advice on broken solar panel - Page 6

 


Measure the voltage and current output with and without the cover
material before committing to it. Silicon cells are sensitive to
infrared which many clear plastics absorb.

If I remember correctly acrylic also absorbs some ultraviolet but I don't
know how that would affect the performance.  Also, acrylic has a tendancy to
deteriorate when exposed to sunlight.

Glass also absorbs a little UV but apparently not too much or it wouldn't be
used on solar panels.  I have a custom picture framing business and if
someone like you walked in and told me what you wanted to do I would
probably give you the glass for free, cut to size (unless it was a big piece
of glass in which case it still wouldn't cost very much).  For that matter
you can cut the glass yourself if you have a glass cutter.  If you've never
done it just find a piece a bit bigger than you need and do a practice cut.
The trick is to keep the cutter straight up-and-down and don't try to cut
through the glass as if you are using a blade--you just need to get a
"score" in it and then break it (run it) from one end or the other.  You can
draw your cutting lines with a Sharpie or whatever or draw a line on a table
and just follow the line.  Just make sure it's "square."  If you put a drop
of oil on the cutting wheel axle before you use it it will last for
thousands of cuts if you score with the proper pressure.

 
         ===

Acetic cure rtv is harmful to copper and soldered joints. Use a
neutral cure product

 bealiba@gmail.com wrote:

 > Acetic cure RTV is harmful to copper and soldered
 > joints. Use a neutral cure product

I would usually agree but in this case the acetic acid
will pass through the acrylic plastic, slowly depending
on the thickness. The existing glass and ETA (?) cell
encapsulant should protect the panel, at least until
the acid goes away.

I have done this on a panel and it worked well. The guy
I did it for says his panel is still running after about
5 years.

Duane

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         ===

Get some of that material that is used to tint car windows except it
is clear.
Use Saran Wrap, I am serious.
Buy some of that thin flexible material used for windows on boat
canvas.
Google clear film.

 ohara5.0@mindspring.com wrote in


Yeah I was thinking about trying that.

I appreciate the more complicated answers but I really don't have a place
to do the solvent thing -- although it sounds like the best long term
solution.

was looking at 'clear saftey film'


Clear Safety Window Film acts like a steel curtain to hold shattered
glass in place to protect you and your family from serious harm. It is
invisible, yet it blocks 99% of the UV rays that cause fading.

So blocking UV rays .. i've read that is OK and i've read that is bad.  
My search skills must be suffering because you'd think that would come up
more often.

Do I want to block the UV spectrum or not?

cheers again

-z