How to Repair Solar Cells

Solar cells are made of glass coated with specially treated silicon. As such, they are very delicate, very easy to break. A broken solar cell is still perfectly capable of functioning as two new cells, each at half the power. However, using broken cells carries the hazards of sharp edges. It looks unsightly as well. Fortunately, broken solar cells are relatively easy to repair.

Things You'll Need

• Aluminum foil
• Electrically conductive glue (See References 1 & 2)

Instructions

1. Cut out a rectangle of aluminum foil the same dimensions as the unbroken cell. Smooth it out as much as you can by hand.

2. Place the parts of the broken cell on the table before you. The colored sides should be face down and the gray sides should be face up. Push them together so that the broken edges fit together like a jigsaw puzzle. (See References 3)

3. Cover the back of the solar cell in electrically conductive glue. Allow the glue to fully dry before attempting to move the cell. The gray back of the cell was its negative electric terminal. The conductive glue and the foil form a new terminal, but unbroken. (See References 2 & 3)

4. Turn the solar cell over so that the foil side is face down. Cut out a narrow strip of aluminum foil as long as one of the breaks is. Make it approximately 1/8 inch wide. Dab glue along the break and press the foil strip into place over it. Wait for the glue to dry. The thin wires you see embedded in the top of the cell form its positive terminal. The glue underneath the cell is holding it together physically but that does not reconnect the positive terminal fragments. The foil and glue provide that connection (see References 3).

5. Repeat the process of reconnecting the positive terminal fragments for each break. Once the glue dries, the solar cell repair is complete.

Tips & Warnings

• Make the strips of foil that you use to repair the positive terminal as narrow as possible. The top of the cell needs as much exposure to sunlight as it can get in order to generate the voltage and current that it is rated for.

• Do not put pressure on the solar cell while you are handling it. Use no more than a feather touch to press the foil in place. Solar cells are delicate enough to break at the slightest excess pressure.

• Do not spill glue over the edge of the cell, linking top and bottom together. This will short out the cell, rendering it useless.

References

• University of California at Berkeley: Wire Glue
• OtherPower: Repairing Broken Solar Panels
• NASA: How Do Photovoltaics Work?

Resources

• University of Oregon: Solar Cells