Shattered solar panel

[sinkoman]

So I grabbed a shattered solar panel from work today, with the intent of somehow reusing it. I was originally thinking of just breaking away all the shattered glass to reuse the individual solar cells, but I can't imagine it'd be easy to do without damaging either myself, or the cells.

The other obvious idea is to just reuse the panel in its current state, but i'd have to somehow resurface it in order to prevent moisture from getting in. Like I said though, I don't think it'd be too feasible to remove all of the glass without damaging the individual cells, so I think using some sort of 100% light pass through resin or epoxy would be the best idea.

Anybody know what sort of epoxy or resin would work well for resurfacing the glass, or perhaps just have tips for doing it?

Pictures and stuff

The shattered panel

http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc201/sinkoman_iii/2011-09-03_10-31-55_113.jpg

Test conditions

http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc201/sinkoman_iii/2011-09-03_10-32-12_271.jpg

Panel is a Trina 230 watt, with a rated open circuit voltage of 37v. In the test conditions above, I was getting between 34-32v (depending on cloud cover), so it still seems to be pretty useful.

I didn't measure amperage because I wasn't too sure of how to go about doing that. Just shorting the two leads seemed like a bad idea...

 

[Mr Stabby]

Unprotected silicon chips are very easy to damage, so I'd assume PV cells would be equally so. I don't think putting any kind of resin or epoxy near its surface would be a good idea.

 

[hool10]

I would go to a different forum than this. There are other forum's on the internet that are more concerned about solar energy than Half-Life. However I do know there are epoxies for water/moisture. They use them on fish tanks actually.

 

[Schall]

Why is there a flip flop under it?

 

[Robbo]

Surely it can't be that hard to get the glass off? Turn it upside down, take the frame off and let the glass fall off. Then get a new pane and put it back together!

What are you planing to use it for?

 

[sinkoman]

Why is there a flip flop under it?

To stop the edge of the panel from cutting into the two wires, thus shorting them.

Surely it can't be that hard to get the glass off? Turn it upside down, take the frame off and let the glass fall off. Then get a new pane and put it back together!

What are you planing to use it for?

I think it might be even easier than that. The panel is actually some kind of tempered, possibly laminated glass, so it doesn't just fall apart by tipping it over. BUT, Assuming the glass isn't actually bonded to the wafers somehow, you could just remove the frame and kinda chip/slide the glass off of the cells, as the pieces of the frame are just held together with screws and caulking.

I actually have no idea what i'm going to do with it, but I have a fairly steady supply of these broken panels and all the building materials required to build an array from my work, and these panels cost anywhere from 600-2000 USD brand new (depending on the make and model). If I can figure out some way of reusing these things, I can build a potentially pricey solar array for nearly free.

Unprotected silicon chips are very easy to damage, so I'd assume PV cells would be equally so. I don't think putting any kind of resin or epoxy near its surface would be a good idea.

What happens if you damage one? How does it affect it's ability to produce?

 

[Mr Stabby]

PV cells have two layers, a P and N layer. They have different concentrations of a dopant. Adding chemicals may upset that balance. PV cells work by the extra electrons of the dopant in one layer jumping to the other, when it is exposed to light, thus generating a current.

 

[sinkoman]

PV cells have two layers, a P and N layer. They have different concentrations of a dopant. Adding chemicals may upset that balance. PV cells work by the extra electrons of the dopant in one layer jumping to the other, when it is exposed to light, thus generating a current.

I understand the concepts and theories and whatnot behind semiconductors, the PN junction, depletion zone, etc etc.

I was thinking more that the contraction of the epoxy/resin when it hardens might crack or warp them and of the physical stresses the cells would go through during removal (scratching and shit), but I hadn't thought of the constituent chemicals actually effecting the semiconductor properties.

Do you think it'd be possible to remove the cells for use in other electronics projects? How would that work?

 

[Mr Stabby]

I think as long as you dont scratch, or get any dust/chemicals on their surface, they should be fine. How are the panels attached to the power cables?

EDIT: Here's a video on the manufacture of a solar panel, yours may be a different design

 

[Raziaar]

Sins of a shattered solar panel.

 

[sinkoman]

I think as long as you dont scratch, or get any dust/chemicals on their surface, they should be fine. How are the panels attached to the power cables?

EDIT: Here's a video on the manufacture of a solar panel, yours may be a different design

There are three conductors which run atop and join each of the cells, eventually meeting at the junction box.

 

[kdub70]

awesome view in second pic