Nanosolar Nanocell 2.6 Watt Lightweight Flexible CIGS Single Solar Cell - 0.45V

These are rated at about 0.45 volts at 5.8 amps and are a flexible cell made on a semi rigid but flexible aluminum base. We have found conductive glues or epoxy the best way to connect these cells.

This is for a single individual solar cell which has a maximum electrical output (mppt) of 0.45 volts at 5.8 amps which calculates to 2.6 watts. This CIGS solar cells took over 70 steps to produce on multiple machines with hundreds of workers in a 200,000 sf factory in San Jose California. They are made on thin flexible aluminum sheets which make them difficult to weld or solder even with Alumiflux solder flux paste. We have had success using double sided conductive tape to connect. You can see the video of the output 10 cells connected with the tape have produced in partial sun conditions. We find these cells even produce energy when placed under a light bulb.

Manufacturers Specifications

• Raw Solar Cell Uncoated
• Rated Power: 2.6 Watts per cell
• Vmpp (V) 0.45
• Impp (A) 5.8
• Voc (V) 0.61
• Isc (A) 6.7
• Operating Module Temperature -40 to +85C
• Length: 165mm (6.5 inches)
• Width: 135mm (5.3 inches)
• Height: 0.4mm (0.02 inches)
• Weight: 18.5g per cell
• Raw Solar Cell Uncoated
• Lightweight Aluminum Structure CIGS Solar Cells which are Semi-Flexible
• This is a single cell. Packs of 10 or more are available in separate listings.
• Product manuals, data sheets, specifications, etc....are available in the DOWNLOADS tab above. Contact us if you have any questions.

These raw flexible solar cells are extremely rare and have never been offered for sale to the public before. These came from the last experimental production runs at the Nanosolar Facility in California. The facility and company was liquidated during September and October of 2013. We can ship these in packs of 10, bin racks of 1,000 cells, or cartons of 6,000 cells if you would like larger quantities.

These raw solar cells are very robust for CIGS, however, will degrade if not encapsulated in weather tight enclosure. Its interesting for experiment we have left a few exposed and un-encapsulated for 2 years and have found minimal degradation.

The CIGS solar cells are made of aluminum and to connect them we have used double sided conductive acrylic adhesive tape made by 3M / Tape Case (1182). Nanosolar used ultrasonic metal spot welders to connect the cells in production We have found a spot welder does connect them but if the settings are not just right you will blow a hole through them or the connection is weak. We believe a combination of the 3M 1182 tape and spot weld may be the best choice for DIY applications.

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 these 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.

The large area of 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. Let us know if you have any questions about these cells. These came from the manufacturing floor of Nanosolar in San Jose and are being stored in air tight bags with desiccant. Each cell was 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.

Condition: New

This Aluminum Solar Cell is New and Unused. We have larger lots available if you're interested. They have been stored in air-tight sealed cartons with desiccant to prolong shelf life. They are in excellent new condition. Please view our photo set and contact us if you have any questions.