Finally : cheap DIY selfmade solar cell with common materials !

[Steven Dufresne]

I have a solar cell which generates 3.7volts [/glow] and I believe it generates 17.6 milliamps. The setting is at 200m on my meter. I need 12volts - 55watts and 4.58amps. How many solar cells do I need in parallel or series?

To increase the voltage, connect in series. In series, the voltages add but the current stays the same.
To increase the current, connect in parallel. In parallel, the currents add but the voltage stays the same.

So for 12 volts, you need 4 in series (12 divided by 3.7 equals 3.24, then round up to 4).
For 4.58 amps, you need 260 in parallel (4.58 divided by 0.0176).
So 4 multiplied by 260 equals 1040 solar cells needed. For the requested voltage you'd connect 4 cells in series but then for the requested current you'd need to make 260 of these series strings and then connect them all in parallel, hence 1040 cell in total.

What exactly are you trying to do?
-Steve
http://rimstar.org   http://wsminfo.org

[ResinRat2]

Well I took the carbon black pigment + dispersing agent + solvent and reduced it down by mixing colloidal magnesium and colloidal silver with it to help dope the coating. This I mixed well and painted a light layer with a fine modelling brush on the shiny side of an aluminum foil sheet. I baked this outside on our Foreman Grill at the maximum heat setting for about 10 minutes and it formed a very nice and thin black film.

On top of this film I brushed another thin layer of superconductive carbon pigment and baked it again. My reasoning was from a modification of the paper that Nanosolar has on its website, "HIGH-PERFORMANCE THIN-FILM PHOTOVOLTAICS USING LOW-COST PROCESS TECHNOLOGY".  I was hoping that I could create a sequence of doping additives that mimicked the CIGS (Cesium, Indium, Gallium, and Selenium) that is discussed in the paper.

I chose Carbon, Magnesium, Silver, and Aluminum as the sequence and Baked the layers in the hope that by shining sunlight on this cell a current would be produced. Unfortunately my camera batteries died and at the moment we cannot find the charger (I hate my house!!). This was to give a sequential order of Ionization energy (eV) from Aluminum as the lowest at 5.9858 eV and Carbon as the highest at 11.2603 eV.

Tommorrow I will cut the cell to size and see if I can get a current going. I really want to develop a cheap cell. This whole business of super-expensive solar cells, and cheap solar cell sold out to the government and the military is driving me crazy.  I will post the pictures as soon as my crazy family can find the charger for the camera.

Thanks for your interest.

RR2

[infringer]

Sweet deal resinrat2 ...

I think you have had a couple of interesting and logical projects on your plate between this and the clay pots who knows what your results will provide everyone with all I can say is that we know the technology is legit ...

I have a slight question for you the RR2 and I don't wanna sound like I am beating the dead to death here but would a piezoelectric crystal not provide electricity just from the expansion and contraction of heat from the sunlight I almost wonder if solar cells do not have this property I am sure it would've been mentioned before but it just seems like a logical thing to test...

[ResinRat2]

Hi Infringer,

I haven't really looked into piezoelectric crystals so I have no idea. I was just trying to do a modification of the process from the paper on the Nanosolar website. If you happen to see any information where this could be true please post a link. Anything helpful is appreciated.

As far as the solar cooling pots, I am in the process of deciding what Stirling Engine to purchase. I am also waiting for the weather to warm up a bit in my area before I do any outside experiments. Cold, cloudy days have been the norm lately.

RR2

[Doug1]

Ratman
   When ya get a moment read through this maybe it will give you some ideas for your concoctions of materials. It's a long read.
  http://www.faqs.org/patents/app/20080213467

  Plenty of other patents cited which you can look up. I like the way this is written,it's not completely written in lawer tardedness language. The carbon tax is gonna make the world cry a little bit more. I love watching stupid find friends in high places.