Wiring Thin film solar panels into a circuit

[Mikeemc]

Hello,

I'm currently doing a project which involves generating power from thin film solar panels, I have found the kind I need on a site (http://www.siliconsolar.com/flexible-solar-panels-6v-p-16205.html) which suits my size and power criteria but I am not totally sure how I would go about wiring a sheet like this up into a circuit which could channel the power into it.

I have found some other types of PhotoVoltaic solar panels with the wiring kit, but they are too large for what I need it for. The thickness needs to be around 1mm.

I've only just found this site today, any feedback is appreciated, maybe even pointing me into a direction where I could go to find some Solar panels like this closer to home (Manchester, UK)

Thanks for reading,

Mikee

 

[Pumblechook]

have to bear in mind average power output over a full year is typically 10% of peak.

It makes solar power very expensive and they are only of use where there is no other source.

What thickness needs to be 1mm ?

I would have thought that you wire them in series and then use some sort of switched mode device to produce constant voltage or constant current output for charging batteries.

What are you powering?

 

[Mikeemc]

Thanks for the reply pumblechook

Yeah, The part of my project now is just to test it really, so hopefully after getting these panels I can find if its viable or not.

The thickness of the panel is 1 mm which is the flexible solar panel on that site I typed in.

My first thought was that somewhere on the surface edge of these panels there maybe parts that you could solder 2 wires too, which could make the ciruit, and give somewhere for the generated power to go. But the site technitions are not replying to any of my enquires so I thought I would try else where.

The panels are suppose to charge 5 lithium coin batteries which have a total capacity of 2500mah. Thats the main goal anyway, whether it works efficiently or not ill find out but first I need to know the way to wire these up, before i commit to buying

 

[Pumblechook]

Could be an interesting project but it must much cheaper to just charge em off the mains. You would have to charge many times to use a kWh and that costs around 15p. I would be wary of putting them in parallel. If one fails and 'shorts' the others may fail and could burst into flames. Put a diode in series with each cell and second diode reversed for charging. You will lose 0.7 - 1 v across each diode.

If they are not replying I don't know what you can do.

Is that 2500 MAh with them in parallel = 3.6V x 2.5Ah = 9Wh or series = 45 Wh ?

 

[Pumblechook]

http://www.alwitra.co.uk/evanlonsolar.html