Homemade panels. 5th year...

[T-bones]

The panels are small and run small 12 volt fans from computer towers. The fans are in several solar-heaters I made. I made the panels 5 years ago and they've been loyal employees. One needs to be repainted because it's been outside the whole time but the others are brought in when I no longer need heat.
I have them positioned so that as the Sun hits the heaters it also hits the PV panels and they start automatically. They are slightly hotter than 12 volts but the fans have handled it for years. Also the fans slow down when a cloud passes. No batteries.

I also have 5 large panels that are about 80 watts each. Those were really a ton of work.

Are homemade solar panels worth it?

I've been working with my hands for over 50 years. I work as a carpenter/craftsman. The projects I've done with PV cells have been as challenging as any I've ever tried. That being said the answer is yes.

Yes, I said yes. However, I did it to prove I could but now with the price of factory made panels so low and going lower a person would be nuts not to go that route and take the UL approved factory guarantee.

My homemade panels will far out-live me.

TB

[FloridaSun]

I also have 5 large panels that are about 80 watts each. Those were really a ton of work.

Are homemade solar panels worth it?

Yes, I said yes. However, I did it to prove I could but now with the price of factory made panels so low and going lower a person would be nuts not to go that route and take the UL approved factory guarantee.TB

Good to hear of your success!
I'd be interested to know what your panels cost at today's prices using the methods/parts used 5 years ago.

[T-bones]

Cost...

I bought the cells from ebay about 7 or 8 years ago. They were cut cells that measured 2" x 6". I did not realize they were cut until I received them. Many were broke and most had hair-line cracks in them. It was a disaster. I returned a ton of them and the seller was an honerable and squared things up. I configured them for a 24 volt system so there's a million cells in each panel which was way too much fun. Not.

Anyway, I spent $800 on the cells which at the time was just under $2.00 a watt which was cheap. So with the cost of the glass which is double strength safty glass and the cost of the wood and paint and sealer etc. I spent slightly over $1000 for slightly over 400 watts. Add that to all the work it took and the project was insane.

If I knew then what I know now there's no way I would do it. There seems to be something in me that doesn't like to be told what I can and can't do and if someone tells me it can't be done then I feel compelled to prove them wrong. It's not sound thinking. It's a trait I'd like to lost.

TB

[FloridaSun]

I bought the cells from ebay about 7 or 8 years ago. They were cut cells that measured 2" x 6". I did not realize they were cut until I received them. Many were broke and most had hair-line cracks in them. It was a disaster. I returned a ton of them and the seller was an honerable and squared things up. I configured them for a 24 volt system so there's a million cells in each panel which was way too much fun. Not.

Anyway, I spent $800 on the cells which at the time was just under $2.00 a watt which was cheap. So with the cost of the glass which is double strength safty glass and the cost of the wood and paint and sealer etc. I spent slightly over $1000 for slightly over 400 watts. Add that to all the work it took and the project was insane.

If I knew then what I know now there's no way I would do it. There seems to be something in me that doesn't like to be told what I can and can't do and if someone tells me it can't be done then I feel compelled to prove them wrong. It's not sound thinking. It's a trait I'd like to lost.

TB

yeah, ego can get expensive. Probably could build them a lil 'cheaper at today's cell price but still... if one values their time at all it's a lose lose situation building a decent panel today when you can buy for 75 cents or more a watt.

[Mike90250]

I'm glad that an occasional craftsman can get DIY panels to work. You likely have a better understanding of what's needed to have a successful outcome, and you are in a whole different class of worker, than someone asking how to solder the tab wire for their 8KW array !

[T-bones]

Craftsman...

It helps to be very patient. Kat's like "The Sun King" are smart beyond their years in knowing that it's insane to even try making homemade panels when all things are considered. The UL rating alone is the only way an insurance firm will cover them. Your homemade panels can never be "Grid-Tied" which I believe is one of the very best way to take advantage of Solar PV Panels today. No Battery cost. Feed the grid.

For the record: I always intended these panels for a stand-alone system only. I would really like a grid-tied system too. Also, even though I took every precaution and over-built these panels I will not mount them on my house. Their on a move-able rack in my back yard. The small one's are connected to the house but those don't stay out in the heat of the year. I do use my solar-radio in the dead of summer and it gets really hot but works fine so far.

Like I said, it's easily one of the toughest things I've ever tried. I remember how frustrating it was that the cells are so brittle and easily broken even breaking from the heat of the solder. Several times I had to walk away from it.

Speaking of patience, how much would my $1000.00 buy today had I been patient? Like most folks I seem to get in my own way sometimes but my life stays interesting so there's that.

At some point I will post some pic's. I'm behind the curve in that regard but the plan is in motion.

I've made a Solar-Oven, Solar-Food Dhydrator, Solar-heaters, Solar-radio, Solar PV Panels, Wind-Turbines and more so I should get on it and post some pic's of my stuff to share.

TB

[SunEagle]

It helps to be very patient. Kat's like "The Sun King" are smart beyond their years in knowing that it's insane to even try making homemade panels when all things are considered. The UL rating alone is the only way an insurance firm will cover them. Your homemade panels can never be "Grid-Tied" which I believe is one of the very best way to take advantage of Solar PV Panels today. No Battery cost. Feed the grid.

For the record: I always intended these panels for a stand-alone system only. I would really like a grid-tied system too. Also, even though I took every precaution and over-built these panels I will not mount them on my house. Their on a move-able rack in my back yard. The small one's are connected to the house but those don't stay out in the heat of the year. I do use my solar-radio in the dead of summer and it gets really hot but works fine so far.

Like I said, it's easily one of the toughest things I've ever tried. I remember how frustrating it was that the cells are so brittle and easily broken even breaking from the heat of the solder. Several times I had to walk away from it.

Speaking of patience, how much would my $1000.00 buy today had I been patient? Like most folks I seem to get in my own way sometimes but my life stays interesting so there's that.

At some point I will post some pic's. I'm behind the curve in that regard but the plan is in motion.

I've made a Solar-Oven, Solar-Food Dhydrator, Solar-heaters, Solar-radio, Solar PV Panels, Wind-Turbines and more so I should get on it and post some pic's of my stuff to share.

TB

It is good to hear about success stories concerning DIY. You have shown that building your own panel can be done but with limitations and a whole lot of sweat equity. No question that building your own can be economical depending on the situation but you also realized that the "price" was not as good as you first thought.

Thanks for giving your side of the story as well as your recommendation to the newbies to think twice before you go the DIY path. The cost will shift back the other way which may make DIY cost effective if only the cost of that UL label wasn't so high.

[inetdog]

The panels are small and run small 12 volt fans from computer towers.

That matches very well with some other hobbyist recommendations. Smaller panels will cost a lot more per watt if you try to buy them.
And there are fewer connections and possible failure points per panel, and lower mechanical stresses, so you have a better chance of long life.
And since it is a standalone system and limited power, there is no issue with inspection, UL approval, etc. unless something goes badly wrong.

[T-bones]

My small Panels...

I'm really pleased with my small panels. In the beginning they weren't so much as a consideration. They are made from cells that were left over at the end of my larger project. During the project a buddy of mine was in town and I was showing him what I was doing and he knows quite a bit more about electronics than I do and he suggested we test an array of cells that I had soldered and asked if I had a small battery-powered radio to hook to the array to see if anything happened. We hooked the ends of the array to the battery terminals on the radio with some aligator clip leeds and it worked great. I didn't do much about it at the time but I didn't forget that it worked. It made me think. I started using arrays to test small motors and fans and whatever I could power with DC. I started doing way more salvage on old stereos and radios and tape decks and VCR's and whatever to get those motors and gear boxes, aluminum heat sync's and power sources and whatever. Everything else eventually goes to the scrapyard.

So, my very small homemade panels power very small fans that I salvaged from computer towers that were free and they pull heat from my homemade solar heaters and are on their 5th to 20th year. If the temp reaches 50 in the day and doesn't go below 30 at night my furnace will not come on. Even when it's very cold "below zero" my solar heaters will give me 15 to 25 percent of my heat while the sun shines. Many folks on here have said that the best bang for the buck is solar-heat. I agree.

I guess my point is that even these little tiny things can do great stuff over time and you don't have to be Mr Fancy Pant's Money-bag's to make solar part of your everyday life.

Whats better than to put a $7.00 roast with a can of mushroom soup and a package of onion soup mix and some taters and carrots and onions and fresh garlic with a couple tomato's in a pot in your homemade solar-oven in the peak of summer first thing in the morning when your running the AC nonstop and you don't want to run that oven in the house? Nuthin.

Later that evening you go out and the pot is so hot that you bring it in and have to let it sit and cool for 45 minutes to an hour and you commence to getting after a meal that you remember your mom making on Sunday. Solar Rules!!!

[green]

I started using arrays to test small motors and fans and whatever I could power with DC. I started doing way more salvage on old stereos and radios and tape decks and VCR's and whatever to get those motors and gear boxes, aluminum heat sync's and power sources and whatever. Everything else eventually goes to the scrapyard.

Sounds like you and I would get along great. I love taking things apart and repurposing the parts. I also use some of my DIY panels to power my solar heaters. I love the way the fans sound as a cloud passes by and the fans rev up to speed. I'm glad to hear I am not alone here.