Back encapsulation is the best option in my opinion. The advantage is, no need for expensive silicone encapsulants. The back encapsulation prevents much of the resin from UV exposure. These are dew safe water tight 100% The humidity is as bad as it can get where we live. If they do not get wet here, they are safe anywhere. Buster was about 3 years old when he wandered in the veterinarian’s office in early 1995 while our dog Sweetie was getting her yearly shots. We took him home:-) 16 great years. If not for the rare lymp cancer that started 5 months ago, he would have lived a few more years. He passed away while I was filming the foggy camera section of this video.
Video Rating: 4 / 5
This unit runs for free all day. Takes about 550 Watts. I use 9 Chinese grid tied inverter’s to power the house. I save about. 35% off my power bill.
Video Rating: 5 / 5
41 Responses
Sorry to hear about your pet/friend. Couldn’t find the link for the 2 part epoxy stuff. Max-Clear. I’ll keep looking. Thanks for the video. (Tom)
WOOD FRAME it will let WATER IN after 1 year
HAHA did you just set off a bomb in your garden just to make things more interesting?
19 years in dog years is 133 ! That’s old! RIP
0:45 is called death-strike lightning and is one of the countless reasons why I advise my fellow northerners to avoid Florida like the plague.
I made some panels like this one but with an aluminum frame. I wanted to be SURE that it would never break, so I used 1/4 inch tempered glass. I only get 35 watts max out of the panels. Pretty disappointing. I’m sure it’s because the glass is so thick, and/or the resin over the cells is absorbing/reflecting the light :/
Hey Dan my dogs name is Buster also, and he is a Jack Russell also. But it looks like your dog is Boxer.
Thnx 4 da HELP nice Vid !!!
if i were to encapsulate with EVA, do i need to encapsulate the front and the back of the cells? or can i get away with just the back of the cells?
Can you put a magnifying glass over it to make it produce more on shady days?
gooooodd. saludos desde….TIJUANA BAJA CALIFORNIA MEXICO………
Hi, grettings from Colombia, i want know what is the material of “glass” or lamina in frontsize and back size, thanks, and good jop
That resin pretty affordable how much for that gallon can? Your getting some good power out of that panel. I noticed that one cell is split all the way across so it is going to cut down on your amps by half. Can you make a panel out of grade A Cells to see if you can beat your record. Thats a really good panel. You did some nice work on that. I saw a video of a guy that used a storm door glass to make a panel the 3x5s just fit it perfectly. It was tempered glass too. I want to see if it yellow
that is water proof !
Hey Dan!
i build 6 solar panel i got a couple grid tie inverter, i’m playing whit them often, series parallel … if i hook up grid tie inverter to my solar panel what is the best way … i got 75 W panel time 6. and 6 300W grid tie inverter i got for almost nothing
Dan, I’m so sorry to hear about Buster. Thank you for adopting him, taking him home, and giving him a great loving family for 16 years.
I’ve started gathering the materials for building my panels. Karma has been with me. So I was thinking, where can I find some tempered glass? Then I went to the horse rescue ranch where I volunteer, and the ranch handyman had a stack of stuff out to go to the landfill, including six sliding patio doors made of tempered glass. Woot! Lots of FREE materials!
So sorry about Buster, we lost a 16 year old Scotty to a Mast Cell Tumor a few years ago. We were just in Florida recently. What general area do you live in? We may be comming back this fall. Love your videos.
My condolences on the loss of Buster. I also lost my dog, Tres, to lymphoma. They etch a permanent place in our hearts. You gave him 16 years of love and I’d bet he gave back 160.
Hey Dan, in two of your other videos you used 3-5 mirrors to increase voltage by about 30% and also putting panel in water to cool it for about another 10%. Combine these on this panel and see what results you get. Just a thought for another video. I’m very sorry to hear about Buster , it’s always hard to lose a pet. Great video series by the way and as always “Hi Denise”.
@greenspreedotca I 2nd that, this is a good price for a DIY person trying to tinker around and create something that will work a bit and to have fun with. $1 a watt is a great price to practice.
@daenergymon Good point about the GTI, I actually metal box them outside, not totally because of the UL, because I do not like any power inverters or converters on when I am not around. I have had 2 phones AC to DC almost catch on fire, one from lightning one power spike. GTIs need air and to be dry.I use a standard extension cord for the drop to the house outside outlet. I have seen people mount many in their garage, scary IMHO.Also closer GTI is to panel the better 120v travels better than 12v
I like your DIY approach although if you hooked many of them together you would have fire safety issues. You should put a fuse between your panel and inverter. Modules can now be bought for under 3$/watt and come with a 25 year power warranty . Also that grid tie inverter has not been UL tested (again safety) so I would keep it out of your home for when it shorts out. And more safety (fuses or breakers ) and you have a nice safer guerrilla solar setup
@harrysmithhush compared to what? Most commercial small (sub 100W) solar panels cost $5-10/watt.
Sorry, but 1$ per Watt is quite expensive!
Sorry about Buster.
i would like to see it actually running off the Inverter setup you have
Thanks for the uploading! That’s really interesting and useful! :)
Im just getting into solar energy i got solar lights in my house but that’s all i know can anyone teach me what other things i can use solar power thank u
for some reason… solar powered A/C sounds oxymoronic.
I use the AIMS 8k-16k unit t0 power my A/C unit. During the day 1280 watts of solar panels can keep the battery bank charged enough to power my 1,000 wat A/C unit (110VAC). I also use it to power my submersible well pump Also (110VAC). I’m looking at expandinding the sytem to aout 3,200 watts of solar panel and a 4800 amp hour battery bank (12vdcc) I was thinking about using gris tie inverters also, I’ll just make sure they’re not conected to the battery bank! Glad to see your results.
You mentioned this isn’t legal… why? Where do I find the rules for my state?
I want to better understand where to buy the products needed…..and how to operate off grid….
Which model of air conditioner are you using?
@waterwart
Search “Cost of installing solar panels – The economics behind solar power” for a concise but detailed discussion of the economics of solar power today. Right now, payback should be in under 11 years, and most likely even less.
Okay so the invertors are cheap. But how much do all those solar panels cost? And how long are they good for before you have to replace them?? Inquiring minds want to know.
Very good work,keep the videos coming
I have dinner 12 homemade ones in about 10 or 12 store bought ones
Very cool. How many panels.,
good video
good to see your back..
I see you have a new channel. I am glad I found you.