Finally : cheap DIY selfmade solar cell with common materials !

[hartiberlin]

zinc oxide is conductive just like tin oxide.Triffid

Is Zinc Oxid only conductive, if it has enough
other substances in it, so if it not very pure ?

I have seen infos, that ZincOxid is mixed with Aluminium
for putting it onto glas for the display industry.

So how do we get the ALuminium into it easily ?

Regards, Stefan.

[Doug1]

Alumina Hydrate

[ResinRat2]

I modified a picture from HowStuffWorks on the solar cell and threw in the idea of using colloidal minerals in two glass reservoirs that are connected by a copper plate to allow transfer of electrons between the Platinum doped silver colloid layer (P layer) and the Zinc doped Silver colloid layer (N layer).

The trouble with collodal minerals is that they tend to be light sensitive. They would probably not be stable, but the idea just needed to be thrown out there and looking for suggestions. This would ultimately not be very expensive at all to build, and copper wires can be used for the current flow.

[triffid]

I agree with Doug1 that they seem to plan to keep solar power production centralized so that you have to pay a power company for it.But you can use a 12 volt system for your electrical needs.If you keep your electrical needs small.You need to remember to keep your electrical connections less than 20 feet long or your dc losses will be too great.Also to get more electricity out of your silicon panels(up to 10x) you can simply reflect up to 10x the sunlight on your panels.You can use a car battery to store your electricity(you must keep it topped off,the battery that is).I used car batteries for 9 years without a problem to operate a small black and white tv.I really do believe in small 12 volt systems.Triffid

[jeanna]

Hi everyone,
I am not too sure where this panel thread is, but I may be able to help a little with a couple of points if they are still of interest.

In one of my recent incarnations I was a weaver/spinner and dyer using natural dyes. Here goes.

Plant dyes have binding sites that bind to metallic salts. The different metals can affect the light fastness of the color. Perhaps the titanium itself will work as a lightfast binder.

Tin, chromium and iron were in common use for centuries.

Most natural dyers these days use Alum which is usually potassium aluminum sulphate. An acetate version also works. It is called alum acetate. Perhaps this will be a convenient way to get aluminum into the mix. (I am not sure if the request for aluminum is from a different formula.)

If you do need lightfast dyes the 4 best sources are

madder
indigo species
weld
eucalyptus leaves

madder is a good source for the red dye alizarin
indigo uses a multi step reduction/oxidation process and may not be a good choice here
weld is a good source for the yellow dye luteolin.
eucalyptus leaves when cooked at 185 F for 10 minutes at least make a lightfast dye usually brownish, sometimes red. - smells good too.

Good luck!

jeanna