Solar battery with our own hands: how to do this?

The solar battery is a photocell, that is, a device that converts solar radiation into electricity. Highly effective devices can be purchased in the online store, but if you are ready to sacrifice efficiency, then you can use the materials at hand.

A solar battery with its own hands can be made from cuprous oxide, which will replace silicon. This material is one of the first used to produce a photoelectric effect. Let's look at what is needed to make a battery: copper sheet 150 * 150 millimeters, a pair of crocodile clips, a small multimeter or a sensitive ammeter, an electric tile with a capacity of 1 kilowatt, a plastic bottle that has to be cut off the neck, several spoons of table salt, Water, metal scissors.

So, the solar battery with its own hands is done as follows. First you have to degrease your hands. Now you need to cut a piece of copper plate, whose side is equal to the diameter of the tile of the tile. The surface of the plate should be cleaned of grease with a detergent. The emery requires carefully cleaning the surface of the plate to remove any corrosion from it. To get a solar battery with your own hands, you need to put a sheet of copper on the tile, and then turn it on to maximum power. When the copper is heated, oxides appear in it in the form of various patterns. The heated copper will turn black, but it is necessary to wait until it comes down, and then the oxidized surface will cover with various spots. When the tan is red-hot, the last colored scraps will disappear. After that, copper will be covered with an even layer of copper oxide. It should be left for half an hour to warm up, so that the coating becomes much thicker. After that, the tile can be turned off, and the plate should be left on it. With gradual cooling, the black oxide will gradually peel off. The solar battery with its own hands is made of copper oxide, hidden under a black layer, it has a red tint.

Now it remains to do the final manipulations. A different piece of copper is required to cut out about the same size piece. Both parts should be carefully bent so that they fit into the plastic bottle without contacting each other. The oxide coated sheet must be turned outward. Plates must be attached with crocodile contacts to the walls of the container. Wire from a clean plate should be connected to the positive terminal of your device. And the second wire is connected to the negative terminal. In a small amount of water, you need to dissolve a few spoons of salt, and then pour the contents into a container with plates so that it does not touch the contacts.

How does a solar battery work? Such a device functions both in direct sunlight and in the shade. This battery does not charge the battery and does not light a light bulb, it is designed to demonstrate the possibilities. In practice, other devices are used. Modern flexible solar panels can produce power up to 300 watts per hour.