PV Gap

Gary Said:

can I make electric solar cells at home?

We Answered:

Yes you can. Search for "cuprous oxide solar cell". An example is linked below.

You can also make a dye-based cell at home.

Both of these technologies will put out less than 1 milliwatt - if you wire several of them together, you might be able to power an LCD watch or calculator, but that's about it. The output is easily detectable with a digital multimeter.

Agnes Said:

How do I grow a home made solar cell?

We Answered:

here you go nice and easy, i tried the copper thing, its lame but it works, then one made out of blackberries,cmon? they show you how below at one of the links

Daisy Said:

is it possible for me to make solar cells at home? how? 10 points!!!?

We Answered:

Yes it is possible! Making solar cells is easy and cheaper than buying them. Buying them is expensive, so making them is better.

Another reason people do not buy them because they are expensive. Most solar panels cost in the tens of thousands of dollars. What most people do not know is that there are tax credits that can be earned from using renewable energy sources. These credits can help pay for some of the cost of the solar panels. http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=pr… . These credits can make the already cheap, homemade solar panels, even cheaper.

1st: Go to http://tiny.cc/solarandwind

2nd: Read the guide and follow the instructions. This guide gives great information on how to build your own solar panels. It really makes it extremely easy. Here is a link to the guide: http://tinyurl.com/easysolarwind

3rd: Spend a couple weekends on this project. It does not take a lot of time to build solar cells.

4th: Invest in a battery to store this energy for other times when you need it.

The guide is like an ultimate, packed book on renewable energy. It not only comes with information on how to build solar cells, but also wind turbines, biodiesel, and batteries. It is worth your money. I highly recommend this guide, based on experience: I used it successfully.

Patsy Said:

If a typical home uses 385kWh of electricity per month, how many square meters of solar cells would be require?

We Answered:

The Earth4Energy kit suggests one of those popular alternative energy devices that prove to drop home energy costs by 50-80%. The kit also shares information on where to purchase free batteries required for your project. These batteries store the alternative energy making it a portable energy resource. You can take them anywhere, for any use!

Herman Said:

If a typical home uses 390 kWh of electricity per month, how many square meters of solar cells would be requir?

We Answered:

Michelle, John is quite correct in his math. The only problem with the problem as it's stated is that the average solar panel is closer to 11% efficient. There are some leading edge ones that claim to have reached as high as 18%, I don't know if they have been independently tested yet, but most run between 10 and 13 %. So about 11 square meters should do it based on your weather forecast.

We actually live in a solar powered home. Our panels are advertised at 12% efficiency, they are multicrystaline. Our entire array takes up 155 square feet, or about 15 square meters. Our home uses about 300 kwh per month, and in the summer, we usually have a little excess, meaning by 2 pm on sunny days, our batteries are full and can't hold any more charge, so for an hour or two, the panels only power the small loads in the house, and the rest is wasted. This is necessary though, so that after a few cloudy days, when the sun comes out, there is extra to bring the batteries back up as well as run the home.

Are you working on a homework assignment, or just doing research? There are some better places to get info on this subject than asking hacks like me online. Solar Energy International would be my first pick, and some of the renewable energy associations too. I will put some names and links below for you. Also, there is a great periodical that covers this stuff right down to the nuts and bolts, Home Power Magazine. It is actually where we got started 11 years ago, now we have made it here. Check out some of the websites and do some of your own research, you'll be well informed in the end. Good luck, and take care, Rudydoo