Homemade Solar Cells - How to Make a Solar Cell

"As the technology for solar cells gets better and better, this form of clean, renewable energy will find more applications that take up less space and produce more electricity, to meet the energy needs of our homes, schools and businesses." - SAMUEL BODMAN

Solar cell, also referred to as photovoltaic cell, is a device used for converting energy received from the sun to electrical energy by photovoltaic effect. The energy received from the sun is called solar energy and it is the most cost-effective way of generating electricity. In a day, the sun emits approximately 1,000 watts of energy per square meter. If all of this energy is utilized in a proper manner, then we can power our homes and offices for free with solar power. Many solar cells can be merged together to build a solar panel. Solar cells do not require batteries and can be used in equipments like calculators.

Procedure to Make Homemade Solar Cells
If you want to know how to make a solar cell, you can follow the steps given in the following methods.

Method 1:

• The materials required for a solar cell construction are copper flashing, transparent compact disk case, electric wire, sodium bicarbonate or table salt, electric stove, hot glue solder and sheet metal shears for cutting copper sheets.
• Start with cutting a metal sheet. Cut the sheet according to the size of the burner of a stove. Wash the copper sheet thoroughly with cleanser or soap. After washing, there should be no oil or grease stains on the sheet hence, it is advised to clean it with a wire brush or sandpaper. This will remove sulphide or any light corrosive present on the sheet.
• Place this sheet on the burner and start the burner. Let the sheet be on the burner for at least 30 minutes. After the metal becomes hot and the burner becomes red, its color turns to black and a coating of cupric oxide is developed on the metal. The coating should be thick enough to flake easily. A thin layer sticks firmly and it is difficult to peel it off later. Cool the hot copper present on the burner slowly. For this, turn off the burner and let the sheet be in the same position so that it cools down slowly. If it's cooled instantly there are chances of it sticking to the metal.
• Let the copper cool down to room temperature. After the copper has cooled, the black oxide present on the metal will disappear. Next step is to clean the metal with a scrub. Cut one more sheet of metal, solder a wire to each of the copper plates and insulate the soldering with glue. Apply glue to the metal plates as well.
• Seal the plates and fill them with baking soda and water. You can also use cooking salt instead. With the above, you have successfully built your own solar cell.
• The last step is to test the cell in the presence of sunlight.

Method 2:

• With this method, you can create a portable, flat panel solar cell. The first step is to solder an insulated copper wire to a copper plate.
• Cut a 'U' shaped piece from a copper sheet; this piece should be a little larger than the cuprous oxide plate. Solder an insulated copper wire to a corner of the 'U' shaped copper piece.
• With the help of silicon adhesive, glue the 'U' shaped copper plate to a plastic sheet.The solder connection should be either completely inside the glued part of the 'U' plate or completely outside it. Silicone glue should be used in large quantity so that the salt-water does not leak.
• Glue the 'U' shaped copper plate and cuprous oxide plate with silicone glue. While doing this, enough room should be left for salt-water. The layer should be thick enough to act as an insulator between the copper plate and cuprous oxide. Press the two plates hard so that the glue seals the gaps, but take care that the two plates do not touch each other.
• With an eye dropper, add salt-water. Fill it up to the top of the copper plate, till it spills out. After this, seal it with glue and let it harden. The procedure for making homemade solar cells is complete.

The world would be an impossible place to live in without light and one of the best ways of utilizing the limited resources is by using solar power. Now you know how to make a solar cell! This article must have thrown enough 'light' on homemade solar cells which would help you to make one for yourself and one for me too. Thanks!