Finally : cheap DIY selfmade solar cell with common materials !

[triffid]

I do believe that there are stable inorganic dyes (instead of unstable organic dyes).I already know how to make copper oxide cells(but they deliver less than 1%).Maybe more effective to use solar heat to drive a steam driven generator?Triffid

[triffid]

Check out Steven Harris's book"Sunshine to Dollars".He tells how to make all types of solar projects using low cost materials often free if you will ask for them and go pick them up.I found my copy on e-bay about 4 years ago.He tells how to get free solar panels.He also says making electricity with silicon is not the best way for solar power to go.I think we as a nation should be hellbent on going solar.Harris says making solar hot air collectors for a few dollars(or often just tens of dollars ) is the best use for solar(I do like making electricity myself).Then he says hot water solar collectors are a third as efficient.With silicon for electricity being the worse way to go.He says you can hook up solar hot air collectors to your home and realize instant gas heat savings for the next 2-50 years(depending on how well you build them).Triffid

[triffid]

Every time I have watched a movie about time travel I have seen the sun shining in those movies.So I agree why ignore the big ball in the sky and the moon at night?We can use nuclear energy for the really dark regions of space.Triffid

[Hugo Chavez]

I do believe that there are stable inorganic dyes (instead of unstable organic dyes).I already know how to make copper oxide cells(but they deliver less than 1%).Maybe more effective to use solar heat to drive a steam driven generator?Triffid

That's what I was wondering.  I got the initial impression that these needed to be organic?  If it's solely about catching a portion of the light spectrum then I think inorganic dyes would work.

[hartiberlin]

i seem to remember a demonstration by a fellow that he used a sheat of aluminum foil and two solutions of silica gel or water glass mixed with something can't remember if it was antimony for one and can't remember the other one but after the coat of one on the aluminum foil he coated it again with the other and put copper screen on top as it was drying he said that they were made easily and there output was fair seems like 6% wish i could recall the other chemical one made the p layer the other the negative the aluminum oxide of the foil makes a diode action as well sorry this is all i can remember about this.

nueview

Wow,
that is very interesting.
Can you still try to look this up and post please more details ?
Did you see it yourself or wasit just a Webpage ?
6 % efficiency would be really nice for a selfbuild cell.

If it is a very cheap process anybody can build with cheap materials and chemicals
this would be the way to go.

Please try to locate the infos and post it here.

Many thanks in advance.

Regards, Stefan.