Useless invention!

Aug 27, 2005
8,688
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Band e 209
#2
I posted this in IC while back and I encourage evey one to tackle this homemade project. Keep doing more and you might even end up putting extra electricity back in the grid and getting paid for it, you never know.

For around 200 USD and typical household tools you can build your own and result will be personal pride (specially if you are standing in front of your other half with your chest inflated) and rewarding.

One 1.2 X .6 meter panel holding 36 solar cell will provide you little over 18 volt DC and 3 amp worth of current, so W=V X I you will get about 60 W, good enough to light up your home's entrance and front yard lights for free. Of course you have to replace your bulb with pretzel type florescent bulbs or like me change all of them to ultra low amp LED bulbs. I have 4 of them up front and my Batteries (being charged up all day by solar panel) can keep them lit for well over 8 hours.

I calculated my expenses and realized it will take me around 3 years to break even, but personal satisfaction thingy is irreplaceable.

Oh btw: beside typical household tools you will need a very good variable heat range Soldering Iron along with resin and good quality Solder. The most important and time consuming segment of this project will be the soldering of 36 paper tin solar cells together, the rest is more like general carpentry and wiring.

It is easier and cheaper than you might think.