There are many ways to harness the sun's energy, some more efficient than others; however, this massive technology boom has led to many innovations regarding solar cells. My goal of this concept is to do some research online and see if I can find the most efficient solar cell that requires less in costs to create. The boxes I have been making are a hot ticket item, and if I can create them at a cheaper cost, I will be able to make more and reduce the price of each charger. Right now, each box costs me roughly $45 in material and around an hour to make. I am excited to see what it takes to build a solar cell and see if they can be as efficient as the boxes I have now.
In this blog, I will include videos of solar cells, and try to find the most cutting edge DIY project. I am hoping this concept for my portfolio can be used as an inspiration for not only my own ideas but for people who might want to create some sort of electrical device, or in some cases even power their home.
This is the first video I found on YouTube. As some people know, DIY projects do not always turn out the way anticipated. After a short time, the creator of this video said the solar panel no longer functioned. It is disheartening to hear that there seem to be many chemicals involved in making the solar panel. Hopefully the next video I look into has a working solar cell and less chemicals involved in the creating process.
(Citation for first video)
TheLazyDays™. "How to make solar panel/ solar cell at home." YouTube. Mar. 29 2020. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BgDt407uQc
I thought this video was effective because the content creator is making a 100W panel, which is the typical size for one of the panels on a residential home. The creator is building the panel to determine whether it is worth it to build panels yourself or to buy one online. I thought it was cool to see him build something at such a large scale, because then I could scale it down for my own interest. I was really excited to see that the creator was able to build a working panel, this video definitely served as an inspiration.
(Citation for second video)
GreatScott!. "100W Solar panel || DIY or Buy" YouTube. July 22 2018.
This video contains much information regarding copper oxide solar cells. I liked that Robert admitted that this style of the solar cell was not efficient, but there is much hope for the future towards people being able to implement these panels cost-effectively for their own homes. Although this might not be the most cutting-edge DIY project, it certainly gives hope that the average person sitting at home would be able to create renewable electricity without hampering their own pockets.
(Citation for third video)
Robert Murray-Smith. "A Simple Homemade Solar Cell". YouTube. May 20, 2020. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZK7niUtvjI
This video is the one! I think this video shows an excellent demonstration, although it may seem time-consuming. At the end of the video, the videographer demonstrates the ability of the cell to draw power. These are the exact things I would like to build for my boxes. They are roughly similar in size to the portable chargers I have. The only thing I would change is that the creator included the cost of the material. I would assume it was pretty inexpensive, but it would be interesting to know.
(Citation for fourth video)
AmericanTech. "How to make solar cell very easy , Free energy with solar energy." YouTube. July 27 2019. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FuCqmUsXZ8&t=325s
This video is completely different than any other solar system or panel I have ever seen. The person who created this, deserves an award for using LED lights to generate power. Not only is this really innovative it also seems to be pretty okay in terms of energy output. Definitely enough to charge cell phone or power small home electronics. I also thought it was cool how collapsible the lights were, easy for travel. Including a battery with the LED lights is really cool for long-term storage for later use.
(Citation for fifth video)
DD ElectroTech. "How I Made a Solar Panel Using LED." YouTube. May 18, 2020. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O33cfZBlEDI
Overall I thought these projects were innovative. Even if not all of them generated much voltage, they still were able to do something. For my boxes, I would likely look to something like the fourth video by AmericanTech. From the looks of their video, the cost of material seemed cheap, and the voltage output of the solar cell was pretty close to where my boxes are. I am delighted I found a solution for the costs of making the boxes.
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