While at the same time learning from working on my solar panel experiment, continued research provided deeper insights too late to be incorporated into this project. The result may be shorter panel life under North Dakota temperature and weather extremes. For this particular panel there is no going back to correct because the cells are secured to the back panel and there’s simply no way they can be removed without ruining them. The good news is there are some things to be done that I believe will add service life to the panel. It will also be a good gauge for determining whether the greater expense and work involved to protect the cells is justified. For that, time will tell.
When constructing a solar panel for outdoor use it is desirable for the cells to be housed in an air tight enclosure. That isn’t a problem using readily available materials. The problem is that even though it is air tight the enclosure has air containing moisture equivalent to the relative humidity the day it was sealed into the enclosure. As temperatures repeatedly vary there will be condensation cycles which will eventually cause electrical shorting thus shortening the useful life of the panel. A popular means of dealing with that is to encapsulate the cells with moisture proof materials. In this case the cells are secured in place making encapsulating pretty much out of the question. Dang!
Because the cells are already secured to the back panel, it appears the best option to add longevity is remove moisture from the internal air after the assembly is completed. Can that be accomplished? Let’s just say I have a plan. One thing for sure, the project (and costs) to this point aren’t going to end up sitting at the curb on trash day. Nope, the panel will be finished and used as intended until it no longer functions. In the meantime it will be good for comparison to future panel projects. Who knows, maybe it will serve as well and as long as the next panels constructed according to (supposedly) better methods. Wouldn’t that be a hoot?
So the project goes forward. Starting with the next post photos and detailed explanations of each step will be included. You will have enough information to be able to duplicate this project. That’s not saying you should do that since there are better ways of making solar panels but you will have the advantage of knowing the mistakes I made, techniques for working with solar cells to avoid the “oh shoots” (not exactly my words but trying to be polite) and numerous insights along the way. Following this experiment to it’s finale will get you well prepared to avoid my mistakes and economically build proper solar panels. Or you can go about the learning curve from scratch and consider the cost your tuition.
Video documentation of the next solar electric panel is the plan. Of course, that’s assuming a suitable digital video camera within the finances of an old guy on disability can be found. I believe in miracles, don’t you?
