Can You Really Make a Solar Panel Using Old CDs?

Recently, one of those DIY hack videos popped up on one of my social media feeds. In it, the creator claimed “I turn CD/DVD into a solar panel,” which seemed interesting but improbable. So, I started watching the video and thought, there was no way that this could work—is there? I understand, basically, how solar cells, or photovoltaic cells, work. And, I really doubted that this proposed hack could work, despite the video showing a multimeter hooked up to the makeshift solar cell indicating that it did. It's important to understand how a photovoltaic cell works—they’re actually fairly simple, with three parts sandwiched together. The top and bottom are conductive contacts, while the middle is a semiconductor. Semiconductors are materials that allow electricity to flow through them, at a rate somewhere between that of an insulator—which does not—and a metal—which does so efficiently. Here is the first problem I see with the video... [View in Browser]( [Popular Mechanics]( [SHOP]( [EXCLUSIVE]( [SUBSCRIBE]( [Can You Really Make a Solar Panel Using Old CDs?]( [Can You Really Make a Solar Panel Using Old CDs?]( [Can You Really Make a Solar Panel Using Old CDs?]( Recently, one of those DIY hack videos popped up on one of my social media feeds. In it, the creator claimed “I turn CD/DVD into a solar panel,” which seemed interesting but improbable. So, I started watching the video and thought, there was no way that this could work—is there? I understand, basically, how solar cells, or photovoltaic cells, work. And, I really doubted that this proposed hack could work, despite the video showing a multimeter hooked up to the makeshift solar cell indicating that it did. It's important to understand how a photovoltaic cell works—they’re actually fairly simple, with three parts sandwiched together. The top and bottom are conductive contacts, while the middle is a semiconductor. Semiconductors are materials that allow electricity to flow through them, at a rate somewhere between that of an insulator—which does not—and a metal—which does so efficiently. Here is the first problem I see with the video... Recently, one of those DIY hack videos popped up on one of my social media feeds. In it, the creator claimed “I turn CD/DVD into a solar panel,” which seemed interesting but improbable. So, I started watching the video and thought, there was no way that this could work—is there? I understand, basically, how solar cells, or photovoltaic cells, work. And, I really doubted that this proposed hack could work, despite the video showing a multimeter hooked up to the makeshift solar cell indicating that it did. It's important to understand how a photovoltaic cell works—they’re actually fairly simple, with three parts sandwiched together. The top and bottom are conductive contacts, while the middle is a semiconductor. Semiconductors are materials that allow electricity to flow through them, at a rate somewhere between that of an insulator—which does not—and a metal—which does so efficiently. Here is the first problem I see with the video... [Read More]( [Read More]( [The Twisted Reactor From Hell Could Propel Nuclear Fusion Forward]( [The Twisted Reactor From Hell Could Propel Nuclear Fusion Forward]( stellarator-twisted-fusion-reactor [Read More]( [Alternate text] [Alternate text] [The Air Force Just Put the ARRW Hypersonic Missile Out of Its Misery]( [The Air Force Just Put the ARRW Hypersonic Missile Out of Its Misery]( It missed the bullseye one too many times. [Read More]( [The Dogs of Chernobyl Are Experiencing Rapid Evolution, Study Suggests]( The Dogs of Chernobyl Are Experiencing Rapid Evolution, Study Suggests]( Have the canines acquired strange mutations living near the power plant? [Read More]( [Alternate text] [Alternate text] [The Best Outdoor TVs For Your Backyard or Patio]( [The Best Outdoor TVs For Your Backyard or Patio]( Make the most of your outdoor space this summer by bringing movies, shows, and live sports outside with these weatherproof screens. [Read More]( [Which Cup Will Fill First? Try Your Hand at This Viral Brain Teaser All Over TikTok]( [Which Cup Will Fill First? Try Your Hand at This Viral Brain Teaser All Over TikTok]( When you pour water into a very specific structure of glasses and pipes, which glass will get filled all the way up first? [Read More]( [Alternate text] [Win a PS5 ($1,000+ Value)!]( Follow Us [Unsubscribe]( | [Privacy Notice/Notice at Collection]( PopularMechanics.com ©2023 Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Hearst Magazines, 300 West 57th Street, New York, NY 10019