Kevin Harcourt – Center for Alternative Fuels

By: Zubair
Due to ongoing energy crisis, many people are beginning to look for alternative fuel sources to produce energy. The greatest alternative source of energy has ever known to man kind is the sun. Nowadays, use of solar energy to fulfill the daily energy demand at the houses is on the increase. But buying a solar panel can cost you some thousand dollars. So how about keeping the money in the pocket while fulfilling the energy requirement? Although energy produced by a homemade solar panel would be much less than a silicon panel. But it is evident that solar energy is the best way at solving our energy crisis. It is now possible for an ordinary person to create homemade solar cells. In this article I will tell you the very simple way of making homemade solar panel.

1. First of all take an evenly cut piece of copper plate.

2. Clean it thoroughly to remove any corrosion over the surface of the copper. You may use sand paper for the cleaning purpose.

3. Wash the copper panel thoroughly with the water and then towel it to dry.

4. Now place that copper piece on the flame and keep it for about 30 minutes until becomes red hot.

5. A thick black layer of oxides should form on the copper sheet surface. Make sure not to leave the copper unattended while it cooks.

6. Leave the copper to get cool. Remember, cupric oxide and copper cool at different temperature. Keep it for 30 minutes for the cooling.

7. Remember, during the process of cooking hot cupric oxide flames might fly, so be careful and not get close to it or leave anything particularly flammable nearby.

8. Wash the copper carefully in plain water to get most of the black pieces off. We only need the red layer of cupric oxide that is formed beneath the layer of cupric oxide.

9. Now take the cooked copper sheet and another uncooked sheet and fit them into the plastic bottle, bend each outward as no part of the two sheets touch each other.

10. Clip one of the alligator leads to the tops of each of the sheets and connect them to your meter.

11. The positive terminal of the meter should connect to the uncooked sheet. The negative terminal should connect to the cooked sheet.

12. Dissolve a couple of tablespoons of salt into a few cups of water. Pour it into the plastic bottle so the water level is about an inch short of the sheets' tops.

13. Place the bottle out in the sunlight and watch the meter. It should steadily rise to as much as fifty micro-amps. Put the bottle in the shade and the meter should drop to less than ten. You have made your own solar cell.

This is really a simple method of making a solar cell. For more tips on how to build your own solar panel, click on the link mentioned below.

Making own homemade solar panel is a very interesting thing. If you are interested to make your own solar panel you can visit Making Homemade Solar Panel