I made solar panels on a wooden base, as well as many panels in glass. But it was this type of construction that proved to be the most resistant to moisture. Moisture gets into the wooden frames almost unhindered. I still do these, but only for use under a roof or a canopy.
This homemade solar panel was made of 3 x 6 inch (7.5 x 15 cm) cells. And I will tell you step by step how to make such panels do it yourself.
Step 1: Soldering the mesh wires to the solar panels
When I solder the wires for mounting the solar panels, first I cut the wire into pieces of the right size. For one battery, you need two pieces of wire 15 cm long. I solder them to the back of each battery.
For this panel I used ribbed batteries. First, I soldered the wire to the back wall, then glued the entire back side with transparent tape. This strengthened the battery itself and helped me escape from breakdowns while soldering cells in the section.
Step 2: soldering the batteries
For a solar panel you need:
* Lots of solar panels
* Flat wire 5 mm
* wire cutters or strippers
* Soldering iron 15-25 W
* Wire solder with stainless flux
* flat wire 1.5 mm or 2 mm
If you have problems soldering the solar panels, most likely the soldering iron is too hot.
I used a 20-40 W soldering iron and 60/40 solder wire with flux. It melts at low temperatures and is great for this task.
Step 3: Glue the panels to the glass
Solar panels are soldered in rows. I laid out rows of batteries with opposite ends. Let's say one row, at the top there will be +, and the next - at the top will be - - and so on. I glued all the rows to the glass with silicone. You can connect all rows with a 5 mm flat wire.
Step 4: Glass Housing
In my opinion, this type of solar panel is best waterproofed. Solar panels are enclosed between two sheets of glass 3 mm thick. We glued solar panels to one of them. One more layer was applied on top of the panels. Before I glued the top glass cover, I applied portions of silicone with a diameter of about 2.5 cm, a height of about 5 - 6 mm and left to dry overnight. The next day, I smeared with silicone the entire edge of the bottom glass sheet around these dried corks. They are needed so that the top sheet of glass does not fit snugly against the solar panels and does not spoil the cells. After drying, I applied another layer of silicone and glued the top glass.
For the white frame shown in the photo below, I used a white profile or trim, which is usually used to decorate windows or doors. I also planted the platband on silicone, after drying I applied another layer of silicone for double insulation. This solar panel is very well glued and protected from moisture, so that rain and damp are not afraid of it. A wooden frame is also not bad, but sometimes it is very difficult to achieve tightness and moisture resistance, since it is a tree.
Step 5: Finished Panel = Free Electricity
Here's what a finished solar panel looks like, basking in the sun. It produces 19.5V at a current of more than 3.10 A. It turned out pretty well, and most importantly - completely tight!
I am working on improving solar panels with a wooden base, I want to achieve the same tightness as glass. I will post my results in the next master class, if there is anything to share. Hope this information is helpful to you.