Categories: Featured Articles » Interesting electrical news
Number of views: 72603
Comments on the article: 11
Homemade solar panels and their industrial counterparts
Nowadays, people can not do without gadgets about which their parents did not even have an idea. Even when going on hikes and on picnics, they take laptops, camcorders, gps navigators, televisions, music centers, etc. with them.
Electric sockets have not yet been integrated into the surrounding trees, and batteries have the ability to discharge. Therefore, renewable energy sources are becoming especially relevant. One of them is solar panels.
Homemade Solar Panels
Choice of homemade or industrial solar panelsThis is a choice of cash expenses and hobbies. A man or woman whose hands are attached to the right place is quite capable of making a homemade solar battery in one two weeks. Money gain for a battery with a capacity of about 60 watts, it turns out about $ 150-200.
Where to buy accessories?
One element, 8x15 cm in size, excludes customs clearance and delivery of $ 1.8-2. For a battery with a power of 50-60 W, you need 36-40 cells. Some stock is needed to replace items damaged during transportation, as they are very fragile.
Shopping tricks
It is better to buy materials and components on eBay in small batches, in this case you can save on customs payments. In addition to solar cells, you will need tinned flat bus wires to combine the elements into a common battery, POS-61 fusible solder, schottky diodes, glue, flux, plexiglass, textolite or plywood, double-sided tape, aluminum corners and fasteners. You can buy a lot in domestic stores. It is better to choose solar cells with already soldered conclusions, because independent soldering of these conclusions is very laborious.
Technology tips
First of all, you need to determine the substrate material, i.e. with what solar cells will be mounted on. It is easier to use plywood, but if we talk about durability, it is better to use plexiglass. On the side of the incidence of sunlight, a thin 2 mm, on the side of the substrate a thick 4-6 mm.
Elements are glued to plexiglass using thick double-sided tape. With the help of several layers of adhesive tape, you can adjust the distance between the external and internal plexiglas, i.e. the thickness of the assembly within which the solar cells are located. The ends of the assembly are sealed with silicone sealant. You can strengthen the ends with aluminum corners.
Results and measurements
If you did everything and connected correctly, then at idle (without load) your battery should give out about 21-22 V, under a load of 17-18V at a current of 3-3.5 A. Thus, we have an output power of about 60 watts. A schottky diode is a diode with a low voltage drop, i.e. with low losses on the transition. It must be used if you are charging the battery using a solar panel. In the absence of sun, the diode does not allow the battery to discharge due to reverse current.
What does the industry offer?
Take for example the TSM-60 module. This is a 60 W glass solar battery measuring 102x48x3.8 cm, weighing 6 kg. The voltage under load 17V, current 3.5 A. This product is worth 10,700 rubles. or about $ 370. The smallest battery TSM-15 (15 W) costs 4,500 rubles.
Solar Installation Tricks
It is clear that it is best to install solar panels in the least shaded places and as high as possible so that their "daylight hours" have a maximum duration. It was experimentally established that the front side of the solar battery should be oriented south, with a deviation of no more than 20 degrees.
If we talk about the angle relative to the horizon, then for a year-round system, this angle should be equal to the geographical latitude of the installation point. If the solar battery is used only in the summer, then this angle should be equal to the latitude of the area minus 15 degrees.Ideal systems with a change in angle, depending on the position of the sun, i.e. motorized. But such drives are quite expensive. Usually, solar panels are placed simply on the roof slope.
Solar and windmill operation
Many firms offer autonomous power supply systems that integrate multiple sources of renewable energy. For example, it can be a wind power station, a small hydroelectric power station and a solar battery.
Next, a control and stabilization module with a battery controller and the battery itself are used. In this case, at least one energy source almost always works. With the annual steady increase in electricity prices, such systems are becoming increasingly popular.
conclusions
Of course, everyone chooses what to spend money on. But if we talk about preserving the environment, about a good ecology, then solar panels are an ideal solution. From year to year, their efficiency increases.
In addition, there are devices such as solar collectors. These are devices for direct collection and utilization of solar heat in the home. A tandem of solar panels and solar collectors is even more efficient.
Try to do something with your own hands, and your life will become more interesting. Perhaps you will make new friends or build your own business.
Read also on this topic: Solar Power For Home
See also at bgv.electricianexp.com
: