Build Your Own Solar Panel

Written by Malc

Sunday, 25 November 2007

Build Your Own Solar Pane Facts

The fact that manufacturing solar panels in a strict quality controlled area in a factory, there is no reason why you shouldn't experiment by trying to build your own solar panel to check out how the sun's energy is made into usable electrical energy. Although silicone is you use to make the more efficient solar panels, you could build your own solar panel by using cuprous oxide, which is another material which can be used to turn the sun's energy into electricity. You can create cuprous oxide on a thin copper sheet.

Here's a plan for what you will need, approximately 1 square foot of thing copper plate, a couple of crocodile clips, short wire leads, a glass jar with a wide neck, salt, and tap water. You also require a voltmeter that is capable of measuring small amounts of electricity. To build your own solar panel, you will require a hot plate or an electric stove to be able to heat the copper sheeting. Start by placing the copper sheet on the burner, which is set to high and leave It there for around half an hour.

As the copper plate heats up it will start changing color and show the outline of the heating coil. As the copper plate gets hotter it will start to get darker in color until it is covered in a black coating. Once the copper sheet is completely black turn off the heat and let it cool for approximately 20 minutes or so, as it cools cuprous oxide coating will peel off the sheet, leaving a coating of red on the copper sheet. You will need this red coating in order to build your own solar panel, and you should only wash the black off and not try to remove it in any other way.

Producing electricity with the help of salt water:

Connect the copper sheet to one side of the glass jar (on the top )with the aid of the crocodile clips, and attach a second clean copper sheet to the opposite side of the jar. Then get some hot tap water and mix approximately 2 tablespoons of salt into it, and once the salt as dissolved into the water pour it into the jar, making sure it doesn't touch the crocodile clips. Lastly, make sure the two copper sheets are submerged in the water, leaving about 1 inch exposed. Congratulations, you have just build your own solar panel, all be it an experimental one.

Now the time has come to test your experimental solar panel, you can do is by putting it in front of the window or taking it outside into the sunlight. By connecting the voltmeter to the two crocodile clips it will show the amount of electrical power being generated by the Suns rays, this will also prove you were able to build your own solar panel.

Hopefully, this will encourage you to either start building your own solar panel or to look at buying some from a reputable solar panel manufacturer. Either way, you will be taking a positive step towards helping the environment.

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