Closing in on Solar One

For any who have interest in my solar project, below is an excellent link that I used almost exclusively:

www.diypvsolarenergy.com/basic-solar-panel-design/

With few exceptions, I followed this site in the construction of my panel. I havent put a lot of notes next to my pictures....I really didnt have any intention of making this site a do-it-yourself tutorial for building solar panels. Just some pictures of my project to show that anyone can do it....lol. Cost?

5/8" Exterior Plywood $3.84 Lowes
.08x4'x2' Plexiglass $19.37 Lowes
Pegboard $3.39 Lowes
37 each 3"x6" Solar Cells - Kit $55.30 Free Sun Power
Galv. Screws $5.00 Lowes
Silicone Caulk approx. $1.00
Paint Free
12 Gauge Wire Free
Project Box approx. $3.00 Radio Shack
Wire Terminals $3.86 Radio Shack

Plywood, pegboard and caulking compound pro-rated costs.
--------------------------------------
total $94.76

So there you have it. $100 for what should be approximately a 60 watt solar panel. As you can see in the pictures below, outdoors I am measuring over 20 volts in bright sun. But, I must be doing something wrong in my attempt to measure amperage, because the multi-meter is not registering anything. Perhaps I need to run this to ground to get a reading?





Over 16 volts inside the house.





Drilling the plexiglass for the attachment screws.









The "project box" from Radio Shack in place on the back of the panel. I guess project box is nothing more than a fancy word for junction box.






Over 18 volts even in the shade.

The Weekend, Update Of Course !

It's got to be the calm before the storm....this just cant continue, can it? If I were a betting man, and I occasionally am, I'd think we'll get a little dump in here soon, sort of a hard-down day...not a crash....just to keep everyone's attention. Followed by, what I think might be, the final leg up on this wave from March 2009. My stuff is hinting at a mid February top before some kind of a meaningful retracement. So that's likley the way I'll play this with my 401k and other investments.

Mid Week Chart

Creeping our way towards 1,200...sure is boring. Nothing much to report other than 2010 so far, repeat so far, seems like just a continuation of everything we've seen for the past 2 months. I guess if it aint broken, dont fix it...:)

More Solar, Less Tides...