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Author Topic: Finally : cheap DIY selfmade solar cell with common materials !  (Read 207051 times)

Steven Dufresne

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Re: solar cell
« Reply #75 on: April 14, 2009, 04:45:57 AM »
I have a solar cell which generates 3.7volts [/glow] and I believe it generates 17.6 milliamps. The setting is at 200m on my meter. I need 12volts - 55watts and 4.58amps. How many solar cells do I need in parallel or series?

To increase the voltage, connect in series. In series, the voltages add but the current stays the same.
To increase the current, connect in parallel. In parallel, the currents add but the voltage stays the same.

So for 12 volts, you need 4 in series (12 divided by 3.7 equals 3.24, then round up to 4).
For 4.58 amps, you need 260 in parallel (4.58 divided by 0.0176).
So 4 multiplied by 260 equals 1040 solar cells needed. For the requested voltage you'd connect 4 cells in series but then for the requested current you'd need to make 260 of these series strings and then connect them all in parallel, hence 1040 cell in total.

What exactly are you trying to do?
-Steve
http://rimstar.org   http://wsminfo.org

ResinRat2

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Re: Finally : cheap selfmade solar cell with common materials !
« Reply #76 on: April 15, 2009, 03:43:09 AM »
Well I took the carbon black pigment + dispersing agent + solvent and reduced it down by mixing colloidal magnesium and colloidal silver with it to help dope the coating. This I mixed well and painted a light layer with a fine modelling brush on the shiny side of an aluminum foil sheet. I baked this outside on our Foreman Grill at the maximum heat setting for about 10 minutes and it formed a very nice and thin black film.

On top of this film I brushed another thin layer of superconductive carbon pigment and baked it again. My reasoning was from a modification of the paper that Nanosolar has on its website, "HIGH-PERFORMANCE THIN-FILM PHOTOVOLTAICS USING LOW-COST PROCESS TECHNOLOGY".  I was hoping that I could create a sequence of doping additives that mimicked the CIGS (Cesium, Indium, Gallium, and Selenium) that is discussed in the paper.

I chose Carbon, Magnesium, Silver, and Aluminum as the sequence and Baked the layers in the hope that by shining sunlight on this cell a current would be produced. Unfortunately my camera batteries died and at the moment we cannot find the charger (I hate my house!!). This was to give a sequential order of Ionization energy (eV) from Aluminum as the lowest at 5.9858 eV and Carbon as the highest at 11.2603 eV.

Tommorrow I will cut the cell to size and see if I can get a current going. I really want to develop a cheap cell. This whole business of super-expensive solar cells, and cheap solar cell sold out to the government and the military is driving me crazy.  I will post the pictures as soon as my crazy family can find the charger for the camera.

Thanks for your interest.

RR2
« Last Edit: April 15, 2009, 01:43:24 PM by ResinRat2 »

infringer

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Re: Finally : cheap selfmade solar cell with common materials !
« Reply #77 on: April 15, 2009, 05:19:47 AM »
Sweet deal resinrat2 ...

I think you have had a couple of interesting and logical projects on your plate between this and the clay pots who knows what your results will provide everyone with all I can say is that we know the technology is legit ...

I have a slight question for you the RR2 and I don't wanna sound like I am beating the dead to death here but would a piezoelectric crystal not provide electricity just from the expansion and contraction of heat from the sunlight I almost wonder if solar cells do not have this property I am sure it would've been mentioned before but it just seems like a logical thing to test...

ResinRat2

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Re: Finally : cheap selfmade solar cell with common materials !
« Reply #78 on: April 15, 2009, 01:51:43 PM »
Hi Infringer,

I haven't really looked into piezoelectric crystals so I have no idea. I was just trying to do a modification of the process from the paper on the Nanosolar website. If you happen to see any information where this could be true please post a link. Anything helpful is appreciated.

As far as the solar cooling pots, I am in the process of deciding what Stirling Engine to purchase. I am also waiting for the weather to warm up a bit in my area before I do any outside experiments. Cold, cloudy days have been the norm lately.

RR2

Doug1

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Re: Finally : cheap selfmade solar cell with common materials !
« Reply #79 on: April 15, 2009, 03:57:20 PM »
Ratman
   When ya get a moment read through this maybe it will give you some ideas for your concoctions of materials. It's a long read.
  http://www.faqs.org/patents/app/20080213467

  Plenty of other patents cited which you can look up. I like the way this is written,it's not completely written in lawer tardedness language. The carbon tax is gonna make the world cry a little bit more. I love watching stupid find friends in high places.

ResinRat2

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Re: Finally : cheap selfmade solar cell with common materials !
« Reply #80 on: April 15, 2009, 05:40:29 PM »
  I was hoping that I could create a sequence of doping additives that mimicked the CIGS (Cesium, Indium, Gallium, and Selenium) that is discussed in the paper.
I

Sorry, I meant (Copper (not Cesium) , Indium, Gallium, and Selenium)

My mistake.

Doug1

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Re: Finally : cheap selfmade solar cell with common materials !
« Reply #81 on: April 15, 2009, 07:06:40 PM »
 expensive stuff
http://ecommerce.indium.com/Paste/C55_1/
 What are you suppose to free base the unused portion?

ResinRat2

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Re: Finally : cheap selfmade solar cell with common materials !
« Reply #82 on: April 15, 2009, 08:07:19 PM »
expensive stuff
http://ecommerce.indium.com/Paste/C55_1/
 What are you suppose to free base the unused portion?

That's why I am not using it.

hydrocontrol

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Re: Finally : cheap selfmade solar cell with common materials !
« Reply #83 on: April 15, 2009, 08:19:09 PM »

As far as the solar cooling pots, I am in the process of deciding what Stirling Engine to purchase. I am also waiting for the weather to warm up a bit in my area before I do any outside experiments. Cold, cloudy days have been the norm lately.

RR2
Sounds like where I am at in Indiana.... LOL... Oh Wait.. You are in Indiana too...

ResinRat2

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Re: Finally : cheap selfmade solar cell with common materials !
« Reply #84 on: April 15, 2009, 08:42:47 PM »
Sounds like where I am at in Indiana.... LOL... Oh Wait.. You are in Indiana too...

Hydro...you are a funny Hoosier.

For a good laugh I also purchased that Survival Seed Bank of non-hybrid seeds they are advertising all over the conservative websites. I figure once the food-shortage crisis they predict will come to the US I will be able to feed my family while the starving gangs are roaming the streets. My garden will be perfectly safe because it is behind a flimsy wooden fence. LOL!!! So I am waiting for the weather to warm up so I can transplant my veggies too.  ;D

Some things make no sense; you just have to laugh.

ResinRat2

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Re: Finally : cheap selfmade solar cell with common materials !
« Reply #85 on: April 16, 2009, 12:03:03 AM »
Well my first solar cell did not work at all.  :-[ No voltage was seen between the front Aluminum side and the back Carbon side while in the sun. So it is back to trying to understand the mechanism. I am missing something simple. I think I will go back to the basic design that was shown on Youtube with the LED screens , TiO2, and plant dye. If I can build a version of that cell and then modify it one part at a time I could get it to work with the Carbon, Silver, Magnesium, and Aluminum design. Maybe a liquid electrolyte like Iodine was all that I needed; or maybe I needed longer heating times of the various layers to encourage them to meld?

hydrocontrol

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Re: Finally : cheap selfmade solar cell with common materials !
« Reply #86 on: April 16, 2009, 05:01:22 PM »
Hydro...you are a funny Hoosier.

For a good laugh I also purchased that Survival Seed Bank of non-hybrid seeds they are advertising all over the conservative websites. I figure once the food-shortage crisis they predict will come to the US I will be able to feed my family while the starving gangs are roaming the streets. My garden will be perfectly safe because it is behind a flimsy wooden fence. LOL!!! So I am waiting for the weather to warm up so I can transplant my veggies too.  ;D

Some things make no sense; you just have to laugh.
Getting the Survival Seed Bank of non-hybrid seeds is on my list. Liked your Fuel cell research. Shows great promise. I am working on replication of Thane Heins interesting generator. Been collecting magnets and wire so any available extra $$ is going that way at the moment. I figure food and energy are at the top of the survival list. Got plenty of wind were we live so a wind generator can be used for the energy part when the oil prices go back up this summer. Another month and it should be safe to plant seeds so I am holding off on the seed order. Like you I see the train wreck coming... That light in the tunnel is getting bigger and it is far away from the end of the tunnel so I know it is not the light. ;)

PhiScience

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Re: Finally : cheap selfmade solar cell with common materials !
« Reply #87 on: April 16, 2009, 06:17:43 PM »
Hay fellow Hoosiers,

 Were I work we use a lot of high performance glass called Low-E Glass. This glass has a very thin plating of metal and is very conductive. I have been told by the company that makes the glass Cardinal CG that the metal used to plate the glass is mostly silver.   
http://www.cardinalcorp.com/products_coated_270/270.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Low-emissivity

Not sure if this glass can be useful in building a PV cell but if you want to try it I can get some over to you.

Wayne   

Doug1

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Re: Finally : cheap selfmade solar cell with common materials !
« Reply #88 on: April 17, 2009, 11:18:14 AM »
Res
 what are you using for the transparent electrode?

hydrocontrol

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Re: Finally : cheap selfmade solar cell with common materials !
« Reply #89 on: April 17, 2009, 05:04:08 PM »
For a good laugh I also purchased that Survival Seed Bank of non-hybrid seeds they are advertising all over the conservative websites. I figure once the food-shortage crisis they predict will come to the US I will be able to feed my family while the starving gangs are roaming the streets. My garden will be perfectly safe because it is behind a flimsy wooden fence. LOL!!! So I am waiting for the weather to warm up so I can transplant my veggies too.  ;D

A little off topic but related to you growing your own food. A grow box project using cheap Christmas LED lights. Looks like something I would do.. ;)

http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/lights/msg03142147677.html?18

Lots of large pictures so it take awhile to load..