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+--- Thread: Off Grid Power (/showthread.php?tid=8251)
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Off Grid Power - dldixon - 12-29-2010
Are there any DIYers' out here who have built their own PV panels?
RE: Off Grid Power - jerry - 12-30-2010
A friend of mine did. Its time consuming but not too difficult. Keep this in mind, however:
Not UL approved, will maybe void your homeowners insurance if they cause a fire.
Depending on the system, you still need a charge controller, batteries and (maybe) an inverter--things that are not DIY.
Jerry
Art and Orchids B&B
http://www.artandorchids.com
RE: Off Grid Power - dldixon - 12-30-2010
Thanks Jerry, I'm about to buy my first pack of cells. It doesn't really look hard, only encapsulating them to keep the soldered joints from oxidizing looks to be the hard part. Why in the world does the cost of solar have to be so damn high, unbelievable.
RE: Off Grid Power - dmbwest - 12-30-2010
Dldixon,
Would you please put up a link or provide further info on the DIY panels ?
What type of encapsulation is called for ?
mahalo,
pog
RE: Off Grid Power - TrevorKane - 12-31-2010
"Why in the world does the cost of solar have to be so damn high"
Last time I looked deeply into it, solar cells were made on big silicon crystals, laminated with metals - not too different from how they make computer chips, but bigger and thankfully not as precise. There have been a lot of improvements since then:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_cell
but, that was the starting point, and the improvements have been incremental - no big breakthrough where the cost fell by a factor of 10 without significant loss in efficiency - and vice versa, no big improvements in efficiency that didn't also carry a significant increase in cost.
Still, they are getting better all the time - I'd make sure to research the current market before buying any older panels.
I crossed paths with Heart Ackerman in 2003, he was working on a "smart system" for charging batteries from solar panels - the efficiency losses don't just happen in the collection cell. Usually, you want to save the energy for later use, and in 2003 the lead acid cells (and the charge/discharge process) are another big loss step in the system:
http://www.hardysolar.com/inverter/inverter-history.html
Any time I have looked into a solar system, it has been the batteries that put me off from doing it. Optimists might think they'll get 10+ years from their batteries, but if you look at the batteries as a 4 year replacement item, the costs are really high, and I can't feel environmentally friendly when I'm cycling through that much lead that fast.
Moving even farther out on a tangent, I like Kamen's slingshot for power generation:
http://www.nextenergynews.com/news1/next-energy-news4.24.08d.html
the Sterling cycle is quiet in operation and can burn anything, as long as you have something to burn that you don't mind the pollution from burning - it would be really nifty if it was adapted to geothermal. The water purification is usually a nice thing to have too when you're off grid for power.
RE: Off Grid Power - dldixon - 01-01-2011
Thanks Trevor, Looked up Kamens Slingshot and has of '10 it's still not on the market, what's up with that? Something that can save millions of lives, this is not a humane society, for now 'tho we're forced to use what's available. So more watts, better storage capacity and a wiser use of power given all the electronics we use and all that cheaply? Where's my stimulus?
Pog, If you search "building solar panels" on YouTube, thats where I've found my info. HughesSolarEnergy.com has the 2 methods of encapsulation, Sylgard 184 - a resin and Tedlar - a laminant, I haven't decided which one to use yet, would like to see a finished product up close first.
RE: Off Grid Power - Cagary - 01-01-2011
I saw my friend's off the grid solar power system just north of Hilo.
He told me that the biggest problem is with the batteries.
If his panels don't fully charge the batteries, they start to degrade quickly. So on a cloudy, winter day, he has to charge the batteries with a back up propane system that is connected to the batteries.
It doesn't happen everyday, but without the propane back up, he'd be replacing the expensive batteries quite often.
People often don't realize how much work and expense is involved with going solar. Some might think that one can just put some solar panels on the roof and they can just forget about them. Not the case at all.
RE: Off Grid Power - David M - 01-02-2011
Did the monthly maintenance this weekend, about a gallon and a half water to top the batteries, run the genset to equalize. good to go - love being off grid.
Seriously doubt I would have built my own panels though, would have to imagine it's a fair amount of tedious labor, but that's only my opinion
David
Ninole Resident
RE: Off Grid Power - TrevorKane - 01-02-2011
didixon: I imagine Slingshot hasn't hit it's target production price of $1 to 2K per unit yet - same basic problem as most of DEKA's mainstream attempts - $5K for a scooter (Segway), no matter how cool, just doesn't compute in the mainstream. Same but worse for their standing wheelchair. Looking at the big picture, these are brilliant products that make macro-economic sense (e.g.: if everybody who needed one had the standing wheelchair, ADA requirements on buildings could be much cheaper to meet, net savings to the world and immediate gratification for everyone with a chair.)
About making the panels yourself - most of the time, the factory has worked out efficient tooling and processes to where you'd be "saving" less than minimum wage for your time. On the other hand, if you have the skills, (or you're not making money with your time and can learn the skills), you can actually be sure that you took the care to do all the connections and weatherproofing correctly, as opposed to factory panels that passed their in-house testing but might not last very long in actual service due to "efficient" assembly processes.
RE: Off Grid Power - Bullwinkle - 01-03-2011
why are prices of panels high?
I saw them double when some countries started to subsidize the installation of solar - if I remember right I was at 2.50 a watt before the run up for unisolars
good for them - bad for us
Living off grid has lots of rewards - but takes some planning and education