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  • Dellyjoe
    replied
    thanks for sharing i found alot of information that i will be useing.

    Leave a comment:


  • James2003
    replied
    Originally posted by russ View Post
    Nope mWh - he is pushing DIY as something great.
    I'm not pushing DIY as something great or cheaper than manufactured panels, it's just how I prefer to DO IT!

    Leave a comment:


  • James2003
    replied
    Originally posted by russ View Post
    How many mWh are you generating per day? Do not try to leave links!
    The panels produce 18 volts at 3.4 amps max. the 2 are tied in series for 36 volts. They never produce max Wattage as I have them mounted to the windmill, so the angle is not optimal. My pump runs on 10-40 vdc and the most water I have produced is 1.5gpm.

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  • SunEagle
    replied
    Originally posted by Sunny Solar View Post
    Russ thats harsh..

    OK While I agree 200% that making your own panels will never save you money.For a start I value my time at more than $1.96 an hour and having built one myself with the help of another tech at work.It took almost 10hrs to make it..And we had the aluminium channel the piece of low ion tempered glass and first grade matched cells and the best sealant that someone elses money could buy.And a vaccum press . . And it still took 10 hrs to do everything to the best standard.. That to me is just to long ,so how can someone with limited tools do it even in that time?? The cost of the components alone came to the panel costing over $4 a watt because of not bulk buying. But how does a home panel maker get bulk buys of first grade cells.?

    But having said all that there are many probably wise men that say similar things about me with 4wd competitions. Im willing to do on each outing at least a $1000 worth of damage and replacement parts and need 20 hours of work from me to get a $10 trophy.

    There are people that just like making things.Regardless of the cost compared to buying..
    As long as they are NOTtrying to do it to save money . as that aint gunna happen.
    And we always say that a DIY panel and system is geared more toward the people that want to learn the technology and create small "Hobby" style systems. They will never ever show a payback that can bejustified as a cost savings.

    I have built two small off grid "systems" using manufacturer made panels but still don't expect any type of payback. They will be used for camping or remote RC flying where a power source is unavailable and running a small generator is a pain in the arse.

    Leave a comment:


  • Sunny Solar
    replied
    Russ thats harsh..

    OK While I agree 200% that making your own panels will never save you money.For a start I value my time at more than $1.96 an hour and having built one myself with the help of another tech at work.It took almost 10hrs to make it..And we had the aluminium channel the piece of low ion tempered glass and first grade matched cells and the best sealant that someone elses money could buy.And a vaccum press . . And it still took 10 hrs to do everything to the best standard.. That to me is just to long ,so how can someone with limited tools do it even in that time?? The cost of the components alone came to the panel costing over $4 a watt because of not bulk buying. But how does a home panel maker get bulk buys of first grade cells.?

    But having said all that there are many probably wise men that say similar things about me with 4wd competitions. Im willing to do on each outing at least a $1000 worth of damage and replacement parts and need 20 hours of work from me to get a $10 trophy.

    There are people that just like making things.Regardless of the cost compared to buying..
    As long as they are NOTtrying to do it to save money . as that aint gunna happen.

    Leave a comment:


  • russ
    replied
    Originally posted by Sunny Solar View Post
    Russ he only built 3 panels. or did your mwh mean Millwatt hours???
    Nope mWh - he is pushing DIY as something great.

    Leave a comment:


  • Sunny Solar
    replied
    Russ he only built 3 panels. or did your mwh mean Millwatt hours???

    Leave a comment:


  • russ
    replied
    Originally posted by James2003 View Post
    I built 3 DIY solar panels and hooked them up to a dc water pump and rehabbed a old windmill water stock well. This thing was over 75 years old and now produces good water. I've been running it since Oct,2012 and have had no problems. I bought my glass and aluminum frame from a engineering company off of e-bay. I have built what I consider to be panels that are better quality than manufactured panels. I use twice the encapsulant, so my panelsare very sturdy.
    How many mWh are you generating per day? Do not try to leave links!

    Leave a comment:


  • James2003
    replied
    DIY solar panels

    I built 3 DIY solar panels and hooked them up to a dc water pump and rehabbed a old windmill water stock well. This thing was over 75 years old and now produces good water. I've been running it since Oct,2012 and have had no problems. I bought my glass and aluminum frame from a engineering company off of e-bay. I have built what I consider to be panels that are better quality than manufactured panels. I use twice the encapsulant, so my panelsare very sturdy.

    Leave a comment:


  • inetdog
    replied
    Originally posted by sonnenhandwerker View Post
    wouldnt it be cheaper (and easier) to just buy solar panels than bulding them yourself?

    cheers
    sonnenhandwerker
    Fun and bragging rights count for a lot to some people. But those advantages do not help much if you want to make a large number of panels, if your time is valuable, or if you want to use them in a legal grid-tied system.

    Leave a comment:


  • daillman
    replied
    Originally posted by sonnenhandwerker View Post
    wouldnt it be cheaper (and easier) to just buy solar panels than bulding them yourself?

    cheers
    sonnenhandwerker
    And where is the fun in that? Lol but i totally understand your question.

    Leave a comment:


  • sonnenhandwerker
    replied
    wouldnt it be cheaper (and easier) to just buy solar panels than bulding them yourself?

    cheers
    sonnenhandwerker

    Leave a comment:


  • dvhenry
    replied
    Originally posted by wao View Post
    Thanks for all the links!
    If you have not already, also checkout the link in this thread http://www.solarpaneltalk.com/showth...ar-panel-build I have not yet tried this, but it seems likely I will soon be trying a variation of it.
    Encapsulation of the cells is critical to the life of the panel, also look at the liquid silicon encapsulation methods.

    Leave a comment:


  • wao
    replied
    Thanks for all the links!

    Leave a comment:


  • Guest's Avatar
    Guest replied
    Is this popular now?

    DIY solar panels is more and more popular?
    Last edited by russ; 12-24-2010, 02:18 AM. Reason: link removed

    Leave a comment:

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