timselectric
If I can do it, you can do it.
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- Feb 5, 2022
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Excellent reuse of working equipment.
My solar panels dont have bypass diodes!
- Thread starter pullin_gs
- Start date
Same Arco Solar panels SM-55 ? just a little sun beat, amazed that they are still functional.
EDIT.....the SM-55 were made by Seimens after they bought Arco Solar....These are M-75’s possibly pre-production prototypes.
EDIT.....the SM-55 were made by Seimens after they bought Arco Solar....These are M-75’s possibly pre-production prototypes.
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littleharbor2
Solar Addict
I would love to positively date these relics, especially hearing that Arco panel is from the 60"s' The 2nd and 3rd photos are an Arco panel and it is very crude. It is boxed as opposed to fully laminated as most panels are these days.
The first photo is a Solar power Corp. panel, is pristine, as if never deployed. It's fiberglass back board and silicone gel on the surface. I understand these were the first commercially available panels.
In the 4th and 5th photos are Applied Solar Energy Corp. panels The cells are supposedly originally intended for satellites. Notice the cool radial traces on the 2 1/2 " cells
littleharbor2
Solar Addict
Here's a better look at the radial traces in the satellite cells
littleharbor2
Solar Addict
Yes, it is a 36 cell panel.
The older crude Arco panel is a 41 cell module. Probably had to use that many cells to achieve 12 volt charging voltage with lower efficiency cells back then.
Down here in Baja there's lots of real old panels, being that we]re off grid and as soon as PV solar was a thing they started using it. There's a lot of the Carrizo plains Arco panels in tri lam and quad lam frames still.
The older crude Arco panel is a 41 cell module. Probably had to use that many cells to achieve 12 volt charging voltage with lower efficiency cells back then.
Down here in Baja there's lots of real old panels, being that we]re off grid and as soon as PV solar was a thing they started using it. There's a lot of the Carrizo plains Arco panels in tri lam and quad lam frames still.
I’m from Alaska, we do not dispose of older usable equipment, it gets passed down. I still have family and a place there and i buy used stuff here and resell it in Alaska. Sharp has a production facility near me so I do buy their surplus panels and recycle them to folks in Alaska.
All the cities have grid but out back not so much. You say you need running water, sewer, gas & electric, remote Alaska is not a good choice for you, Baja is a bit easier living. Born there but I fled to Hell-A, a big mistake!! Now living in coastal California , right near the Ocean backed up to the Santa Cruz mountain range ,but summer in Alaska for a releif of the crazies, loco hombres that fill California
All the cities have grid but out back not so much. You say you need running water, sewer, gas & electric, remote Alaska is not a good choice for you, Baja is a bit easier living. Born there but I fled to Hell-A, a big mistake!! Now living in coastal California , right near the Ocean backed up to the Santa Cruz mountain range ,but summer in Alaska for a releif of the crazies, loco hombres that fill California
littleharbor2
Solar Addict
Haha, Born and raised in So. Cal. Spent 48 years on Catalina Island. 3 years now in Baja. Catalina is a bit isolated from the madhouse that is Southern California. Santa Cruz mountains sound nice.
Lucky you, been to Catalina but only for work in the communications industry. They don't allow you to enjoy the scenery, just get the communications up.
Age of the Arco panels, I had never seen round cell panels when I worked in Hell-A, only the squared cells as in the Arco M series. I did communications in so. cal 1965-1970 so those were dated to then. As VHF communications sites are very often located on the highest things in sight, very often mountain tops, without reliable power the communications industry was very early adopters of solar. Much later I did a stint with SP as a communications tech throughout the southwest I did see small round cell and half-rounds array’s at trackside monitors and some VHF repeaters, they were about 12”X 16” , do not remember cell count. I only did the primary communications links, not the trackside equipment, I was told that they were 6 volt.
littleharbor2
Solar Addict
As far as I know, the round Monocrystalline technology pre-date polycrystalline tech. They are more costly to mfg. being that they have to grow the mono ingots and slice them into individual cells. they got better at growing the ingots as time went on thus the larger cells including the typical "clipped corner" cells. Poly cells are made in square molds, leaving the square monocrystalline look. I have always liked the crystalline look of poly cells. Solarex and Mitsubishi seemed to produce the most brilliant looking cells. Nowadays the mono cells are kind of a hybrid mono/poly mix., rather bland looking.
littleharbor2
Solar Addict
Here's a timeline of PV technology. Sure wish it were more detailed.
www.solarpowerauthority.com
History of Solar Cells: How PV Panels Evolved | Solar Power Authority
Solar panels are the future of energy, but where did they come from? We looked at the last 200 years of solar invention and discovery to find out.
www.solarpowerauthority.com
Monocrystalline technology was pioneered by Bell Labs , a wholly owned research arm of American Telephone and Telegraph Co. in the early 1950’s maybe patented in 1952. The very oldest solar cells were manufactured by Western Electric for use by AT&T communications repeater sites and for use in spacecraft.
Silicon cells did not do very well in space and gallium arsenide panels were favored for that enviroment.
One of my engineering jobs was in Santa Clara, CA at a manufacturer of silicon ingots. These cells were grown in molten vats of silicon by lowering a “seed crystal” into the slowly rotating vat of molten semi-plastic silicon with the dopants already added in. The crystals were about 4” in diameter and about 30” long. After growing and a very long slow cooling process the ingots were machined round and then sliced into wafers. They were basically wafers for the production of 80486 processors wafers by Intel and other very high count semi-conductors on these wafers. The cells that were rejected for use in the semi-conductor industry were sold for use by solar panels manufacturers.
Polycrystalline technology came much later, maybe by 1979-1982 but is a very much simpler less expensive process.
I had never worked in that segment.
Most of my panels are polycrystalline but I do have several array’s of very much newer technology panels which are amorphous polysilicon over a monocrystalline base crystal jointly developed my Sanyo and Panasonic in a technology joint development project. Unlike other panels the voltage is markedly higher so integrating them is an issue. I‘m seeing 53.5 volts at MPP for the 96 cell panels which is too much of an offset from normal panels.
I also have a set of CdTe panels which have no cells at all, they are vapor deposited Cadmium Telluride on glass, 72 V.O.C. with maybe 154 separate segments on the panels, hard to see and count
And About 30 of the Siemens SM-55 which is the ARCO solar M-55 manufactured by Siemens just after Siemens bought Arco Solar
Silicon cells did not do very well in space and gallium arsenide panels were favored for that enviroment.
One of my engineering jobs was in Santa Clara, CA at a manufacturer of silicon ingots. These cells were grown in molten vats of silicon by lowering a “seed crystal” into the slowly rotating vat of molten semi-plastic silicon with the dopants already added in. The crystals were about 4” in diameter and about 30” long. After growing and a very long slow cooling process the ingots were machined round and then sliced into wafers. They were basically wafers for the production of 80486 processors wafers by Intel and other very high count semi-conductors on these wafers. The cells that were rejected for use in the semi-conductor industry were sold for use by solar panels manufacturers.
Polycrystalline technology came much later, maybe by 1979-1982 but is a very much simpler less expensive process.
I had never worked in that segment.
Most of my panels are polycrystalline but I do have several array’s of very much newer technology panels which are amorphous polysilicon over a monocrystalline base crystal jointly developed my Sanyo and Panasonic in a technology joint development project. Unlike other panels the voltage is markedly higher so integrating them is an issue. I‘m seeing 53.5 volts at MPP for the 96 cell panels which is too much of an offset from normal panels.
I also have a set of CdTe panels which have no cells at all, they are vapor deposited Cadmium Telluride on glass, 72 V.O.C. with maybe 154 separate segments on the panels, hard to see and count
And About 30 of the Siemens SM-55 which is the ARCO solar M-55 manufactured by Siemens just after Siemens bought Arco Solar
littleharbor2
Solar Addict
Nice. Great hearing from those who were actually involved in development and manufacture.
of this stuff.
Thanks for sharing.
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Hey,
I admit, I am a technology junkie, born in the sticks I have always been fascinated by high tech. did electronics and communications before the widespread use of transistors, I have never worked on the consumer side, done service and manufacturing for a career spanning communications, aircraft systems, commercial power systems, computer design, hard disk manufacturing...pretty much retired but I still do power systems for local farmers, 100 h.p. water pumps 480 volt 3 phase mostly, complex controls, etc. no household or consumer...My place is near the ”Strawberry Capitol of the World” losses can be $100 thou on a hot weekend with no water. They never say “how much”..It’s can you get me water? Im on call 24/7 have to jump and run with no notice
littleharbor2
Solar Addict
Sure good to see California getting much needed water. It's a shame they can't harness all of it.
It is very definitely damping my bike riding, Im located riding distance from the beach backed up into the Santa Cruz Mountains so I get heavy rains at times, very dramatic weather here, did a few 4” days here, but never boring. My local river destroyed its levy so much is under water on the Monterey County side, but I am on the Santa Cruz County side.
It did wash out the homeless camps and undercut the S.R. 1 bridge over the Pajaro River, in danger of collapse.
From 5 year drought to reservoirs overflowing......Tulare lake which has not been seen for dozens of years has reformed in to a 10 sq. mi. lake flooding many thousands of acres of farmlands.
It did wash out the homeless camps and undercut the S.R. 1 bridge over the Pajaro River, in danger of collapse.
From 5 year drought to reservoirs overflowing......Tulare lake which has not been seen for dozens of years has reformed in to a 10 sq. mi. lake flooding many thousands of acres of farmlands.
littleharbor2
Solar Addict
We haven't seen a drop here on the east side of the peninsula yet there's always been a LOT of water flowing underground out of this vast desert. Makes no sense.
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