How to DIY your own solar panel? The following will be an example of making a 36W solar panel, if you want to make a bigger solar panel, the method is the same.
Prepare the materials beforehand:
(1) 9 pieces of solar cell wafers
(2) Copper tape
(3) Solder Resist
(4) Glass
(5)EVA
(6)TPT/PET
(7)Soldering iron
Step 1: Selecting Solar Cells
The output power and voltage of a solar cell vary slightly depending on the type of solar cell. Take monocrystalline solar cell as an example, a whole piece is 0.5V, no matter how many pieces you cut it into, after you cut it, the small solar cell piece is also 0.5V. it can be arranged in series to get any output voltage needed 0.5V times, if you need 18V solar panel, which is made up of 36 small solar cell pieces connected in series, then it is 36*0.5=18V.
The power of a solar cell can be calculated based on its area: length*width*0.1*conversion efficiency (it will be slightly different for different types of cells), suppose the calculation shows that a solar cell is 4W, then to make a 36W solar panel, you will need 36/4=9 pieces, then you need to prepare 9 pieces of the same specifications of solar cells.
Step 2: Planning layout, solar cell sheet arrangement
If the glass is bought beforehand and not calculated beforehand, it needs to be arranged according to the glass. Tandem is usually 1*36, 2*18, 4*9, generally not recommended 1*36 rows, 2*18 rows of overall solar panels are too narrow, usually choose 4*9 rows.
Step 3: Connect the solar panels in series
First of all, use a marker to mark the positive and negative poles on the surface of the solar cell slices, then use copper tape to stick on the flux, and use a soldering iron to weld them one by one. Be careful not to leave the soldering iron in one area for too long as it will overheat and damage the solar cells.
Step 4: Connect the bus
Solder the connecting wires from the back of one solar cell tab to the front of the neighboring solar cell tab until you have completed each row. Then use the bus to connect the lines. When connecting the lines, they also need to connect the positive terminal to the negative terminal, so neighboring lines should run in opposite directions.
Step 5: Covering the surface with glass
The solar material is laminated in the order of glass + EVA + cell + EVA + PET and finally placed in the laminator for lamination.
