DIY Solar Panel Workshop Results
The solar panel workshop was a success. We were able to construct a functioning array out of discarded fragments, generating the correct voltage to charge our battery. Each fragment was wired separately, giving participants the opportunity for some hands on work with solar cells, and then after inserting the wires through holes in a board they were connected in series into two long circuits. Measuring the wattage output of the panel is a little more difficult and we haven’t gotten a reliable measure yet, but the battery does collect charge and we hypothesize that the panel collects enough energy to at least run a small light. The construction of this first effort is pretty experimental - we’ve identifier several issues that would be resolved differently on a next version. Perf board is definately the way to go for wiring the panels through wood, not the drilled out ply used here. Bits of broken panel also could be wired better by lining up the the large lines and connecting them in lines the same way commercial panels are - obviously since they are broken this will still yeild a jagged, oddly shaped strip, but it doesn’t necessitate as many holds in the board and is generally more manageable. Of course, for a art/reuse look the random arrange we executed is quite beautiful. We hope to do another workshop and continue to explode feasibility of this kind of reuse. Thanks to all who participated!
Tags: solar