Acrylic Cover for DIY solar panels

[tamuenz]

Hi All, I'm new to the forum so be gentle - haha. I am planning to make some homemade solar panels and I want to cover them in something that is lightweight and easy to cut. I found a type of acrylic sheet called Optix made by Plaskolite. My primary concern with using this would be that it might warp or even melt. I have attached the spec sheet for this material and it has some heat ratings along with many other specs. After reading the sheet I also noticed that there is an insulation value which should help to reduce heat somewhat. However, I also noticed that there is a UV protection property. Would that affect the solar cells ability to capture solar energy? Thanks in advance for any thoughts or help you can provide.

Tfabguide.pdf

[Solaron]

Acrylic Cover

Hello,
I'm new myself at this but i can tell you that I used Polycarbonate sheets that also have a UV layer and it did not effect the performance of the solar cells at all. This UV layer blocks the light that will cause yellowing and clouding but not the light that the solar cell uses. Hope this helps.

[inetdog]

I... My primary concern with using this would be that it might warp or even melt. I have attached the spec sheet for this material and it has some heat ratings along with many other specs. After reading the sheet I also noticed that there is an insulation value which should help to reduce heat somewhat. However, I also noticed that there is a UV protection property. Would that affect the solar cells ability to capture solar energy? Thanks in advance for any thoughts or help you can provide.

The covering of a flat-panel solar thermal collector has to be able to handle a high temperature. The typical solar PV panel is not designed to hold the heat and so will cool via air flow and not get nearly that hot. It may still reach a temperature in the same range as your exposed roof surface would though.

The insulating value of the material is actually a bad thing rather than a good thing for solar PV, since you want the cells to be a cool as possible. The heat is coming from the sunlight passing though the cover rather than heat conducted across it.

[russ]

If there is no UV resist feature the material would soon yellow.

[Solaron]

If there is no UV resist feature the material would soon yellow.

True! Would yellowing effect solar panel performance or just the appearance?

[russ]

Both - the coloring would reflect light that you are trying to collect.

[inetdog]

Both - the coloring would reflect light that you are trying to collect.

More likely it would be absorbing the non-yellow light rather than increasing the amount of any color reflected.
Either way, it is light which is not getting to the panel.

[Solaron]

More likely it would be absorbing the non-yellow light rather than increasing the amount of any color reflected.
Either way, it is light which is not getting to the panel.

Possibly, but light still is penetrating. I can see possibly reduced efficiency but still a panel that produces current. I'd be interested to test the theory, maybe with a yellow transparent cover to see how it effects the solar panel output.

[inetdog]

Possibly, but light still is penetrating. I can see possibly reduced efficiency but still a panel that produces current. I'd be interested to test the theory, maybe with a yellow transparent cover to see how it effects the solar panel output.

There are two things that affect the output from the panels: The total amount of light hitting them and the percentage of that light that is the right wavelength (energy) to be able to generate electricity.

You are correct that a small amount of yellowing will not do much to reduce the output, but it still may be more than your eye would lead you to suspect.
Also, to evaluate the effect of yellowing, you really need to be looking through a piece of the yellowed plastic, the way the panels are, rather than looking at the light which is coming back on its second trip through plastic (which would make it seem worse than it really is)

For mono panels, the effect of cloudiness in the plastic is just as important as yellowing or darkening, since it can cause some of the light to hit the cells at a poor angle.

[Solaron]

There are two things that affect the output from the panels: The total amount of light hitting them and the percentage of that light that is the right wavelength (energy) to be able to generate electricity.

You are correct that a small amount of yellowing will not do much to reduce the output, but it still may be more than your eye would lead you to suspect.
Also, to evaluate the effect of yellowing, you really need to be looking through a piece of the yellowed plastic, the way the panels are, rather than looking at the light which is coming back on its second trip through plastic (which would make it seem worse than it really is)

For mono panels, the effect of cloudiness in the plastic is just as important as yellowing or darkening, since it can cause some of the light to hit the cells at a poor angle.

Temp effects them as well.

[inetdog]

Temp effects them as well.

But that is not going to be related in any significant way to the color or transparency of the covering.

[Solaron]

But that is not going to be related in any significant way to the color or transparency of the covering.

But it could work with the coloring and yellowing to make them even less effective

[inetdog]

But it could work with the coloring and yellowing to make them even less effective

Somehow, I doubt that yellowed panels would raise the temperature of the panels, but it could happen.

Now using insulated (double pane) glass which is designed to let visible light through but not infrared or conducted heat back out would definitely be a bad thing.

[Beards.net]

http://www.tapplastics.com/product/plastics/cut_to_size_plastic/acrylic_sheets_clear/508

I plan on using Tap Plastics. The price is right, they cut the sheets to size and ship it to your door. Hope this helps!

[russ]

http://www.tapplastics.com/product/p...eets_clear/508

I plan on using Tap Plastics. The price is right, they cut the sheets to size and ship it to your door. Hope this helps!

Lots of places sell acrylıc - just use the search functıon on your PC for the closest