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Author Topic: cheap do it yourself DIY solar cells from alufoil  (Read 40239 times)

hartiberlin

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cheap do it yourself DIY solar cells from alufoil
« on: September 02, 2007, 12:07:58 AM »
Hi All,
did anyone of you already try to make solar cells from
using Alufoil as the back electrode ?

I am looking for a really cheap method how to do
a selfmade homemade solar cell, that everyone can make
at home and can at least achieve 1 to 5 %  efficiency
but with really cheap materials, like
Alufoil, Titandioxid, Graphite and a cheap electrolyte
like in a Graetzel cell.

The question still is, what to use as the front transparent conductive
electrode layer ?

Has anyone read already the patents from Nanosolar.com, what they
are using as a printable transparent front electrode ?

What are the parameters of the p-n area layer between the different materials
that convert sunlight into electricity.
As I understand it, this layer area must be very thin in the micrometer
or nanometer range for efficient electricity generation.

Maybe one who understands the solar theory can
explain it in simple words how the sun?s photon energy
can transfer electrons in  the p-n layer from one
energy potentail layer well to a higher potential and thus
crossing the p-n-layer well barrier.

What dissimular metals could be used to do this
instead of a p-n-layer ?

Also would it be possible just to use some kind
of electroplating some other metals onto alufoil to
achieve this ?

If anybody has worked in this area already, please
post your experience with it.

Imagine being able to build very cheap solar cells
from alufoil you buy cheap at your supermarket
and just paint  them with a mix of titandioxid
and graphite and stick a bit of silverwire ontop of it
and thus get for around 1 US$ a 1 x 1 meter cell
which can output 10 Watts in direct sunlight...

Many thanks.
Regards. Stefan.
« Last Edit: September 02, 2007, 09:19:39 AM by hartiberlin »

hansvonlieven

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Re: cheap do it yourself DIY solar cells from alufoil
« Reply #1 on: September 02, 2007, 07:48:07 AM »
G'day Stefan,

Please correct me if I'm wrong, but I have always thought that you cannot electroplate aluminium.

Hans von Lieven

hartiberlin

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Re: cheap do it yourself DIY solar cells from alufoil
« Reply #2 on: September 02, 2007, 09:15:48 AM »
Hi Hans,
yes, Aluminiumfoil builds up a small layer of aluminiumoxid ontop of it,
but Aluminiumfoil could be just used with Titandioxid and graphite maybe.
The question is, what donators have to be implemented to get a right
p-n- layer to extract the photon energy or if just dissimular metals
are enough to get a simular bandgap to convert photons into electricity...

What about using maybe heated Weinsteinacid with Fluorescin
which is a phosphorescent  and stores light energy.
Maybe this could be used additionally to store the light energy or
has the right band gap interval to convert light energy more efficiently ?
Also all the other phosphorescent salts that glow in the dark,
maybe they can be used to convert light energy to electrical energy
in the right setup ?

What about electroplating steel sheets or copper foils with other
materials ?
Did somebody try this yet ?
What must be the right bandgap distance level to convert sunlight photons most
efficiently to electrical energy ?
Is it just about 0.5 ElectronVolts as it is about in silizium solar cells ?

hansvonlieven

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Re: cheap do it yourself DIY solar cells from alufoil
« Reply #3 on: September 02, 2007, 10:11:11 PM »
G'day Stefan

Is this the sort of thing you are looking for?

Us patent application 20060060237    Formation of Solar Cells on Foil Substrates (attached)

alternatively here is another way to make your own solar cells cheaply:

http://www.solideas.com/solrcell/english.html

Greetings
Hans von Lieven

helmut

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Re: cheap do it yourself DIY solar cells from alufoil
« Reply #4 on: September 02, 2007, 10:22:48 PM »

hansvonlieven

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Re: cheap do it yourself DIY solar cells from alufoil
« Reply #5 on: September 02, 2007, 10:48:55 PM »
G'day again,

Another way to do it with aluminium foil, not so do it yourself this time,but interesting just the same.

http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn3380

Hans von Lieven

triffid

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Re: cheap do it yourself DIY solar cells from alufoil
« Reply #6 on: September 03, 2008, 11:20:49 PM »
Does anyone here know about the screenprinting process for making solar cells?In the early 90's I made some copper oxide solar cells that worked.They did not have a lot of power however.I see the screenprint process for making solar cells advertized for sale.But have not run across much in the way of free info on itTriffid

triffid

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Re: cheap do it yourself DIY solar cells from alufoil
« Reply #7 on: September 03, 2008, 11:25:12 PM »
I have made homemade zinc oxide which is conductive like tin oxide.These two oxides carry a current and the tin oxide dries clear.The zinc oxide is a white color and it's used in a lot of paints and pigments.I guess I could make tin oxide too.Just need some tin metal as a starting material.Triffid

triffid

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Re: cheap do it yourself DIY solar cells from alufoil
« Reply #8 on: September 05, 2008, 08:11:09 PM »
I go to a lot of garage sales and try to buy "glow in the dark stuff "when I find it.I have my bathroom set up to trap some light when I get up at night and turn the light on.It takes a few minutes for the glow to subside.I have about 10 "glow in the dark" items setting in my bathroom.It helps me in my free energy work.If I can see it then I can more easily understand it. What I should do with electricity, heat,magnetizm,etc.Triffid

triffid

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Re: cheap do it yourself DIY solar cells from alufoil
« Reply #9 on: October 22, 2008, 07:27:39 PM »
I have found the process for making solar cells by using aluminum foil as the backside(pos side).If I can get the number of the japanese patent for screen printing solar cells(1996) I should have the whole process.The answer was in another thread here.I still  need that patent number.Triffid

Mark69

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Re: cheap do it yourself DIY solar cells from alufoil
« Reply #10 on: October 22, 2008, 08:15:09 PM »
@Triffid,

try one of these patent numbers:
5928438
5726065

Hope that helps,
Mark


hartiberlin

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Re: cheap do it yourself DIY solar cells from alufoil
« Reply #12 on: October 23, 2008, 06:12:23 PM »
I tried yeasterday to build an
alufoil solar cell on the basis of a Graetzel cell.

I tried it this way.

I scratched the alufoil with sandpaper a bit,
but my alufoil was too thin, so I used directly
the alufoil from the box , so there is always a
small Aluminiumoxid layer on it.


Then I put ( dissolved) Titandioxid TiO2 into IsoPropylalcohol 98 %
and smeared it in a very thin layer onto the alufoil.
Then I heated up the Alufoil on
the plate of my electro kitchen stove
to get some of the TiO2 into the Al2O3 oxid and
build a PN layer...

Then I use a hibiscus tea in destilled water mixed with table salt solution as the electrolyte onto it
and sprayed that hibiscus tea -tablesalt-solution onto the alufoil with the
Titandioxid.

Then I used some graphite brush to have contact
with the
hibiscus tea table salt solution and
measured the voltage between
the alufoil and the graphite brush.

It was around 0.7 Volts
but there was no light sensivity of this cell.
It was a pure galvanic effect.

So basically I just built only a galvanic battery cell.

Hmm, I have to find out, how I really can build
a PN junction layer with Alufoil and other materials
or I really have to go with a
mix of Indium-TinOxid on glas and TiO2 as the PN-Layer.

The real secret of the Graetzel cell is purely where exactly
the PN- junction is located and I guess it is the very thin layer of
the conducting Indium-Tin-Oxid bounded to the TiO2 layer.

This InZnOxid and TiO2 forms the PN junction which is
sensitive for the light and the Jodid electrolyte is only
for the current conduction and can also be replaced by other
electrolytes..

Okay, so how do I now make my own cheap
conducting Indium-Tin-Oxid glas plates ?

Or does anybody have an idea to still use the Alufoil
for the backplate of a solar cell ?

Many thanks.

Regards, Stefan.

triffid

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Re: cheap do it yourself DIY solar cells from alufoil
« Reply #13 on: October 23, 2008, 07:53:48 PM »
I went ahead and made hard copies of patents 5928438 and 5726065.I will take them home tonight and see if I have a match with the info I already have.As far as I understand the process the aluminum foil is on the bottom and acts as the pos electrode.Then something is put on the foil,allowed to dry then baked at 600 degrees F for 3 to 5 minutes.Once cooled down something else is put on top ,allowed to dry ,then baked at 600 degrees F for 3 to 5 minutes.Then last a metal paste is placed on top  and allowed to dry,but no baking! This top layer then acts as the neg electrode of the cell.An outdoor grill is mentioned in the article as a good way to achieve these temps.Thanks to those of you who helped with the numbers.Triffid

triffid

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Re: cheap do it yourself DIY solar cells from alufoil
« Reply #14 on: October 23, 2008, 07:57:34 PM »
I should add that that last layer(metal paste) is put down in a screen pattern,not as a solid layer.Triffid