Though the creation of solar energy panels is done in a stern quality controlled environment, for experimental purposes you can build your own solar energy panel to find out how the sun's energy can be converted to electricity. While the best panels are made with silicon, you can build your own solar energy panel by using cuprous oxide, a material known for causing light to be turned into electricity. You almost certainly can't go into a store a buy cuprous oxide but you can copy it on a thin sheet of copper.

Though the creation of solar energy panels is done in a stern quality controlled environment, for experimental purposes you can build your own solar energy panel to find out how the sun's energy can be converted to electricity. While the best panels are made with silicon, you can build your own solar energy panel by using cuprous oxide, a material known for causing light to be turned into electricity. You almost certainly can't go into a store a buy cuprous oxide but you can copy it on a thin sheet of copper.

You will need about one square foot of thin copper plate, two alligator clips and short leads of wire, a wide mouth glass jar, tap water and salt. The use of a voltmeter, capable of measuring extremely small amount of electricity will be needed to see the end result. To build your own solar panel you will need an electric stove or hot plate on which to heat the copper sheeting. Place the copper sheet on the burner and turn it on high and let it sit there for about 30 minutes.

As it heats, you see the plate turn colours and the heat will show the outline of the heating coil beneath the plate. As it becomes warmer it'll start to turn dark till the whole sheet has a black coating. After the whole sheet is black, turn off the burner and let it sit to cool down for roughly twenty mins. As it cools the black cuprous oxide coating will start to pop off the sheet, leaving a thins coating of red on the copper. This red coating is wanted to build your own solar energy panel, and while the bulk of the black can be rinsed off under running water, it shouldn't be brushed clean.

Using the alligator clips, connect the copper sheet to one the apex of one side of the glass jar. Attach another clean copper sheet to the opposite side of the jar. Mix about 2 big spoons of salt into hot tap water, ensuring it dissolves and then pour it into the jar. Be cautious the water doesn't get on the alligator clips. The 2 copper sheets should be under water with roughly one in. left exposed at the pinnacle of the car to build your own solar cell.

Thoroughly place the whole contraption in the daylight, either in front of a window or carry it outside and reveal it to the sun. Using the voltmeter connect the leads to the 2 alligator and you can see the meter indicate the little quantity of power being generated by daylight, establishing you managed to build your own solar panel.

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