cheap solar cells on ebay

here a link for building solar panel , i don't know this guy but he have great price , you can build 288 watt panel for 100$

http://cgi.ebay.com/160-WHOLE-3x6-S...-Edge-NEW-/170522345317?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0

lifepo4ever said:

here a link for building solar panel , i don't know this guy but he have great price , you can build 288 watt panel for 100$

http://cgi.ebay.com/160-WHOLE-3x6-S...-Edge-NEW-/170522345317?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0

Click to expand...

Great deal for sure

I've had bad experience with building my own solar panel... the cells are way to thin .. and so easy to break;

it does work .. i did build a 60w panel with cells similar.. however the biggest issue is making a casing .. that won't alow moisture to get in..

preferably .. i ended up getting 2 - enermax panels.. and they are working great and no headaches about moistrue getting into the solar panel casing like my old diy soloar panel..

i'll be posting some info on my setup soon.. stay tuned.

-steveo

steveo did you ever get to use the inverter i sent you?

i still have huge panels here. i should strap one to my back

karma said:

steveo did you ever get to use the inverter i sent you?

i still have huge panels here. i should strap one to my back

Click to expand...

yup ... stay tuned ... i got photos for you!

-steveo

Harold in CR and I split 1kw of 6x6" cells that came with the tabbing ribbon and diodes for 50 cents/watt. Waterproofing is straight forward with the correct materials. Harold is building his for the house, and I'm going to try something with a bit of curve for use on some type of lightweight EV with the goal of almost never needing a plug in charge. Once we source good materials and get some under our belt, then I'm sure we'll both share all the details here.

Purchased panels can't do what I want, and with great cells available for so cheap, they can't get close to a DIY final cost. I'm looking at well under $1/watt with all costs included. The only thing better would be once we can buy thin film flexible cells for a similar price as these. Something flexible would be ideal for my plans.

John in CR said:

Waterproofing is straight forward with the correct materials.

Click to expand...

The waterproofing is what keeps me from building my own. Can you show me how you are building your panel cases?

steveo said:

lifepo4ever said:

here a link for building solar panel , i don't know this guy but he have great price , you can build 288 watt panel for 100$

http://cgi.ebay.com/160-WHOLE-3x6-S...-Edge-NEW-/170522345317?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0

Click to expand...

Great deal for sure

I've had bad experience with building my own solar panel... the cells are way to thin .. and so easy to break;

it does work .. i did build a 60w panel with cells similar.. however the biggest issue is making a casing .. that won't alow moisture to get in..

preferably .. i ended up getting 2 - enermax panels.. and they are working great and no headaches about moistrue getting into the solar panel casing like my old diy soloar panel..

i'll be posting some info on my setup soon.. stay tuned.

-steveo

Click to expand...

yes i think its worry free but how much theses panel s?

the problem is not the cost by watt but the dimension of cell a very big i hope they made smaller version can absorb more energy by the inch so we can bring a roll carpet and recharge the ev when you take a break or on lunch time , i saw a guy who invented some plastic solar panel on is wheel of is ebike and recharge but i doubt this is very efficient , imagine do it a bike with wheel and frame solar panel both side , if the panel are flexible and thin i really thing i can cover all the bike so i can have at least 60watt of power will be great to recharge but even at 60 watt I dream a lot!! and 60 watt is not so fast charging the acceptable range is 90 watt ( 5 amps or current)
but this only a dream i will need to carry so much power i will cause more friction of the wind and consume more energy then he can recharge !!! , but the idea of building panel for house to use it as a recharge station for my ev remains in my head.

yopappamon said:

John in CR said:

Waterproofing is straight forward with the correct materials.

Click to expand...

The waterproofing is what keeps me from building my own. Can you show me how you are building your panel cases?

Click to expand...

From what Harold and I have found the cells need to be totally encapsulated in something like EVA or Sylgard. Then your exterior glass goes immediately on top of the encapsulating material and a support structure immediately below the encapsulating layer on the bottom, with no air spaces for water to condense.

I'm going to experiment with something different on a few cells. I want to encapsulate with a clear epoxy using fiberglass for the strength and a thin lexan on the top for abrasion resistance and to shield the epoxy from UV. I'm after something light and strong that I can add a slight curve to for more rigidity, and then use those panels as part of the exterior shell of a partially fared bike or trike, as well as a kayak. If that doesn't work, then I'll build heavier panels to make a folding solar parking cover for my bike that charges a lead battery bank when my bike is full or away.

John

I'm eagerly awaiting any details on the construction of such a system. I just don't know how inverters work with the panel and so on.

mlsolar on ebay - he told me the cells weigh just 6.25 grams each! I will probably by 140watts or so of his cells soon.

veloman said:

I'm eagerly awaiting any details on the construction of such a system. I just don't know how inverters work with the panel and so on.

mlsolar on ebay - he told me the cells weigh just 6.25 grams each! I will probably by 140watts or so of his cells soon.

Click to expand...

Veloman,

To give you a sense of scale, this is a box with 500W worth of 6x6" cells, about 130 cells. I didn't even count them all. I just measured the thickness of 10 to make sure the total seemed right. These are 16 or 17% efficiency cells, so a square meter of them in full sun would put out about 170W, though probably higher here, since the sun is so strong so close to the equator and I live at right at 1000m of altitude.

View attachment Solar cells 1.JPG


This is the only one I took out and messed with. I took it in the sun to measure output, and practiced some tab soldering. They're surprisingly flexible, since I bent this one to a curve of only about a 1-2ft radius. They're somewhat fragile though (like an extremely thin piece of glass) and after I bent this one 6 or 8 times it started falling apart at the right edge as you can see, so I'll go more gentle with the test curve and vacuum bag them to a permanent curve and seal all in a single step. Bending back and forth makes the crystal structure fall apart, so I don't want to handle any more cells until I have all the materials I need.
View attachment Solar cells 2.JPG

Hi John. I know you are doing a custom application so this may not apply to you. The price of solar has been dropping. By the time you add up all of your materials and your true labor time you do not save any money. For a one of a kind custom like you are working on you may come out ahead rather than someone else custom building for you. However...In the United States on home solar panels you do not make out ahead if you build them yourself. If you value your labor at all, you loose. You do not get a warranty for 20 years. You do not get a tax writeoff because the panels have to be UL approved. It will not improve your property value because the panels have to be UL approved. If an act of nature destroys your panels (lightening , hail, wind, trees, etc) your insurance company will not credit you or replace them because they are not UL approved. You will not be able to grid tie you system to a utility company unless your panels are UL approved. You will probably be sick of building them after a few (even though you will be getting faster) you will have a ton more to build. My suggestion is to purchase all of your components (frugally) and learn how to install it all yourself. Most places will require a licensed electrician to sign off on it (put his eyeball on your work) before you can hook up as a grid tie. Grid tie will allow you to get paid for electricity that you may produce more than your need during the day. And then if you want battery or battery/generator backup that is another loop in your system. Anyway...my system is a battery storage system. I found that to ((barely)) even start to make it worth your while you need 1000 watts worth of panels(hair dryer). 10,000 watts worth of panels is what I would like to have. P.S. Do not do what I recommended unless you learn how to properly install electricity. High voltage can kill but, especially, high amperage is a killer. Like I said, what you really need to spend your time doing is learning how to install a solar system. Then you can help others and maybe make a few bucks for your time. Then when you get good and sick of it you can play with something else...

We live in a 3rd world country Importing stuff costs a LOT. Shipping to here costs a LOT. There are NO electricians here that I would trust. Seems I am way overqualified in that area, being in the hands on loop for over 50 years. UL approved ?? :lol: :lol: :lol: Down here, MOST older houses just have 2 single lines of #14 wire running the length of the house, and, taps off those wires are simply other wires wrapped around the mains and MAYBE have tape, but, most do not.

Need another connection ?? No problem, just crawl up over the ceiling, and wrap another line in place

I would imagine, some lines actually glow in the dark. House fires here are VERY common.

I figure, instead of being a deadass, sitting in front of the misinformation box (TV) I can build panels that will cut my light bill. Present rate, IF I figured it right, is around 24cents a Kw. My bill runs from $80.00 to $170.00, according to how much running of wood working machines takes place. There are people here that WISH they could get electricity on their remote farms. I might just start teaching them how to build the panels. They could pay me with Chickens, Pork, Veggies, Trees for lumber. LOTS of ways to get things done down here, in the Jungle. :lol: :lol:

Not saying that buying panels is a bad idea. (I used to sell them-Solarex), just that building stuff keeps my few brain cells active.

Not being a smartass, just telling it like it is. 20 year warranty sounds good. Know anyone that actually tried to get a claim handled ?? I love the "Lifetime" Warranty offered on most items. :lol: :lol: :lol:

Right now, a complete setup of the same cells we bought, are being offered on Ebay, for $350.00 at 1Kw. includes all the connection leads and flux Pen. That's .35 cents a watt. I haven't been to the Big City yet, to search for extruded Aluminum rails and Plexiglas. I keep after John to do my legwork. :lol: :lol: :lol: No, he is a big help, and, we seem to work well together.

Aside from the Plexi and Aluminum rails, I figure that I will have less than $75.00 in the making of the cell strips. This is for 140W panels. Less than $100.00 per panel with EVA protective film. Can't imagine frames being over $40.00 each, if that ??
If they last 10 years, so what?? How long will Appliances and light bulbs and all the rest of that Chinese crap last, that everyone just HAS to have ?? Now, figure that .35 cents a watt, instead of the .50 cents we paid, and it gets better. Frames will be reusable, so, building more cell strips will be the total new expense ??

I should get a reduction of $20.00 or so per month from the light bill, by not using the inferior electricity from the Power Co. so, payback is expected to be, at todays rate, (which WILL vary from month to month), should be 4 years or less.

Evo, please don't take any of this personal. I just tell it like I see it, and WILL post my builds here, if y'all like. I have learned a bit from these smart guys, so, I will try to give back in return.

BTW, I live on a $700.00 SS check, so, hustling a bit also keeps me active. Lost over 100K in the "Energy" Fiasco, which was my Pension fund

I keep forgetting that you have it made where you are. But my woman still likes mowing the yard! So does that make us even? No that's right, you don't have a ebike speed limit.

He Madolf with my mutual fund!

We also get to buy favors from the Govt., just like in the USA. Today is really cloudy and will probably rain, before the Sun comes out. Would not get 5 hrs of full sun, today ??

Down here, we get the same amount of daylight, year round. Also, the Sun just changes tracking over the house, by just a few degrees, so, we get a lot of direct, nearly straight down sun on the Solar Kiln I dry wood in. On a cloudy day, temps still get over 100° F inside the Kiln. Tools get hot just laying in the hazy Sun, so, that's one reason we can't use wood, and the rain would not let the wood ever dry completely out, once set out on the roof. Temps don't get in the 90's, or below 65° where I live. Just stays humid until the dry season. We don't have AC or Heat in the House. Just a pedestal fan to circulate the air.

OH WAIT, the Sun is burning off the thin cloud cover, as I type this. Might be a good Sun day, after all :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Evoforce,
I'll do that about the same time I start buying ready to ride ebikes instead of making my own. I'll be able to do marine grade solar panels that will probably be strong enough to walk on for less than $1/watt. Once I figure out the best way to do it, then I'll hire and supervise someone to do the tedious stuff I don't want to do for $15-20/day to build my 10's of kws. Build 10-15kw of more normal type panels for the house, and 10-15kw of the marine type for a big solar boat, and I'll be happy as could be at $1/watt or less with no UL and without tax credits. Just shipping and taxes to get normal panels sent here is likely to cost that much, and what I learn in the process will be priceless.
John

Evoforce said:

Hi John. I know you are doing a custom application so this may not apply to you. The price of solar has been dropping. By the time you add up all of your materials and your true labor time you do not save any money. For a one of a kind custom like you are working on you may come out ahead rather than someone else custom building for you. However...In the United States on home solar panels you do not make out ahead if you build them yourself. If you value your labor at all, you loose. You do not get a warranty for 20 years. You do not get a tax writeoff because the panels have to be UL approved. It will not improve your property value because the panels have to be UL approved. If an act of nature destroys your panels (lightening , hail, wind, trees, etc) your insurance company will not credit you or replace them because they are not UL approved. You will not be able to grid tie you system to a utility company unless your panels are UL approved. You will probably be sick of building them after a few (even though you will be getting faster) you will have a ton more to build. My suggestion is to purchase all of your components (frugally) and learn how to install it all yourself. Most places will require a licensed electrician to sign off on it (put his eyeball on your work) before you can hook up as a grid tie. Grid tie will allow you to get paid for electricity that you may produce more than your need during the day. And then if you want battery or battery/generator backup that is another loop in your system. Anyway...my system is a battery storage system. I found that to ((barely)) even start to make it worth your while you need 1000 watts worth of panels(hair dryer). 10,000 watts worth of panels is what I would like to have. P.S. Do not do what I recommended unless you learn how to properly install electricity. High voltage can kill but, especially, high amperage is a killer. Like I said, what you really need to spend your time doing is learning how to install a solar system. Then you can help others and maybe make a few bucks for your time. Then when you get good and sick of it you can play with something else...

Click to expand...

Yes john, your situation in CR is different than what we face here in the US. Basically, large business conglomerates are vying to own and control all aspects of manufacture, sales, energy production, distribution, regulation, installation, etc. Most places in this country are heavily regulated. If you don't play by their rules they have the weight to shut you down. Most of these super companies are making sure they heavily invest their companies where our future dollars are going. They are also making all the rules and keeping prices up. And they intend to make sure solar and wind will cost you the same as equivalent energy. After all, they know what we are willing to pay, and they control what we have to pay for all of our consumption. They want to make sure all of our money goes to them one way or the other. None of us should expect to have paid less money for living, they want us to accept the the only benefit we are entitled to is cleaner living. They are dreaming up ways every minute to make sure we pay to live. Sad but true. Can you imagine what would happen to those companies if we didn't need them anymore? They can imagine it and are making sure it won't happen.

Refer to my statement "Buy favors from the Govt". This is what is happening in most countries. Until People wake up, and STOP ALLOWING Govt. officials to be bought off, there is not much hope for people, other than those like us, to ever have financial stability.

DIYers are slowly enlightening those that REALLY want to learn and do things, like we are trying to do down here. Even in this poor country, people are getting tired of Govt suppression. I have many farmers wanting to use wind and Hydro. Wait until I can offer less expensive Solar. I believe everyone would be interested. We DO get lots of Sun, once you get out of the Smog Bowl, of the Central Valley.

We are buying Solar Cells, from a Gringo, that buys them from Europe. What if WE bought them, first ??? Prices would be cheaper, yet.

With the Internet, worldwide commerce is easier to source stuff, just need to communicate with people in other countries.

That's kinda like saying "why build an EV if you can just buy one? I plan to build my own set of solar panels, and also a wind turbine. From what I have been sourcing, I believe it can be done cheaper then buying, but still, building it yourself is just damn cool. 8) :lol:

Jay64 said:

That's kinda like saying "why build an EV if you can just buy one? I plan to build my own set of solar panels, and also a wind turbine. From what I have been sourcing, I believe it can be done cheaper then buying, but still, building it yourself is just damn cool. 8) :lol:

Click to expand...

Jay it is not like that comparison at all. We can still build EV's cheaper and have a better product, so far, from what is currently being produced commercially. Not so with solar panels, after you factor all of the previous things I have stated, for us living in most parts of the U.S. Now if this is just an educational process or experiment, time to have some fun.

DIY isn't for everyone, but the impact of people like us, buying raw materials like solar cells, and building our own finished products, is greater than you might think. Granted, only a small proportion of people will ever build their own, but if that small number widely publicise just how cheap, and relatively simple, it is to build viable solar panels then it helps to undermine the rip-off pricing of some commercial vendors.

I think this is the real benefit of the DIY movement, it allows experimenters to acquire new knowledge and spread that around the globe, helping non-DIY inclined consumers to be better educated about the true cost of the products they are buying. It may also spur on some entrepreneurs to go into business and undercut the big companies selling to the general public, so helping to drive prices down to a realistic level.

What really hacks me off is that, if I want to qualify for a Government grant for solar panels, I have to buy from an accredited vendor. I can build panels of exactly the same performance for less than a quarter of the price of those from an accredited vendor, but then can't qualify for a Government grant. The accredited vendors have inflated their prices, so that the consumer will pay pretty much the same, even with the Government grant, as they would have before the grant came in to being.

Anything we can do to try and highlight the exorbitant pricing of solar panels from major vendors has to be a good thing.

Jeremy

Jeremy I agree with you that this is a shamefull racket. It burns me up how the consumer gets no benefit because of every business up the line from the consumer inflates the cost. Then all of the government agencys, utility companies, municipalities and insurance companies, all with their special requirements, suck the rest out. They make it impossible for DYI people to fit into the system. Just another example of (big business=government). They are determined we will pay them for energy, and all related costs, no matter what. Those with their hands out collecting money now , want to remain with their hands out collecting money from you in your future. They already know what you are willing to pay. Plus, Our various governments here in the U.S. want to keep collecting all of those taxes that they tack onto all of our provided services. Also, you know, it is a crime to me, that if I am tied into the grid and produce extra energy (effectively a power generating station), that I sell my excess power to the utility company at wholesale price. But when I might need some back I have to pay retail. I think we should be able to have co-ops where I can sell my excess electric to my neighbors giving them the benefit of reduced cost and vice versa.

The deal here in the UK is that, provided you fit solar or wind generation via an accredited supplier, you can sell excess power pack to the power companies at a rate that is over double the retail rate they sell energy to you for. This is a fantastic deal, but the accredited suppliers have just inflated their initial prices so that the pay back time is the same as it was before the Government buy-back subsidy.

The net result is that I can't sell any excess power back from any system that I build or install myself. Even if I was to buy UL/CE marked panels, grid tie inverter etc and get all the wiring signed off by an electrician I still can't sell energy back to the power company.

The crazy thing is that the Government set up this scheme (ostensibly) to encourage more people to go for local renewable microgeneration, yet have completely missed the point that most people interested in this will want to have a say in the way they do it, either via a DIY approach or by selecting their own mix of components.

Jeremy

Anybody check to see WHO is making those Solar Panels ???

I recently learned, the Solarex Panels I used to sell, was bought out be BP. ??? MOST Solar panels are manufactured by an Oil Conglomerate side business. MOST Energy supplied is owned by the same OIL Conglomerates. THEY Own the Govt's, so to speak. ??

I would be interested in knowing WHO in Germany is making the cells we bought ?? OTHER cells, of the same size, are made in Asia ??? China ??

Only way to get off the Teat of Oil, is DIY.