BEAM electronics, as it is known, has become quite popular. One of the central ideas is to drive small autonomous robots with solar cells, powered by ambient light.
Sunceram II
Since 1983 Panasonic has been manufacturing solar cells from the Sunceram II series. These cells were very popular for amateur electronic projects until about 2003 when the production of these cells apparently stopped.
The datasheet of the Sunceram II solar cells explicitly mentions that you should not lick these cells. This is understandable since the cells consist of a fragile glass plate covered with layers of sintered cadmium telluride and cadmium sulfide.
The Sunceram II solar cells consist of monolithic series connected cells. Panasonic chose to designate the cells by their physical dimensions in millimeters. Among the popular cells were the ones from the following table which I happen to have in my collection. The BP-242221, BP-243318 and BP-373334 were all originally designed for outdoor use under full sun illumination, which is supported by their behavior in the solar simulator.
| BP-242221 | BP-243318 | BP-373334 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| size | 24×22 mm2 | 24×33 mm2 | 37×33 mm2 |
| thickness | 1.2 mm | 0.8 mm | 0.8 mm |
| no of cells | 6 | 5 | 8 |
| cell area | 0.6 cm2 | 1.2 cm2 | 1.2 cm2 |
| weight | 1.7 g | 1.6 g | 2.4 g |
| Voc(1) | V | 3.9 V | 5.9 V |
| Isc(1) | mA | 13.6 mA | 12.9 mA |
| FF(1) | % | 53 % | 56 % |
Amorton
Sanyo has been making solar cell modules of a similar size to the Sunceram series above for quite a while now. Similar to the Sunceram modules also the Amorton modules consist of a glass plate, but here the active layer is made of amorphous silicon. Amorton modules come in two different configurations: one for indoor use at low ambient light levels and one for outdoor use at full sun illumination.
The AM-1602 from my collection is an indoor module — the datasheet explicitly limits the use of these modules to illuminations of below 1000 lux. The measurement curves show the poor behavior of these modules under higher levels of illumination from 200 W/m2 to 1200 W/m2, caused by the high series resistance. However, at low light levels these modules work quite well.
Solarbotics
With the disappearance of the Sunceram II series of solar cells a need for an alternative source came up. The Canadian company Solarbotics created a series of small solar cell modules of similar (or better) performance to the Sunceram II series. These modules consist of small stripes of single crystalline silicon solar cells, mounted on a printed circuit board and encapsulated with clear epoxy resin.
The Solarbotics module SCC2433 for example is more or less meant to be a direct drop-in replacement for the Sunceram BP-243318 module. Compare the measurement curves and you will see that the Solarbotics modules are significantly better: a higher fill factor, higher voltage, higher current and less series resistance. However, this comes at the cost of about twice the weight as compared to the Sunceram II modules.
The Solarbotics modules are equipped with a printed circuit board on the backside, ready to build a capacitor-charging solar engine. In the inside the small solar cell stripes are series-connected at one edge and the solder joints are clearly visible. Originally the SCC3766 was planned to allow for two module configurations: two half-modules which can be connected in series for a high voltage or in parallel for a high current output by means of solder joints on the pcb. Currently this functionality is not provided by the actual modules since all individual cells are fixed in a series connection.
| SCC2422 | SCC2433 | SCC3733 | SCC3766 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| size | 24×22 mm2 | 24×33 mm2 | 37×33 mm2 | 37×66 mm2 |
| thickness | 2.6 mm | 2.6 mm | 2.6 mm | 2.6 mm |
| no of cells | 7 | 8 | 12 | 14 |
| cell area | 0.5 cm2 | 0.6 cm2 | 0.6 cm2 | 1.4 cm2 |
| weight | 1.6 g | 2.7 g | 4.3 g | 8.5 g |
| Voc(1) | 4.1 V | 4.7 V | 7.1 V | 8.4 V |
| Isc(1) | 16.9 mA | 20.7 mA | 21.9 mA | 43.3 mA |
| FF(1) | 76 % | 74 % | 74 % | 76 % |
Conrad
| YH-39×35 | |
|---|---|
| size | 39×35 mm2 |
| thickness | 3 mm |
| no of cells | 8 |
| cell area | 0.9 cm2 |
| weight | 4.8 g |
| Voc(1) | 4.7 V |
| Isc(1) | 34 mA |
| FF(1) | 71 % |
(1) measured under standard test conditions of 1000 W/m2, 25 °C and AM 1.5
My name is Piter Jankovich. oOnly want to tell, that your blog is really cool
And want to ask you: is this blog your hobby?
P.S. Sorry for my bad english
Hi Piter,
welcome to my blog! Yes, it is my hobby and you are my first confirmed reader. So far I have not really made the blog public and as you can see, the first enthusiasm has cooled down – no new articles for several weeks already.
Professionally I am a researcher at Uppsala university on thin-film solar cells and a teacher in electronics and renewable energy. More about that: probably soon in this blog…
Bad english? Why, you didn’t make a single mistake and even if I would not care…
I was pleased to read this article, keep up the good work.
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I think this post was really a good beginning to a potential series of articles about this topic. Most bloggers pretend to understand what they’re preaching about when it comes to this topic and really, nearly no one actually get it. You seem to grasp it however, so I think you ought to start writing more. Thanks a lot!
Hi Corey and thanks for the compliments!
Currently I have a lot of things to do outside the web in the real world, therefore I am afraid that I will not be able to write much more frequently in the near future. I will, however, try to create at least some articles from time to time…
Uwe.
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hi
i like this article about sollarcells and i have a question for u. I am from central europe and i really need a sollar cell maybe u can help me. the best for me is BP 373334
How central is your position in Europe? I am from Germany and have been living in Sweden now for 13 years…
You will not find many of the “old”-style Panasonic modules anymore. These are not manufactured any longer. I recently ordered from solarbotics.com in Canada which was trouble-free and quick. Otherwise you will find some small solar cell modules at Conrad Electronics (headquarters in Germany, but now locally available in several other European countries).
Uwe.
Solar means passive devices that do not require much maintenance and for that reason are likely to eclipse wind in consumers hearts.
Direct current can be produced from solar energy.Solar cells are also called photovoltaic cells. Solar cells convert the light into direct current electricity, which is the same kind of electricity you would find in a standard battery. Once the energy is converted to electricity, it can be stored in a battery or sent through an inverter which changes the electricity to alternating current, the type of electricity that powers everyday electric items.
yes, that’s what solar cells are all about… so what’s your point?
Uwe.
Solar energy is the most effective way consumers can take advantage of feed-in-tariffs.
While this might be true right now and in certain places in the world where generous feed-in tariffs are available, this cannot be the future. Generous feed-in tariffs have shown to be a very good way to establish an industry and a new technology, but in the long-term photovoltaics has to be (and will be) sustainable just on its own, by offering electricity at competitve prices compared to other – sustainable – sources of energy.
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Dear uwezi,
Where can I buy Sanyo AM-1602?
Do you know any on-line/off-line companies other than Sanyo?
Thanks.
Hello Kim,
I don’t any source for these solar cells. The only source for similar
sized modules I know of is http://www.solarbotics.com
Yours,
Uwe.
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Thanks!
No, I have no intention to include more videos right now. Partly also because the web space I can allocate at my provider is limited and partly because I right now would not have the time….
Uwe.
Overpopulation is just one of the related causes of global warming. We could have far more people emitting a lot less CO2, just as we could have a lot fewer people emitting a lot more. Overpopulation brings with it other environmental issues that threaten the planet in other ways.
What’s your point? This article is not about global warming….
That is an interesting point, it made me think a bit. Thanks for sparking my thinking cap. Sometimes I get so much in a rut that I just feel like a record.
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It’s just the standard Atahualpa theme…
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Can you tell me the reference for this information? Thanks for a short reply.
What reference do you need? I stated all suppliers and the measurements were done by myself…
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http://www.solarbotics.net is a good starting point
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hi thanks for your posts. can i ask somethink special ? did you make your website yourself ? if you are webmastering your site i think you did a greta well job espcially on your graphics wellnes.thanks again.
thanks! Yes, I am mastering the whole site and the graphics are made by myself (unless otherwise stated).
Yes, I do…
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