How I built a folding 15 Watt Solar

Panel
It was easy. You can do it too
Several years
ago I built a 60
Watt solar
panel. It's a
great panel. I
still use it a lot.
However, it is
big, and heavy,
and I don't
always need 60
Watts of power.
Sometimes I just
need a little
power for a
portable device
or two. I'd like to
be able to charge up my cell phone, or MP3 player without having to
lug around the big solar panel. I'd also like the panel to be more
compact and easier to pack when I am traveling light. So I decided to
build a 15 Watt Solar panel that folds up to be more compact. This web
site explains and shows how I did it.

See also my home-built wind turbine and home-built biomass gasifier

web sites.

Here is a video of the solar panel set up and in use on my remote, off-
grid property.

Let me state up front that I probably won't be able to help you out much
if you decide to build your own solar panel(s). This web site has
become insanely popular, often taxing the bandwidth limits of the
server. I get dozens of requests for help each day. I simply don't have
time to answer the majority of them. Most of the questions and requests
I get are the same ones over and over again. I have crated a FAQ to
handle these repetitive questions. Please read it before emailing me.
Simple questions, not covered by the FAQ,which only require a quick
and simple answer may get replies if time permits. However, there is no
way I can help you out with complex issues, teach you electronics
theory, help you locate parts, build a charge controller for you, or
custom design a system for you. There just aren't enough hours in the
day. Sorry.

The main stumbling block to building solar panels is acquiring solar

cells at a reasonable price. New solar cells are very expensive, and can
even sometimes be hard to find in quantity at any price. Blemished and
damaged solar cells are available on Ebay and other places at a
fraction of the cost of new perfect cells. These second rate solar cells
can be used to make a solar panel that will work just fine.

My first solar panel used 3 X 6 inch monocrystalline silicon solar cells.

They are highly efficient and produce a lot of current. But they are also
big and delicate and difficult to work with. For this project I decided to
use a different kind of solar cells. I used 40 thin-film Copper Indium di
Selenide (CIS) solar cells. Each cell is actually a miniature solar panel
60mm x 60mm x 2mm thick, that will produce a little over 4.5 Volts and
80 mA in bright sunlight, that only comes out to about 0.375 Watts per
cell, but 40 of them together produce the 15 Watts I was targeting. I
would wire them together in groups of 4 cells in series to get about 18
Volts, and then wire the groups of 4 cells in parallel. I would divide the
40 cells into two groups of 20 and build a folding box to mount them in.
I bought 40 of the (CIS) solar cells off of Ebay and got to work.

I drew up a
layout for 20 of
the solar cells
and rough
dimensions of
half of the
folding solar
panel. The other
half would just
be a mirror
image of this. I
did things a little
differently when
I actually wired
the cells
together, but I
followed this
initial plan fairly closely. Click for a larger view.
 The solar cells
arrived from
Ebay well
packed in foam
and all intact.

Here is a close-up photo of the front of one of the solar cells. The cells
are encapsulated in glass. They are delicate, but not nearly as delicate
as the paper-thin silicon solar cells I used in my first solar panel.

Here is a close-
up photo of the
back of one of
the solar cells.
These cells
come with wiring
tabs already
soldered in
place and taped
down. Also, the
negative
terminal is
marked, though
it is hard to see
in this photo.
 Here I am
testing one of
the solar cells
under my bright
workbench
lamp. It is
producing 4.35
Volts. Not bad.

Now that I had solar cells in hand, it was time to start building the
panel. I used similar construction technique to what I used on my first
solar panel, just scaled down to a smaller size and hinged in the
middle. I built two shallow wooden boxes 15 7/8 by 13 inches, using 1/4
inch thick plywood and 3/4 x 3/4 wood side rails.
I hinged the the
two halves
together. I didn't
bother mortising
out for the
hinges. I just
mounted them
flat against the
sides of the
boxes.

Here is the
finished hinged
box opened up.
I painted the box
my usual white
color that seems
to be becoming
the signiture
color for all my
alternative
energy projects.

I marked out the

position for each
of the 20 solar cells in each half of the panel in pencil.

I cut the tape

holding down
the tabs on the
back of each of
the cells, and
folded the tabs
up and over to
the top side of
the cell. I also
marked the
negative side of
the cell better so
I could see it
from the front of
the cell. Then I
began gluing
them down on
the spots I had marked out earlier. I used a small blob of silicone caulk
in the center of each cell and pressed it in place. Click the photo to see
a larger version.

After all the cells

on one half were
glued down, I
waited a few
hours for the
silicone to set
up before
starting to wire
the cells
together. I
wanted to
complete and
debug one half,
just in case I ran
into problems,
before doing the
other half.
 Once the
silicone had set
up and the cells
were firmly
stuck down, I
started soldering
the tabs
together. The
tabs on
adjoining cells
were sticking up
like is seen in
this photo. Click
the photo to see
a larger version.

I used my fine
needle-nose
pliars to grab
the tabs that
needed to be
joined, and
rolled them
together on the
tips of the pliars.
Then I flattened
the resulting
little roll of foil
down to prevent
it from unrolling.
The tabs are
made of thin
metal foil. So be
careful since it isn't hard to damage them or rip them off the cells. Click
the photo to see a larger version.
Finally I used
my soldering
iron and a little
solder to finish
each joint. Be
quick. Don't let
your soldering
iron linger on
the tabs, or they
may unsolder
from the cells.
Click the photo
to see a larger
version.

Once I was
done soldering
all the cells
together, I had 5
strings of 4 cells
wired in series.
Now I had to
connect the 5
strings together
in parallel. I
used some
copper braid I
had on hand to
wire together all
the positive
sides of the cell
strings. I used
small blobs of
silicone to hold
the braid in
place. Click the
photo to see a
larger version.

I then soldered
the anode of a
31DQ03
 Schottky diode
to the positive
rail. This diode
acts as a
blocking diode,
preventing the
solar panel from
discharging my
battery bank at
night or when
shaded. Each
half of the panel
gets a blocking
diode since the
two halves will
be wired in
parallel. Click
the photo to see a larger version.

Here I have installed the wires that leave the panel. I ran them out
through a hole
drilled in the
hinge side of the
panel. I soldered
the red wire to
the cathode of
the diode and
the black wire to
the negative rail.
I tied a knot in
the wires for
strain relief, and
used blobs of
silicone caulk to
secure
everything in
place. Click the
photo to see a larger version.

The other half of the panel is a mirror image of the first. I joined the
wires for the two halves together outside the panel. Click the photo to
see a larger version.
 This photo
shows the wires
from both halves
of the panel
joined together
and connected
to a quick-
disconnect plug.
You can also
see rows of vent
holes I drilled in
the hinge side of
both panels to
vent them once
the plexiglass
covers are on.
Click the photo
to see a larger version.

This is the plug

connector I used
on the panel. It
is a polarized
quick-
disconnect plug
available at
Radio Shack
and other
places. Click the
photo to see a
larger version.
 Here is the
completed
folding solar
panel, ready for
testing. My
testing, outside
in bright
afternoon sun,
showed the
panel was
producing about
18.3 Volts at
about .82 Amps.
It works! I was
getting almost
exactly the 15
Watts I was
targeting. I was very happy. Click the photo to see a larger version.

My next step
was going to be
to add
plexiglass
covers to each
half to protect
the cells and the
wiring from the
elements. I
bought two
pieces of
plexiglass and
cut them to fit
the two halves
of the panel.

Here I have
peeled off the
protective film
on one side of
the plexiglass
covers, run
beads of
silicone caulk all the way around both halves of the panel, and set the
peeled side of the plexiglass in place over each half. I added some
weights in the form of stone coasters to press down the plexiglass
overnight until the silicone set up.

The next day, I

peeled the
protective film
off the other
side of the
plexiglass. The
panel was
essentially done
at this point.
However, I
wanted to add a
finishing touch. I
had some
adhesive
backed felt disks
on hand. I use a
lot of them in my
various telescope projects. I added 2 felt disks to the panel to prevent
the two halves from crashing together too hard. They provide
cushioning between the two plexiglass panes when the panel is folded.

Here is a photo
of the gap the
felt disks make
between the
plexiglass panes
when the panel
is folded.
 I completed the
solar panel just
in time to take it
with me on
vacation to my
remote off-grid
property in
Arizona. My
property has
previously
served as a
testing ground
for my home-
built wind
turbine, and my
60 Watt home-
built solar panel.
Here the panel is unfolded and laid out on the hood of my truck to catch
the sun.

I wanted to test the solar panel extensively. I wired it into my charge

controller to supplement the power being produced by the wind turbine
and larger solar panel. I also wired the panel to a 12V cigarette lighter
type plug and tested it powering various small appliances like my car
cell phone charger and the charger for my MP3 player. The panel
worked well, but I noticed something strange. The voltage output of the
panel was only about 14.5 Volts. I had seen over 18 Volts in my earlier
testing. The voltage was still high enough to power the appliances I
plugged into it,
but I was
perplexed about
why the voltage
had dropped.

I had a theory
that the voltage
output from the
CIS cells was
dropping as they
heated up inside
the enclosed
boxes of the
solar panel. I
tested the theory by putting the panel in the shade for a while and
letting it cool off, then bringing it back out in the sun and monitoring the
voltage as it warmed up. Sure enough, it made about 18 Volts when I
first placed it in the sun, but the voltage quickly dropped off back down
to about 14.5 volts as it warmed up.

I then pried off the plexiglass panes and tried using the panel without
them. Without the plexiglass, the voltage output of the panel went back
up to about 18 Volts. The free air flow and no "greenhouse effect" from
the plexiglass allowed the cells to stay cooler.

I may just leave the panel without the plexiglass. These CIS cells are
much more rugged than the thin mono-crystalline cells I used in my first
solar panel. They had to be protected from the environment. Also, I
won't be leaving this panel out exposed to the elements and harsh
weather. I will only use it now and then on camping trips to charge up
small appliances. It will probably be ok without the plexiglass.

So how much did all this cost to build? Well, I saved all the receipts for
everything I bought related to this project. Also, my workshop is well
stocked with all sorts of building supplies and hardware. I also have a
lot of useful scrap pieces of wood, wire and all sorts of miscellaneous
stuff (some would say junk) laying around the shop. So I had a lot of
stuff on hand already. Your mileage may vary.

Part Origin Cost

Solar Cells Ebay $30.00*

Misc. Lumber Already on hand $0.00
Plexiglass (not really
Homecenter Store $13.95
needed)   
Hinges Homecenter Store    $3.49
Silicone Caulk Homecenter Store $3.95
Wire Already on hand $0.00
Diodes Ebay $0.40±
Quick disconnect plug Radio Shack $5.50
Paint Already on hand $0.00

Total $57.29
Not too bad. That's a bit cheaper than what a commercially made 15
Watt solar panel from someplace like Harbor Freight would cost, ($70
as of this writing). However, my panel folds up to save space. The
Harbor Freight panels don't, and they are nearly as big as my 60 Watt
solar panel. This design would be even cheaper to build with the
plexiglass omitted. It probably isn't really needed since these CIS cells
are so rugged, and it causes the cells to overheat anyway. I have plans
to further experiment with these CIS cells, and build more panels to add
to the capacity of my system. I'll post more here as the project evolves.
Stay tuned