How to Make a Solar Electric Panel
With the combination of rising energy costs and concern over global warming, people have begun to look to renewable energy. While the concept of water or wind power is simple enough (the water or wind turns a turbine which generates electricity), solar power---especially using solar panels---is more complicated. But believe it or not, you can make a solar panel that generates electricity cheaply, using materials that are at your house. This could allow you to generate electricity and help reduce your electric bill. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Sheet of copper flashing (about 1/2 square foot)
- Micro-ammeter that can read currents between 10 and 50 microamperes
- Two alligator clip leads
- Electric stove or hot plate (at least 1100 watts)
- 2-liter bottle made of plastic or glass
- Two tablespoons table salt
- Tap water
- Sand paper or wire brush on electric drill
- Sheet metal shears
Instructions
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Cut a piece of the copper sheeting so that it's about the same size as the burner of the stove. Wash your hands and the copper sheeting to remove any grease or oil, then use the sandpaper or wire brush to move any corrosion that might be on the copper. Make sure you clean it thoroughly.
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After the copper has been cleaned and dried, put it on the burner and turn it to its highest setting. The copper will display various colors as it heats up, but eventually it will be covered with a black cupric oxide coat. Let this coat thicken by cooking the copper for a half-hour (a thick coat will flake off easily, while a thin coat will stick to the sheet).
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3
Turn the burner off, but leave the sheet on it to cool for about 20 minutes until it is room termperature. While most of the oxide will have flaked off by this point, you can remove most of what's left by running the copper under water and lightly scrubbing it with your hands. Just don't handle the copper too roughly as you don't want to damage the layer of red cuprous oxide that makes the solar cell work.
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Cut another piece of copper the same size as the first one, and bend both of them gently. Attach them to the jar so that they won't touch each other. Connect the lead of the clip attached to the clean copper plate to the positive terminal of the meter, and the lead of the clip attached to the cuprous oxide plate to the negative terminal.
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Mix the two tablespoons of salt into hot tap water, and stir it until the salt dissolves. Pour the saltwater into the jar, making sure that you don't get the alligator clips wet. Don't completely cover the plates---leave an inch or so of space between the water and the clips. Put it in the sun, and watch the meter jump due to the electricity that's being created.
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