Did
you know that Albert Einstein got his Nobel Prize for
his famous explanation on photoelectric effect? The
effect is the result of natural elements like silicon
getting charged on direct exposure to sunlight.
Photovoltaic (PV) principles are used to build solar
panels.
Solar
panel is a device that converts the sun’s energy in the
form of protons in sunlight, into electricity. However,
a highly refined quality of silicon is required for such
productions.
The
Sun has always been the primary source of energy for
humans since time immemorial. As habitants of mother
earth, we should primarily practice the usage of the
energy and resources available to us free by the nature.
But we have not been doing that – it is only in recent
years that we have started considering alternative
energy sources.
Solar
power is among the most popular alternative energy
sources today. To get solar power, you need solar
panels. So can you build your own
solar panels? The answer is
‘yes’.
How
to build your own solar
panels?
To
start with, you need a square foot of copper flashing,
free from any dirt or oxidation. Sandpaper can be used
to clean it. Place your copper sheet onto your electric
stove at its highest setting and let it grill for half
an hour till it gets a think black layer. Remove and let
it cool. Now take the sandpaper and clean a corner of it
back to shiny copper, it is where you will solder an
insulated wire. This is the negative
lead.
For
the positive plate, take a U-shaped copper flashing,
slightly bigger than the previous rectangular one. At
one corner of it, you can solder an insulated wire to
create the positive lead.
Now
take the U-shaped sheet and cover it with silicon glue
with few gaps here and there including the solder
connection and stick it to an acrylic or plastic window.
Glue the other side of the U-shaped sheet leaving some
spaces and stick the rectangular copper sheet. The glue
acts as an insulator between the two metals as well as
create a gap between them. Please note the shinier side
should face the plastic window, so that this window is
the front of this panel which faces the source of
light.
Fill
the gap between the metals with salt water and cover the
top with generous amount of silicon glue. Leave it to
dry and harden for about half an hour and then you have
your solar cell which you can then, using the positive
and negative leads, connect to a
component.
The
thick black layer on copper is Cuprous oxide which is a
semi conductor. When protons of sunrays fall on this
metal, the electrons gain energy to conduct electricity.
Now you know that
such a system can be effectively built in one's house
but one need to know how to build such a system, where
to buy cheap parts, safety precautions, choosing
location, designing the house, finding free batteries
and wiring the system and you can find all the
information online.
There are so many advantages of solar power that you cannot ignore it anymore. But not only do you need to know how to build your own solar panels, you will also need to know where to set it up in your home and how to install it properly. You need a guide that will show you how to wire the system and where to get the batteries and the parts cheaply from. Plus, the guide should also tell you about the safety precautions.
