How To Choose Solar Panel Frame Materials

Diy Solar Panel Frames

When building your own solar panel frames you should know that there is no shortage of materials or material options.
But there are some important factors to keep in mind when selecting your materials like :

Durability of your materials
Construction methods
Availability of the materials
Financial costs

Extreme temperatures,wind and ingress are some of the agents that can degrade a solar panel and you should be ready for them . .

The frames need to be rough to protect the valuable and fragile solar cells inside, during the installation phase.

For some areas the frame needs to withstand heavy wind pressure, hail or snow loads.

But if your solar panel is made for occasional use, like charging a battery or panels that are not used daily,they don't need such a high attention to details when planing the frames.

In these circumstances you can go for more cheap materials.

The most important agents that affect the performance of a PV panel are Thermal and Moisture environmental threats.

Dealing With Thermal Threats

From cold winters to fiery summer days, solar panels are subjected to temperature extremes without exception. These extremes lead to warped panel frames if proper care is not given.
When faced with extreme temperatures the materials of a pv panel begin to bend and contract, at different rates depending on their quality.

As the materials are different in a pv frame,they will contract and deform at different rates eventually separating from each other .Because of this special consideration should be given to the bonding agents and their longevity.

In the winter when temperatures are very low, bonding substances tend to crack and they separate from other materials that have different contraction rates.

In the summer tough they begin to soften up and decompose,degrading the panel while doing so.

Moisture Resistance

Almost all solar panels are subjected to moisture in one way or another. Factors like melting snow, rain or fog need to be taken into consideration before building the frame.

Some materials absorb moisture and deform over time, drawing the moisture to the inside of the panel where it can short out the solar cells and destroying the panel.

To counteract moisture you need to use bonding agents with a high moisture resistance and fasteners that can withstand corrosion.
The panel needs to have some degree of flexibility for its mechanical parts. They need to contract and expand in tandem,so proper mechanical connections are important.

I highly recommend using Silicone 2 as a bonding agent due to its high degree of flexibility when contracting and expanding. The substance also has a high moisture resistance.

UV Resistance

Another factor that affects solar frames is UV degradation. Some materials tend to decompose when facing constant UV exposure and eventually lead to moisture and temperature extremes degrading the panel.

To counteract UV vulnerability we used silicon,aluminum and Plexiglas in our frames. Tough not the very best, these materials give the best bang for the buck when cost and availability are taken into consideration.

Polycarbonate or fiberglass can be used as substitutes for Plexiglas..