Making Solar Cells: DIY

Supplies

A solar cell can be created with two pieces of copper sheeting, a plastic bottle, water, salt and wire clips. The size of the copper pieces will depend on the size of the plastic bottle being used. The pieces should be cut so that they can be bent and placed inside the bottle without touching each other.

Preparation

In order to create the solar cell, one piece of copper will need to be heated on an electric burner for about half an hour, or until it is almost completely black on top. The copper should be cleaned before it is heated. When it is through being heated the burner is turned off and the black flakes off as it cools. Once cool, it can be handled by the edges. Any black still on the copper should be left alone because scrubbing could damage the metal.

Assembly

The top of the bottle needs to be cut off, and the two pieces of copper are bent slightly to fit inside. Some of the sheeting should stick out of the top, and the two pieces must not touch each other. The bottle is then filled with salt water until it covers the copper at least halfway up. The wired clips are then clipped onto the metal sheets. It is now a solar cell. The results can be seen by hooking the wire clip of the heated copper to the negative side of a micro-ammeter and the wire clip of the non heated copper to the positive side of a micro-ammeter. If the cell is put in the sun, it will demonstrate that the cell works.