Comments on: Build your own solar panel

By: Theo

Theo — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 15:48:08 +0000

My concern is the period of time in which this cell will reproduce the amount of electricity that has been used in the first place by the electric stove to heat the copper plate…. – is this efficient???

By: Bruce

Bruce — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 18:14:22 +0000

The instructions say “Place your copper sheet onto your electric stove at its highest setting and let it grill for half an hour”. I remember when an empty sause pan was accidentally heated on an electric burner of my stove. The copper cladding on the stainless steel pan began to melt, resulting in the copper forming drips on the bottom of the pan. I wonder about putting this sheet of copper on a stove set to its highest setting.

By: John

John — Mon, 18 May 2009 16:07:26 +0000

Without pictures I can’t get a grasp on how this is assembled… the U shape, is it a flat cutout that looks like a U? Is it a cross section of a pan that looks like a U? Is it both a U shape that is hammered down into a pan shape to hold water? Great project but I’m unsure how it goes together.

By: a door

a door — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 14:53:49 +0000

I need to know how to make a science pannel to power a radio help

By: The human Cabbage

The human Cabbage — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 13:25:48 +0000

Wouldn’t making your solar cell use more energy than what you would get from it? I once read a paper on a way to get electric from heat would be to use that wire from an electric heating element on a steel plate put in the sun. In parts of Russia they use this wire on a parrafin heater to power there televisions. I know that this idea would use the suns heat and not the light but the cost in making this would be peanuts. I’m going to build one and keep you informed of if it works or not.

By: Echo

Echo — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 20:30:21 +0000

Trying to make a solar panel to create a solar power oven scale to power a 4 watt bulb. Can’t find anything that will get me over 50 microwatss which equals about 5, 334 solar cells which is massive at 5×5 squares. Help?

By: John Earley

John Earley — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 21:01:53 +0000

Can you tell me what type of salt and what the strength or salt to water ratio is best, Thank You Much,,John Earley

By: Wayne

Wayne — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 19:18:40 +0000

can you post something about the Sun Switch and/or the Canuckle Solar trackers

By: sadiq

sadiq — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 12:11:57 +0000

this is a very good science project for young adalesents and i want to know the elements that exhibits the photovoltaic property.

By: nigel

nigel — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 23:30:29 +0000

Solar power is not just electrical, remember a lot of electricity is used to heat water.

This is where solar industry forgets to tell people thats its not expert on energy, mainly selling equipment to service appliances that use electricity..thats naughty.

What people need to know is that they can use skylights for light, proper insulation to reduce the need heating, integrated cooking and water heating, and smarter and fewer appliances to reduce the load.

A copper flashing is a thin sheet of copper (1 or 2mm) used for weatherproofing roofs and plumbing. Electric shears would be a device for cutting such copper but also hand metal cutters can be used as well.

I am in favour of a solar industry but amazed by how limited information is on the subject.

Did yourself is great help for understanding and learning and possibly actually doing as well.

Thanks,

Nigel