This post talks about the definition of inverters and the types and sizes of inverters needed for your home solar power system.Modified Sine Wave Inverters (MSWI) – these deliver power that is consistent to a reasonable degree and will therefore run most devices fairly well. These are both affordable and popular. The appliances supported are:
Pure Sine Wave Inverters (PSWI) – these deliver a highly consistent amount of power to your appliances, very similar to that provided by power companies. All sensitive and heavy equipment will run normally on these and even those that are designed specifically for using MSWI. Naturally, this inverter is expensive and highly efficient. The appliances supported are:
Step 2The first step is to cut a piece of the copper sheeting that is about the size of the burner on the stove. Make sure there is no grease or oil on your hands or the copper sheet. Use the sandpaper or wire brush to thoroughly clean the copper sheeting, so that any sulphide or other light corrosion is removed.
Next, place the cleaned and dried copper sheet on the burner and turn the burner to its highest setting.
As the copper starts to heat up, you will see beautiful oxidation patterns begin to form. Oranges, purples, and reds will cover the copper.
As the copper gets hotter, the colors are replaced with a black coating of cupric oxide. This is not the oxide we want, but it will flake off later, showing the reds, oranges, pinks, and purples of the cuprous oxide layer underneath.
The last bits of color disappear as the burner starts to glow red.
When the burner is glowing red-hot, the sheet of copper will be coated with a black cupric oxide coat. Let it cook for a half an hour, so the black coating will be thick. This is important, since a thick coating will flake off nicely, while a thin coat will stay stuck to the copper.
After the half hour of cooking, turn off the burner. Leave the hot copper on the burner to cool slowly. If you cool it too quickly, the black oxide will stay stuck to the copper.
As the copper cools, it shrinks. The black cupric oxide also shrinks. But they shrink at different rates, which make the black cupric oxide flake off.
The little black flakes pop off the copper with enough force to make them fly a few inches. This means a little more cleaning effort around the stove, but it is fun to watch.
When the copper has cooled to room temperature (this takes about 20 minutes), most of the black oxide will be gone. A light scrubbing with your hands under running water will remove most of the small bits. Resist the temptation to remove all of the black spots by hard scrubbing or by flexing the soft copper. This might damage the delicate red cuprous oxide layer we need to make to solar cell work.The rest of the assembly is very simple and quick.
Cut another sheet of copper about the same size as the first one. Bend both pieces gently, so they will fit into the plastic bottle or jar without touching one another. The cuprous oxide coating that was facing up on the burner is usually the best side to face outwards in the jar, because it has the smoothest, cleanest surface.
Step 7Attach the two alligator clip leads, one to the new copper plate, and one to the cuprous oxide coated plate. Connect the lead from the clean copper plate to the positive terminal of the meter. Connect the lead from the cuprous oxide plate to the negative terminal of the meter.
Now mix a couple tablespoons of salt into some hot tap water. Stir the saltwater until all the salt is dissolved. Then carefully pour the saltwater into the jar, being careful not to get the clip leads wet. The saltwater should not completely cover the plates -- you should leave about an inch of plate above the water, so you can move the solar cell around without getting the clip leads wet.
The photo above shows the solar cell. Notice that the meter is reading about 6 microamps of current. The solar cell is a battery, even in the dark, and will usually show a few microamps of current.
The above photo shows the solar cell in the sunshine. Notice that the meter has jumped up to about 33 microamps of current. Sometimes it will go over 50 microamps, swinging the needle all the way over to the right.Your homemade solar cell is ready!
Example:
Since , Pmax = Vpm * Ipm;
Pmax = 30 * 5
Pmax = 150 watts.
Items Description | Average Electricity Usage (per hour) |
Ceiling Fan | 80 Watts |
Floor Fan | 125 Watts |
Energy Saver | 24 Watts |
Bulb | 60, 100, 200 Watts |
T.V. | 300 Watts |
DVD/VCD/VCR | 80 Watts |
Refrigerator | 550-800 Watts |
AC 0.75 Ton Window | 900 Watts |
AC 1 Ton Window | 1200 Watts |
AC 2.50 Tons Window | 3500 Watts |
AC 1 Ton Split Unit | 800 Watts |
Air Cooler | 325 Watts |
Microwave Oven | 1400 Watts |
Toaster | 1400 Watts |
Washing Machine/Dryer | 400 Watts |
Water Pump | 1 HP (746 Watts) |
Computer Desktop | 400 Watts |
Monitor 17" | 120 Watts |
Computer Laptop | 45 Watts |
Tube light (modern) | 40 Watts |
For a decade, we’ve been waiting for affordable solar panels to enter the market but the price never really went below $2 or $3 per watt and you’d be compromising on efficiency if you searched for cheap solutions. 
In short, HPC’s module produces the same amount of electricity (if not more) by using fewer solar cells and less money.
Also known as polycrystalline cells, these are a slight variation of single crystal solar cells in that they are made of slices cut out of blocks of several silicon crystals, as opposed to single silicon crystals. This results in lower prices and efficiencies but the cost-advantage outweighs losses in output so it’s a win-win situation. Just like monocrystalline cells, they need to be framed within a rigid structure (image credit, Shen Zhen Estate).
