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Author Topic: Finally : cheap DIY selfmade solar cell with common materials !  (Read 207042 times)

Hugo Chavez

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Re: Finally : cheap selfmade solar cell with common materials !
« Reply #15 on: February 26, 2009, 05:26:13 AM »
I have a question on the dyes being used.  I'm pretty sure these dyes have very poor lightfastness.  They fade fast in light, especially uv exposure.  So are these cells going to have as short of a lifespan as the dye used?


Here's a pdf with good description and instructions.
http://www.camse.org/scienceonthemove/documents/DSSC_manual.pdf

jadaro2600

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Re: Finally : cheap selfmade solar cell with common materials !
« Reply #16 on: February 26, 2009, 06:53:14 AM »
There must be a lack of interest from day one. How can it be, that we get as far as we have with technology, and most scientists an especially the world leaders, have completely ignored that big ball of energy all these years ?

People tend to ignore that which is right in front of them - it's hypnotic desensitization and it's hard as hell to snap out of it if not impossible.  Sometimes I think people are just afraid to think - I fear even I may be victim of such a fear sometimes.

capthook

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Re: Finally : cheap selfmade solar cell with common materials !
« Reply #17 on: February 26, 2009, 10:03:23 AM »
The problem with any home-made solar cells is efficiency.

Most of the ideas floating around the internet would require an array larger than a football field.

Example 1: 1 cell: .2V @ 1mA = 0.0002 watts (500,0000 cells to get 100 watts)
Example 2: 1 cell: .4V @ 4mA = 0.0016 watts (62,500 cells to get 100 watts)

Even the 'new fangled printed' cells from companies like NanoSolar exhibit much lower efficiencies than the traditional silicion cells (~5% vs. ~16%).  But at least the dramatically lower cost of fabrication ends up making them more cost effective, even though it requires an installed area more than 3x larger.

To make homemade cells that exhibit say 5% efficiency would be worthwhile.
But to make 500,000 cells to get a tiny 100 watts is not practical.

Anyone know how to make a homemade cell of 5% efficiency?  :-\

I built a nice little panel this Sunday with some small cells 16+ volts output...

Looks like 36 cells @ 16 V = 0.44 V per cell.......
What is the full output?  How much current, how many watts?
Thanks for the pic and nice job!
« Last Edit: February 26, 2009, 10:24:48 AM by capthook »

Doug1

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Re: Finally : cheap selfmade solar cell with common materials !
« Reply #18 on: February 26, 2009, 11:53:33 AM »
 If you people put half as much work into the home made cells as you do into the nutter projects you could have ended up with a big JT run off the sun and a modest amount of storage batteries. Something tangible that could be cutting down on personal electric bills or supplying extra heat. Almost certainly enough energy to operate a 1/8 th hp pump to move water through a geothermal heat pump system given some of the motor concepts that use so little power with the BEMF methods.
  Granted not everyone has the same needs but forward movement which has tangible benefits will become contagious and the momentum toward usable experimental designs or thoughts will drag the other ideas along the same path. To produce usable tangible improvements. Don't get me wrong I come here every day and it is almost always entertaining.It is surely helping to stretch my imagination,but at some point this is either purely entertainment or of some type of use that can improve the human condition.
   The dyes for a printed cell from fruits is not UV stable but there are additives that can change that. More important is "what is it about the dyes that makes them work" and what ells will work that is better then dyes and already stable and readily available? Can all these materials be printed onto a T shirt transfer and then ironed onto a piece of carbon copy paper or sheet of plastic? If a person could produce usable power with a pay back in under two yrs more people would be willing to give it a try on a working scale rather then a bench top toy.

Doug1

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Re: Finally : cheap selfmade solar cell with common materials !
« Reply #19 on: February 26, 2009, 12:46:43 PM »
 This statement is from the file DSSC manual pdf. The cells of this construct are more worthy of experimentation then the crystaline cells for this reason alone.

"Dye-sensitized solar cells are innovative solar cells that scientists are developing. These
cells have a lot of potential because they can be made with low-cost materials and manufactured
at a low cost. Dye-sensitized cells can work effectively in low light, such as cloudy skies, where
traditional cells lose some of their energy. Also, traditional models lose energy to heat. Dyesensitized
solar cells are less susceptible to losing energy to heat."

  Now if you go look up all the classic definitions and uses of the materials you can even stroke your need for the nutter butter science since there are dia-magnetic properties in some of the oxides. Doubt you'll bend time or space or get a visit from Elvis but it seems to lend itself to polarization through some discrete method. Who knows maybe it will even spark a connection in some function of material properties that will warrant a visit from the King.

infringer

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Re: Finally : cheap selfmade solar cell with common materials !
« Reply #20 on: February 27, 2009, 03:39:14 AM »
Approx 10watts of output capthook 12 max...

As for dyes that fade well why not get together and work to find some way to prevent this?
I've seen it done before on projects that were way far fetched...

We know this technology works really why not work together to make something come of it not for the money or fame or whatever but for energy freedom for all of us...

I just received my Ti02 and arctic silver compound in the mail...
Now I will need to purchase a nice heat gun anyone know of a good heat gun for cheap?

I will be doing some testing rather soon though...

But I also ordered some more cells for production of energy.

I have been making simple steps for the past couple years on going greener:

- All light bulbs that I use are now CFL bulbs one of the easiest things to do.

- All Television and monitors in the home are now LCD

- I just received a digital programmable thermostat in the mail soon that will be installed it has 4 times a day settings for every day of the week... So I will set it to say 70F when home and awake 62F when gone and 65F during sleeping hours...

-Now one of my next big things and maybe someone can lead me on this is I want my LCD's and other electronics that dont need to run to be completely off now power leakage in standby aside from select items like cordless phones and the cable box. RF remote controlled way of doing so would be nice one button to completely cut all power from the selected devices.

- My computers I am looking into complete standby at certain times and to resume at other times of the day.

- Ordered more solar cells to build another panel or 3 ;)


I do wonder if anyone is familiar with micro grid tie units...

THIS ONE:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Micro-Grid-Tie-Inverter-Solar-cell-Panel-Wind-generator_W0QQitemZ270348270391QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item270348270391&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1205|66%3A2|65%3A12|39%3A1|240%3A1308|301%3A1|293%3A1|294%3A50

Claims to hook up the output energy from the panel to the grid tie and run a power cord out from the unit which will in turn supply energy somehow or another. Anyone have a personal expirence

Hugo Chavez

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Re: Finally : cheap selfmade solar cell with common materials !
« Reply #21 on: February 27, 2009, 03:50:05 AM »
As for dyes that fade well why not get together and work to find some way to prevent this?
I've seen it done before on projects that were way far fetched...


I'm just starting to learn about this.  Maybe they've already done that?  The only thing I can think of is to block the UV and that won't work for the cell.  This part interests me so if anyone has anything they've ran across on the lightfast angle of the dyes please post it.

Curly

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Re: Finally : cheap selfmade solar cell with common materials !
« Reply #22 on: February 27, 2009, 04:16:43 AM »
This is an interesting site from the CSIRO {Australia} about printable solar cells

http://www.csiro.au/multimedia/printable-solar-cells.html

nueview

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Re: Finally : cheap selfmade solar cell with common materials !
« Reply #23 on: February 27, 2009, 09:03:15 AM »

i seem to remember a demonstration by a fellow that he used a sheat of aluminum foil and two solutions of silica gel or water glass mixed with something can't remember if it was antimony for one and can't remember the other one but after the coat of one on the aluminum foil he coated it again with the other and put copper screen on top as it was drying he said that they were made easily and there output was fair seems like 6% wish i could recall the other chemical one made the p layer the other the negative the aluminum oxide of the foil makes a diode action as well sorry this is all i can remember about this.

nueview

Mark69

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Re: Finally : cheap selfmade solar cell with common materials !
« Reply #24 on: February 27, 2009, 04:38:00 PM »
@infringer

You can get a decent heatgun from HarborFreight.  I have used their heat guns many times stripping old paint.  They are $10-$15 and if you burn one out, you can return it for another (if burned out within a certian period of time, I have burned a few out). 

Also concerning dyes, I had an idea though it might not sound all that well, but what about using blood?  LOL Ok I am not a vampire, but heck you can use your own or get some from meat or whatever.  I dont think blood fades away all the easily?

Mark

triffid

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Re: Finally : cheap selfmade solar cell with common materials !
« Reply #25 on: February 27, 2009, 06:52:38 PM »
I do believe that there are stable inorganic dyes (instead of unstable organic dyes).I already know how to make copper oxide cells(but they deliver less than 1%).Maybe more effective to use solar heat to drive a steam driven generator?Triffid

triffid

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Re: Finally : cheap selfmade solar cell with common materials !
« Reply #26 on: February 27, 2009, 07:05:38 PM »
Check out Steven Harris's book"Sunshine to Dollars".He tells how to make all types of solar projects using low cost materials often free if you will ask for them and go pick them up.I found my copy on e-bay about 4 years ago.He tells how to get free solar panels.He also says making electricity with silicon is not the best way for solar power to go.I think we as a nation should be hellbent on going solar.Harris says making solar hot air collectors for a few dollars(or often just tens of dollars ) is the best use for solar(I do like making electricity myself).Then he says hot water solar collectors are a third as efficient.With silicon for electricity being the worse way to go.He says you can hook up solar hot air collectors to your home and realize instant gas heat savings for the next 2-50 years(depending on how well you build them).Triffid

triffid

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Re: Finally : cheap selfmade solar cell with common materials !
« Reply #27 on: February 27, 2009, 07:10:16 PM »
Every time I have watched a movie about time travel I have seen the sun shining in those movies.So I agree why ignore the big ball in the sky and the moon at night?We can use nuclear energy for the really dark regions of space.Triffid

Hugo Chavez

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Re: Finally : cheap selfmade solar cell with common materials !
« Reply #28 on: February 27, 2009, 07:22:33 PM »
I do believe that there are stable inorganic dyes (instead of unstable organic dyes).I already know how to make copper oxide cells(but they deliver less than 1%).Maybe more effective to use solar heat to drive a steam driven generator?Triffid
That's what I was wondering.  I got the initial impression that these needed to be organic?  If it's solely about catching a portion of the light spectrum then I think inorganic dyes would work.

hartiberlin

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Re: Finally : cheap selfmade solar cell with common materials !
« Reply #29 on: February 28, 2009, 03:15:34 PM »
i seem to remember a demonstration by a fellow that he used a sheat of aluminum foil and two solutions of silica gel or water glass mixed with something can't remember if it was antimony for one and can't remember the other one but after the coat of one on the aluminum foil he coated it again with the other and put copper screen on top as it was drying he said that they were made easily and there output was fair seems like 6% wish i could recall the other chemical one made the p layer the other the negative the aluminum oxide of the foil makes a diode action as well sorry this is all i can remember about this.

nueview

Wow,
that is very interesting.
Can you still try to look this up and post please more details ?
Did you see it yourself or wasit just a Webpage ?
6 % efficiency would be really nice for a selfbuild cell.

If it is a very cheap process anybody can build with cheap materials and chemicals
this would be the way to go.

Please try to locate the infos and post it here.

Many thanks in advance.

Regards, Stefan.