http://www.EnergyBrainiac.com – How to Make Solar – A Quick And Easy 101 Guide to Solar Energy Production
Making a solar at home is quite a daunting task and something that shouldn’t be attempted without fully committing oneself to a great deal of work. It may not be rocket science but it is certainly a tricky and laborious process. If you are the type of person who thinks a hammer is nothing but am odd-shaped door stop, it may be in your best interest to leave the solar construction to professionals.
Having said that, making your own solar s can really be a rewarding home project and by taking on such a project yourself you can significantly cut your costs – by 50 to 80% – over a commercially available solar .
Since the prohibitive cost of solar s is in large part due to the high price of solar cells, you will achieve most of your cost reduction by purchasing damaged and used solar cells from sites such as Ebay. After that, using your ingenuity and some handy DIY skills, the only thing between you and a working solar is time and effort.
For now however, let’s take on a much more simple task and make a single solar cell. This project is great fun and can show the basic and simple concept behind solar energy.
What You Will Need:
1. Copper sheeting.
2. Two alligator clip lead cables.
3. A sensitive micro-ammeter you can find this at Radio Shack.
4. An electric stove or a one burner hot plate should you have a gas stove . If you are buying a hot plate make sure it’s at least 1100 watts.
5. A large clear plastic bottle. Think 2 Liter Coke or Mineral Water bottles with the top cut off.
6. A few tablespoons of salt.
7. Water.
8. Sand paper, steel wool or a wire brush attachment for an electric drill.
9. Metal sheers.
How It’s Done: Cut a piece of copper sheeting at approximately the size of the stove burner. Make sure to thoroughly clean the copper sheet using sandpaper or steel wool to remove any sulfide and/or light corrosion. Heat the copper sheet on the burner on the highest heat setting As the copper increases its’ temperature the color will turn black with a layer of cupric oxide. This is normal. Let the copper “cook” for around 30 minutes. After 30 minutes turn of the burner and let the copper cool. It will shrink – also quite normal. The black cupric oxide will begin to flake and detach as both the oxide and copper shrink. It will take approximately 20 minutes for the copper to cool, at which point you will need to remove any excess cupric oxide black film left on the copper. You can scrub lightly with your hands under your tap. At this point cut another piece of copper at exactly the same size and dimensions as the “cooked” copper. Place both copper sheets into the plastic bottle, bending them carefully to fit and ensuring they do not touch. Attach the two alligator clips to each sheet, connecting the positive lead from the “Clean copper sheet” to the positive terminal of the meter, and the negative lead the “cooked” copper sheet to the negative terminal of the meter. Mix your 2 tablespoons of salt in with some hot water. Stir until the salt is dissolved. Carefully pour the salt water into the plastic bottle being careful to avoid pouring onto the leads. A good rule of thumb is to leave at least an inch between the water and the leads so you can move around the device with relative ease.
A solar cell is a battery, so you can expect that even in the dark your meter will show a few microamps of current. Don’t expect that it will light a baseball field though, and it would take acres of these literally to power your house. I sincerely doubt there would be enough power generated by this to power a light bulb. However, once you put this device in the sunlight you will see the meter jump to 30+ microamps of current – which would be enough to use your new solar cell as a light meter or light detector.
advantages alternative benefits bill build cell cells cheap conservation cost costs diy earth earth4energy earthenergy efficiency efficient electric electricity eliminate energy environment free fuel generate generator global green grid heat heater help home homemade house how instructions kits live make manufacturer market money natural panel panels plant power renewable residential resources review save scam sell solar sun system technology transformers turbine turbines wind windmills work
Duration : 0:1:37
Add A Comment