x9 inches will give you more power generation capability than five chipped pieces wired correctly.
The DIY method of building a panel out of chipped solar cells may work for you -- that is if you don't mind soldering cells together and weeding out the ones that no longer function. The size of the panel is up to you.
Although the whole panel method is more expensive it's a lot easier and doesn't require as much effort. Let's talk costs - whole panels around 9x9 inches may run you $6-$10 each. By contrast you may be able to score 20 or 30 2"x2" or 3"x3" chipped panels for around $25, which is a little over a buck each.
The amount of power generated depends on the number of cells engaged, and their output capacity. Also, don't forget the brighter the light source is, the more power is produced.
If you're looking for more ways to lower your energy bill and save energy by using alternate energy forms and wise conservation, look for my no-cost energy conservation blog. It features critiques of energy items, complimentary advice on conserving energy, methods of lowering energy costs and so on. Check out our web site in order to begin saving today==> http://www.utilitybillbusters.com
Disclaimer: All information on this site is provided for informational purposes only! By no means is any
information presented herein intended to substitute for the advice provided to you by any health care or other professional
or organization.
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