Join Me And Learn As I Manufacture A Solar Panel

Is there actually anyone or any company that is manufacturing solar panels here in Nigeria? It seems every body in Nigeria wants already made products from foreign countries. This shows how lazy we all are. I have decided to embark on a project of manufacturing standard solar panels here in Nigeria. Solar panels are one of the easiest things to make. If many people in this country can learn how to make solar panels, it will surely help to alleviate the problems of erratic power supply which seems to have become an 'incurable disease' in Nigeria. 

The high costs of commercial solar panels scares people away from tapping from the numerous benefits of solar power. It is far more cheap to construct your own solar panels than to buy already made ones. Just be prepared to throw away your generator soon.

The amount of power that the sun deposits on the surface of the earth is about 1000W/m²(watts per square meter). Plants and other organisms capture the energy of the sunlight and convert it to chemical energy that can be later released to fuel their activities. The oxygen released in the process of photosynthesis is used by man and other animals for respiration. In the past, the sun was used to make fire and now, with the invention of photovoltaic technology, the modern man has got another means of generating electricity.Use of solar energy (photo voltaic systems or PV systems) has a lot of advantages over the use of traditional power sources:

1.   It is environment friendly (it does not have the disadvantages associated with continuous fuel usage such as global warming, acid rains, water pollution, sound pollution etc.)

2.   Independence ( No more electricity bills or lesser bills)

3.   Zero fuel costs

4.   Low maintenance

5.  Reliabilty (it guarantees power provision even in less optimal   weather. If you choose to install a solar system with battery storage  you can even use the electricity generated by it during nighttime)

6.   Durability (solar panels can last more than 25 years before          degradation sets in)

7.   Safety (no fear of fuel fire or transformer explosions)

8.   Flexibility (depending on your needs, PV systems can be configured in many  ways e.g. For phone/PC charging, for street lights, for cars, for houses)

9.   Modularity( you can start your solar panel collection with one panel and add more incrementally. Therefore, once you build and install your PV panels( solar panels) they don’t wear out and you can add to them with time as you get more solar panels.

However, there are some disadvantages. These disadvantages can still be avoided or lessened with a little bit of ingenuity:

1. Initial cost( this is why it is good to learn how to do your own solar panel to reduce costs)

2. Solar radiation variability (weather greatly affects the power output of a PV system and changes in site conditions may require a change in design).

3. Energy efficiency (you might need to replace any inefficient appliances)

The Basis of a PV system is the individual solar cell, which is a square of a disc made of semiconductor material (e.g. silicone) that generates voltage and current when exposed to sunlight (photons in the sunlight are absorbed by the semiconducting material causing the negatively charged electrons to become loose from their atoms and flow through the material thus producing electricity).

Solar cells(pictured above), which have a positive charge on one side and a negative charge on the other, are connected to create a module or panel. A panel consists of several rows of cells wired in parallel or series and placed between a clear and encapsulating substrate. Several panels wired at a specific voltage form an array. See picture below.

The worst thing is being right in the middle of work and find out that you are missing some tool(s) or material(s). Therefore, these tools and materials must be gathered before the commencement of the project of solar panel manufacturing.

Tools:

1.       Pencil or marker

2.       Acrylic cutter

3.       Caulk gun

4.       Multi-meter

5.       Soldering iron

6.       Respiratory and eye protection

7.       Gloves

8.       Stainless steel screws and nuts

9.       A Phillips screwdriver

10.     A  flathead screwdriver

11.     Fine point needle nose pliers

12.     Carpenter’s square and measuring tape

13.     Testing block

Materials:

1.       Solar cells

2.       White and clear acrylic sheaths

3.       Caulk – liquid silicone

4.       Flux, flux pen and solder

5.       Chase Nipple and J-box

6.       Tab and bus wire

7.       C-profile aluminium frame

8.       Low gauge wires

9.       Double terminal strip

.....to be continued