PV Gap

Hector Said:

Where in davao can i buy some cheap solar cells?

We Answered:

You can get some materials in your local electrical/junk shop or you can search for them online. As for the guide, here's one that might be of interest to you.

Gary Said:

What's the best DIY solar sites and forums?

We Answered:

While building your own solar panel out of bits and pieces is probably very educational and an interesting project, I am skeptical that anything you can produce for cheap will be worth it in terms of actual energy production. Bear in mind that commercial panels are at cutting-edge efficiency, and are expected to last 25 years or more in very harsh outdoor conditions....

So in short beware of scams. There are surely interesting projects out there, but as they say - if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Susan Said:

DIY kit for solar panel?

We Answered:

I know Northern Tool ships to Canada, but not sure if they ship to the UAE. http://www.northerntool.com
If you know how to construct your electrical controllers from the component pieces, a source the does ship worldwide is DigiKey, http://www.digikey.com Since they handle Toshiba and Sanyo components, it might be worth checking with them to see about the Photovoltaics. The PV panels are not a normal catalogued item, but they can do special orders.

I would think you might have a Siemens distributor in the UAE, but I suspect you already looked.
The charge controllers are very easy to make and profit margins are very great for the ready made units. I am not sure my email will appear under the blue banner, but give it a try, I can direct you to the technical notes and application notes that explain the operation of MOSFETs, there are a few, but they are well written in the event you have not studied them yet, And also give you a few details they do not always cover well in the notes to expand the current handling capabilities.

In the event the banner does not toggle, emnefair1@yahoo.com

Joanne Said:

If DIY copper black panels leaned against window for solar heat is there a danger of a lightning strike?

We Answered:

No. Not anymore danger than that of the entire house.

Ruby Said:

DIY solar ipod charger?

We Answered:

You need to find out what is the needed charging voltage for your ipod....
and then you need to find out if you can get the sort of voltage out of the small solar panels that you have. If you can get the voltage from your solar panels, that is good but then another requirement is the current, if the panels will not supply enough current to charge your ipod, that will be a problem.
Do you have any output rating info on those panels?

Andrea Said:

Are there any good do-it-yourself solar programs out there?

We Answered:

There are many guides out there, I think you have to have some experience on building such systems before getting one of them. Earth4Energy guide may be a nice one.