We have new Nanosolar Nanocell Flexible DIY Solar Cells in stock.

These raw flexible solar cells are extremely rare and have never been offered for sale to the public before. They are available individually, or if you would like larger quantities, we can ship these in bin racks of 1,000 cells and cartons of 6,000 cells.

These are tough little cells

These raw solar cells are very robust for CIGS (short for copper indium gallium selenide solar cells), however, as with all solar cells, they will degrade if not encapsulated in weather tight enclosure. For experiment, we have left a few of these outside exposed and un-encapsulated for two years and have found minimal degradation.

Here's a video we made testing the power output of Nanosolar Nanocell Flexible DIY Solar Cells:

Made in the USA

Our Nanocell inventory was manufactured at the Nanosolar facility in San Jose, California. Cells were tested for proper output by Nanosolar before being packaged, and we have found these are very robust cells. These solar cells can be previewed at our facility in Ventura, California. 

Nanosolar Nanocell Flexible DIY Solar Cells

DIY Tips and Tricks

Connecting solar cells

The metal (nickel coated aluminum) back is the positive output of the cell. The thin strip of un-coated aluminum on the down-facing side of the front is the negative output of the cell.  To connect them we have used double-sided conductive acrylic adhesive tape made by 3M (1182 EMI Copper Foil Shielding Tape). In the factory, Nanosolar used ultrasonic metal spot welders to connect the cells. We have found that while a spot welder does connect them, if the settings are not just right you will blow a hole through them or make a weak connection. We believe a combination of the 3M 1182 tape and spot weld may be the best choice for DIY solar applications.

Cutting solar cells

We have had many questions regarding cutting these cells. When these cells are cut they retain their .45 volts but the amps are reduced somewhat proportionally. You cannot use regular scissors or tin snips as the cells are made of 2 thin sheets of aluminum separated by energy producing compounds. If the top (negative) and bottom (positive) aluminum sheets touch it shorts the cell. We have successfully cut these cells with a water-jet cutter as well as a sharp bench shear set at 45 degree angle. It is possible to cut and then sand the cut edges back until the two sheets are separated but that is a tedious task and not recommended. Also we have noticed the cut cells are not as robust as the uncut cells even when accounting for the size differences of the cells.

We're happy to help

If you have questions or need assistance with your DIY solar project, please visit our contact page or give us a call at (805) 648-3300.

Don't let the name fool you...

Recycled Goods stocks a variety of NEW flexible solar panels and DIY solar cells, including these leading brands:

UNI-SOLAR NANOSOLAR SOLOPOWER GLOBAL SOLAR XUNLIGHT