When building solar panels what solar cells to buy can be quite a challenging experience. I know when we first started our solar panel project it seemed like rocket science to me. The first thing you want to look at when buying solar cells is how much power do they put out.
If you’re looking to save money on your solar cell project, then you might want to buy untabbed solar cells instead of ones that have already been tabbed. Untabbed versions cost way less than the tabbed ones, leaving you with more savings on your DIY project. The only disadvantage to untabbed versions of cells is that you will need to do some more tabbing work with these cells.
Tabbed Solar Cells vs. Untabbed Solar Cells
The only difference between cells is that untabbed cells have not gone through the tabbing process. Tabbing solar cells is fairly simple, and the process involves attaching two strips of flat wire to each cell’s face.
Un-tabbed cells need to be wired and strung together in order to be of use in panels. If you are inexperienced in this type of job, there’s a great chance of overheating the cell and deeming it useless. And that’s money down the drain. Time is also a factor as you would need to wire 36 cells before making the actual panel.
Even though I’m experienced at soldering I still use tabbed cells because I’ve broken more than a few while tabbing them. Although tabbed cells are a little bit more expensive (usually around 20%) their ease of use cannot be surpassed.
As for shape and size of solar cells that really depends on you. I usually build 2′ x 4′ panels since the plexiglass I use comes in that size. I try to get cells that will end up wasting the least amount of this space. My favorite size is the 3″ x 6″ cells because you can fit 36 of them (a 72 watt panel) on a piece of 2′ x 4′ plexiglass and only have to trim a small amount off of the ends.
When building your solar panel remember that when buying cells you need to multiply volts and amps together to get the watts each solar cell produces. You multiply the watts each cell produces by 36 to figure out how many watts your solar panel will be. If you keep those numbers in mind when buying solar cells you’ll build many successful solar panels.
I built my own solar panels and a wind generator and saved well over $30,000. I get a cheque from the power company because I produce more energy than I use. If you’d like to learn how you can do the same check out Buy Solar Cells.
Looking to find the best deal on Solar panels, then visit www.solarmiracles.com to find the best advice on solar power for you.

