My Solar Power Set Up - Part 6 - Building a Panel - Conclusion

Ok, the weather finally cooled off and allowed me to finish the panel. I coated the whole thing in 4 coats of KILZ white sealer. I did not use pegboard for the cell mounting substrate because I didn't like the holes. I instead used 1/8" door skin which worked out excellent. I also did not glue the cells down with blobs of silicone. I decided to use 1" Scotch heavy duty mounting squares which are adhesive on both sides. You just peel the tape off of the outside and stick them down. I am not sure how these will work VS. silicone in the long run, but I experimented with a cell by sticking it onto a scrap piece of door skin and the bond was permanent. I had to destroy the cell to get it off of the scrap piece. So, hopefully they will work. All that is left to do now is get a piece of glass cut, silicone that down and put some aluminum channel on the outside. This entire thing is going to cost around $140 to build. The panel puts out 63 watts, 19.25 volts and 3.63 amps. Not bad.

[@OBXSOLWIND]

What great job you are doing must be gratifying to build your own panels and then test them. Thank you for your positive feedback. CHEERS WINDY NC

[@skippy3840]

@Maccan Thanks, I got them on ebay. There are lots of them on there, and you have to be careful to get exactly what you want. I learned alot in building this panel, and have some good ideas about how to make it easier next time.

[@mhdawso]

Understood. Thanks and good luck with the guitar!

[@DHarrisChillin]

very nice looking panel, that's sweet

[@cosmikat2003]

Good job.! thanks for share your passion...

[@skippy3840]

@Maccan Thanks. I was a little worried about the Scotch tabs myself. They did start to slip, and I had to secure them at the top bus wire with a thumbtack through the bus wire and into the wood. However, this panel is nearly vertical, and I believe that if it was laying flat or at something like 5 or 10 degrees that they would hold up just fine. I am going to experiment with a drop of superglue on each side of the tabs next time to see if that helps.

[@skippy3840]

@SwindleFlu No, it does not need to be wood. I have seen some that have the cells sandwiched in between two panes of glass, which is what I am going to try next time. I don't know about the chicken wire, as you do not want the cells or tabs to contact any metal and ground out. I think the varnish or poly would be a bad idea. There is an encapsulant made of sheet plastic that is available for this purpose.

[@skippy3840]

@VWRabbitdiesel The tape mounting worked pretty well, it slipped a little due to the vertical panel but if you laid it down there would be no problem. I used the same glass that you did, but I had to remove it and it broke so I went with plexi which I don't really like. No problem with any shading on the sides, we both have the same ideas on panels.

[@mhdawso]

Appreciate the time you put into your videos. I am gathering the parts necessary to start my project and have watched all of your videos and read every comment.... I still have a few questions: 1. Why did you end up changing the wire coming out of the inverter? 2. How do you test your batteries and do you have to add water? 3. How did you connect the new panel you made to the charge controller? Thanks again!

[@skippy3840]

@SwindleFlu Thats kind of what I figured after I wrote that. I think that the next one I make will be glass front and back also. This one is warping a little right now, but still working at 100% capacity. Right now, the three panels and 8 batteries I have generate more power than all of my lights and TV use every night, so the next panels will start to move me off grid in the daytime also. Keep it up...

[@skippy3840]

@VWRabbitdiesel Thats exactly what I was thinking of doing also, it is not really needed. I was just going to put a couple of stiffeners on the back of the panel so the main backing doesn't warp, then stick the cells right on the front side with the Scotch tabs. Should be ALOT easier to assemble.

[@skippy3840]

Thanks. I will post a short video on the finished, working product soon. If I decide to do another one, it will be a little different. This one is just too big and heavy.

[@skippy3840]

@mhdawso Thanks. I assume that you mean the main power wire from the batteries to the inverter. This needs to be as big as you can get. I let the charge controller keep the batteries charged, no need to test them, but I do check the water monthly and add some maybe twice a year. I connected the new panel with one of the combiner boxes that I came up with. Any more questions, please ask. Everyone should share their knowledge here.

[@mrbuki77]

Very nice looking panel. I'm sure it has taken some time to get to this point. I had thought about building my own, but have chosen to buy. Due to the fact that I do not have a secure, clean working area to put one together. My dog and 3 small kids would probably break something. I would try and get your cost down some more. I bought my 130watt panels for $1.98 per watt. Later from sunny FL

[@skippy3840]

Thanks. Yes, it has taken some time to get to here. This was kind of a test to see if I could actually make a panel and I think it will turn out pretty good. If I had to do it again, I would scout around and just buy. The price of panels is dropping pretty fast. Where are you at in FL? I am in Melbourne.

[@skippy3840]

@1971mgb Yeah, the cost was right at about $150. The only problem is that brand new factory 60w poly panels are selling on ebay for like $160. The prices have really come down. It is a good project to experiment with, but not too economical anymore.

[@skippy3840]

@mhdawso Yeah, it was a 12 guage extension cord, but I just switched it to regular 12-2 wire because it was easier to work with. There is no difference in voltage, my roof panels are 12v base and my home made panel is also 12v base. As you know, a 12v panel will actually put out more than 12v in operation.

[@skippy3840]

@arnie71 Thats because there aren't any on the panels. The charge controller that I am using performs the blocking function.

[@pgm98387]

nice work! save a pile of money!

[@skippy3840]

@VWRabbitdiesel No, those are not vent holes but the screws holding the substate down. I did not silicone down the plexi top, I just laid it on there and framed it with the metal edging to hold it on so it would vent. No problems so far even after some major rainstorms.

[@skippy3840]

@theno1katzman Because I didnt know what I was doing! For obvious reasons the panel is no longer working, so I am working on a larger panel that will be 76x34, will approximate 3 of the panels above, have an aluminum frame, and be encapsulated from the rear.

[@shartne]

@skippy3840 I used tempered safety glass so I wouldn't lose everything the first hail storm that comes along.

[@viol999]

Thanks for the vid. I noticed that factory made panels encapsulate the solar cells in some kind of a clear silicone, and they are essentially glued to the glass panel. I was wondering if you've had any problems with your system as far as fogging of the glass or expansion of the backer board causing the photo cells to crack?

[@mhdawso]

Actually, I was referring to the A/C output from the inverter. In your first video the cable appeared to be thicker (like an extension cord); you mentioned replacing it with 12/2... just wondering why? (does the 12/2 cable cut down on loss?)... So the difference in voltage doesn't cause a problem when combining the 12V (roof) panels with your 18V (home built) panel using your combiner box?

[@1971mgb]

Was thinking about building a panel but copped out when I found 200w units for a bit over 5bills . Did you ever figure out the total cost? Great work!

[@skippy3840]

@violinguy Actually, I gained most of my knowledge from watching other youtube videos! There are a few websites and various materials that you can read, but most want to charge you for the info. It takes a little while to put it all together, but once it clicks in your head it is pretty east to make a panel. A guy named Robert Smith has an excellent series on how to make a panel. His ID is RobertSmith3, check them out.

[@windoes98se]

is it bad to use silicone for the cells? i think i used silicone to secure my cell, isnt silicone a semiconducnter?