108 3x6 .5v3.6a Evergreen solar cells +wires flux sldr

Christmas Shopping Season Sale! 

Take advantage of the Best Quality string ribbon cells you can get online! 

1. Item Details:

This set of new 3"x6" solar cells are string ribbon multi crystalline cells made by the all American solar company that has the smallest carbon foot print - they waste the least silicon in making these cells. The front of the solar cells looks similar to the traditional multicrystalline solar cells in that they show the borders and shapes of irregular crystal formation. In terms of output they may be slightly better, but in any volume production you are going to have cells with varying levels of power output. The cells are the original factory standard cell size, not other sizes cut by using home made tools which could damage the cells during cutting process. The cells have never been used or soldered, and are not recycled from badly made panels like some factory installed tabbed cells are. There are no tabs on these cells so you can start from scratch and get experience in making solar panels. In our listings, if we don't describe them as 'chipped', then they are considered to be category A cells, though in small number of cells, very very tiny defects or blemishes could exist but they don't affect power output. Our sorting team tries to do as good as a job possible to categorize the cells, and we are confident that they are the best cells available on eBay outside of the manufacturer itself. Almost all of customers have been very happy with the solar cells that we shipped in large volume, although we must admit that in the eBay retail market there are some people who are just very very hard to please, no matter how much we bend over to help them. We stand by our products. If you think the solar cells don't meet your expectations, send them back within 7 days  for a complete refund or replacement, because we understand that in large volume order processing, some mistakes do happen and the important thing is that we are willing to rectify them and we need to be given an opportunity to fix rare mistakes when they do happen. We will even pay for return shipping. From the enormous number of cells that we shipped this past couple of months, returns have been essentially negligible. We will keep rolling out new products and categories at great prices and those who mistreat us will be excluded from our new offers.

The following is a little more details regarding this kit: (cells, tabbing wires, bus wires, flux, solder)

I: Cells: 

The standard cell specifications are the following, though the individual cells can be above or below these standards.
 
Cell Specifications:  
Average Power (Watts):  1.75 Wp
Average Current (Amps):  3.5 Imax
Average Voltage (Volts): 0.5 Vmax
Thickness  200 μm = 0.2 mm 
Exact dimension: 3  1/4 inches x 6 inches, or 80 mm by 150 mm
Weight:  Just above 6 grams, or 0.2 oz.
 
II: Tabbing wires: $22 value - 110 feet of tabbing wires that Evergreen Solar uses to connect the solar cells. Cut them into 6 inch sections to solder onto the bus bars on the cells. You will get slightly more than 110 feet, but 108 feet is what you need to tab 108 cells.

III: Bus wires: $5.5 value -  11 feet of bus wires. Use them to connect them between the series and connect the tabbing wires ends to the junction box at the back of the panel.

IV: Flux: $7-$9 value - an easy-to-use flux pen that dispenses flux onto the bus bar or your tabbing wires without leaving a mess. It's used to aid soldering and bonding of the wires to the cells. A must have item.

V: Solder: $7-$9 value - a tube of solder to help you solder the tabbing wires and the bus wires together, or whenever you need extra solder.

Some useful information in making solar power:

How to make sense of the above numbers:
 
The basic and very important formula you need to know to make sense of solar cells is this:
Power (P) = Current (I) Multiply by Voltage (V), or P=I*V
Power's unit of measure is watt,
Current's unit of measure is amp,
Voltage's unit of measure is volt.
 
So in our solar cell's specific example, if each solar cell is rated at 1.75 watts on average, and the voltage is 0.5, you do a little algebraic math, then to get the amps (I), since P=I*V, so I = P / V , therefore I (amps) = 1.75 watts divided by 0.5 volts = 3.5 amps.
 
It's important to understand the concepts of series connection and parallel connection when stringing these solar cells together to make a solar panel. Series connection of the cells increases voltage but not amperage; parallel connection of the cells increases amperage but not voltage. Series connection is when you connect the positive terminal of a cell with the negative terminal of the next cell. Parallel connection is when you connect the positive terminals of all cells in the set of cells with a tabbing wire and all the negative terminals of all cell in the same set. You can use a combination of series and parallel connections to get the right voltage and amperage for your solar panel.
 
The cell specifications above were given to us by the manufacturer as averages. Variations are possible. To make a 18 volts panel, for example, you connect 36 cells in series (36 cells times 0.5 volt each = 18 volts). And 36 * 1.75 (each cell in theory averages 1.75 watt) watt = 63 watts. The amps you will be getting is 63 watts divided by 18 volts = 3.5 amps.

Solar cells basics:

The front of the cells (blue side, aka Sunny side) has two thick white lines, called bus bars. They are the negative terminals of the cell. The back side, where the 6 square dots are, are positive terminals. Connect the tabbing wires from the bus bar of the first cell on one side to the three dots of on the back side of the next cell. That way you have a series connection. Repeat the process on the other side of the cells. In panel making you should connect all the tabbing wires on the front for all the cells first, then flip the cells over to solder the back side in a second step. Some solar cells such as SunPower cells have both positive and negative terminals at the back of the cells, but we don't have to worry about them. Most cells are negative on the front and positive on the back.

The white color bus bars on front and the contact points on the back are made out of silver, and you should keep them intact. Apply solder on your them and the wires should bond.

Testing:

Make sure that you test the cells under strong sun light with the front of the cell facing the sun, at the same time connect your meters to the right terminals. If you are inside the building, make sure you shine your sun simulating lamps onto the front of the cell while testing.

Panel configuration:

For those who are new to solar panel making or if you don't have an engineering background, here is our recommendation:

1) Make small panels first so you gain experience. 

2) In most situations, make either 36 or 72 cell panels, and connect them in series. 36 cells give you 17.5 or around 18 volts or so. And 72 cells doubles that. These panels are very useful, and you will find a lot of matching products that will want to buy! For example, you almost always want to use a charge controller if you make your panels to charge batteries. Charge controllers usually come in 12 or 24 volt settings, which match your panels' 18 and 36 volts very nicely. Yes, your panel voltage should be 1.5 times the voltage of the battery you intend to charge. Connect more panels together if you want to tie to the grid, in which case, always use an inverter.

3) For a lot higher voltage panels and configurations, consult a professional. Just don't fry yourself.

Soldering:

If you want to become a serious panel maker, buy a good soldering iron whose temperature can be adjusted. Don't get a cheap iron. It's one of the most important tools you need to have.

Disclaimer: We are not experts in power systems and the above are what we learn through experience but we share what we know, and you should take it with a grain of salt. Buy books written by experts or take classes from the pros. These are about as much as we can help you with to get started, and we hope that this free consulting will reduce the flood of eBay messages that come into our inbox on a daily basis. Some people just keep asking question and taking time from us without buying, and we love to give, but please be considerate. Our resources are not limitless.
 
2. Packaging
 
The solar cells are very fragile so be very very careful when handling them. But out of all of the solar cell packages that we sent so far, broken cells via transit are relatively rare occurrences, though theoretically it's quite possible. We invested a lot of resources to make sure that the cells are well protected by a combination of foam pads, paper pad, bubble wraps, manufactured foam forms, inner box, and outer box. We have won rave reviews from our customer feedback on our outstanding packaging, just check our feedback so you can rest assured that your cells arrive intact. Our warehouse personnel take great pride in their packaging. And we are developing even better and efficient packaging solutions to bring the cells to our customers whole.
 
Each package is clearly marked and labeled with how many inner packs and how many cells there are in teach pack. We also weigh each package and everything is recorded and signed off before shipping. All shipping paper work is double printed - one for our customer and one for our record, so that we have documented proof that we have shipped everything that our customers bought. This is done to prevent suspicious claims of not receiving the goods. In extremely rare occurrences where cells were shipped short, we would gladly make up the cells that you paid for but didn't receive.
 
You might break some cells during panel making process, so we always give our customer extra bonus cells for free just to show consideration for our customers. The number and percentage of extra cells we give vary, and it's purely at the discretion of the management, but all of our customers have been pleased with the deal they get.
 
3. Shipping
 
We ship the packages via US Postal Service priority mail, and we buy USPS delivery confirmation for all of the shipments at our own expenses. For solar cell orders that are 250 and above, we buy 'Signature Required' so that you sign of the package as well, unless you tell us not to - we will still buy delivery confirmation for you. This will make sure that you receive the cells. Delivery confirmation will give us a tracking number from which you can see online that delivery has been confirmed, but no signature is required. 'Signature Required' features says exactly that, and it's different from 'Delivery Confirmation' by the Post Office.

For international orders, we are not responsible for your import duties, customs charges or other VAT's. And we don't know what the charges will be for each country. Do not get upset with us because your government thinks that you should pay extra. In actuality we would prefer to do business all within the United States, but we have some good customers from other countries so that's why we keep our international shipping program. We reserve the right to terminate our international shipping program at any time.
 
4. Product Returns
 
We used to have a more strict sounding return policy, but when we looked at the numbers, returns are really so rare we now say that you can return the cells within 7 days broken or not for a complete refund with us paying the return shipping. Almost all of our customers are truly honorable and they didn't abuse our return policy. When we find people who abuse us, we will stop doing business with them and report them to eBay. We keep selling our products at such attractive value and we are the original manufacturer that makes a lot of new products that we are going to sell direct to our customers so cheaply it would be stupid to burn the bridge. So far our customers are overwhelmingly happy with the great value and support that we provide. 

5. Volume Discounts
 
We export enormous number of cells to Asia and now we are bringing great value and quantity discounts to friends all over the world, including our home country the good ol USA. We sell millions of cells around of the world a year, so you can be sure that we can fulfill your large quantity order at great discounted prices. If you can get better deals out there, we want to hear about them. Please send emails to info@EverbrightSolar.com if you intend to purchase quantities far larger that what's listed in our eBay stores and we can make a deal.
 

(Due to tracking system not having been set up on our web site, we are delaying this program until further notice).
 
6. About the Seller
 
Rebecca has been a great eBayer with extremely positive feedback, 5 star ratings, and provides outstanding value since 2003. She is an Platinum level eBay PowerSeller that you can trust. She works for Everbright Solar, Inc. an OEM that makes solar wafers, custom size solar cells (Everbright Solar provides the service to cut the solar cells in the sizes that you need for your specific panel needs), on grid and off grid solar panels. We have a lot of manufacturing activities that happen right here in the Silicon Valley, and customers are welcome to visit our facility when they come to the bay area. Local customers can simply make appointments to come to inspect the solar cells, solar wafers, and professionally made solar panels for purchase or simply ask questions. Our sales office and warehouse are located in Fremont, so please email info@EverbrightSolar.com should you plan to come over.
 
One more word on PowerSeller. The reason you see our listings so often is because our PowerSeller ratings are so high eBay gives us priority. Here is the quote from the eBay PowerSeller portal (you can't see it if you are not one)

	Increased Visibility in Best Match searches

eBay wants to reward sellers who provide exceptional customer service and will advantage the listings of the upper half of sellers in terms of buyer satisfaction. Sellers with detailed seller ratings above 4.7 in the last 30 days will receive 5% to 25% more exposure than the average seller. Learn more about seller performance factors in Best Match.

Thanks for reading!
 
Copyright Everbright Solar Inc. 2009.

For customer support, please call our office line: 510-498-8221 Pacific Standard Time. Monday through Friday 9am to 5pm.