Solar panel made of Wood or Steel/Aluminium?

[AKoseki]

Hello, i purchased a DIY kit for a solar panel; i already had a complete metal one (i think it was made of either aluminium or steel); This new DIY panel comes with instructions for a solar panel made of plywood, and a little to no info about metal made panel.

Considering costs, durability, warping, shrinking/expanding due to sun, what would be the best way?

[J.P.M.]

Hello, i purchased a DIY kit for a solar panel; i already had a complete metal one (i think it was made of either aluminium or steel); This new DIY panel comes with instructions for a solar panel made of plywood, and a little to no info about metal made panel.

Considering costs, durability, warping, shrinking/expanding due to sun, what would be the best way?

The durability of wood in this application is not as good as metal. Wood will not last.

Probably more importantly, safety first. Depending on the service and design of the collector - pool heating, DHW, and particularly air cooled space heating, exposing wood to long term and/or cyclical elevated temps may present a fire hazard.

[AKoseki]

Thanks! any suggestion for thickness( in mm?), and how to glue them together? and aluminium or inox steel?

[bcroe]

Thanks! any suggestion for thickness( in mm?), and how to glue
them together? and aluminium or inox steel?

Besides moisture, panels can be exposed to extreme temperatures, which can be
very abrupt. Some early attempts here failed because the cell mounting wasn't solid
enough; flexing of the mount cracked them. What worked here was tempered glass
mounted in an aluminum angle frame, held together with stainless steel bolts. The
cells need to be in an appropriate encapsulant to survive. Bruce Roe

[Mike90250]

Are you speaking of PV Electric panels, Water heating panels, or Air heater ?

[bcroe]

Are you speaking of PV Electric panels, Water heating panels, or Air heater ?

That's a good question; I was talking PV Electric. What is everybody else speaking? Bruce Roe

[AKoseki]

Sorry hehe, its PV;

Thanks a lot for the informations! hmm, aluminium it is then;

should i build the solar panel in a plywood and insert it in the aluminium case? or just put a insulating paint or a film?

Thanks again..

[Mike90250]

Wood products have no place in a PV electric sandwich, it attracts moisture, can never be stable, electrically conductive and can burn.

[AKoseki]

Thank you!