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The purpose of this Solar Panel project is to show how to construct a solar panel by yourself at home, that produces enough power to charge any small devices or a small battery.

Executive Summary: (OLPC) is a non-profit organization that has provided children in some of the most remote areas on earth with the opportunity to meet their true educational potential. The OLPC organization has addressed the critical educational crisis facing developing countries with the development of the XO Laptop. Unfortunately, the majority children in these countries have no access to electricity, and consequently, no possibility of powering the laptops. Solar energy has thus been proposed as a convenient alternative to electrical energy, which requires a great deal of infrastructure. Although previous attempts have been made to find a solar solution to the XO, they have been unsuccessful at identifying an inexpensive and effective solution to this problem.
The scope of the research for this project involved, initially, understanding the science of solar panels as well as identifying the technical specifications and limitations of the XO, to eventually select an optimum solar panel for this project. After selecting several possible solar panels for the solution, it was immediately identified that the limiting factor in this project was the limited budget. After several unsuccessful attempts to purchase a solar panel due to cost, delivery issues, and being limited to products available in Canada, a solar panel was selected that met the technical requirements of the XO.
The final prototype was comprised of a solar panel with a compatible connector encased in a wood enclosure consisting of a padded interior of weather stripping and soft foam, and a hinged lid with Velcro fasteners and carrying handle. It also included a retractable leg to allow the panel to be inclined at angles up to 45°, which would accommodate required angles based on geographical and latitudinal locations of the target countries, for the optimum collection of the sun's rays. A shadow stick was included to manually adjust the case to the required angle.
Minimal testing was conducted, due to the resulting limited timeframe due to associated purchase issues, and consequently, limited accessibility of the XO and uncooperative weather conditions once the panel was received. Recommendations regarding testing include testing the power efficiency of the panel, as well as strength tests to assess the durability of the casing, and testing the complementary power outputs dependant on angle of inclination and geographic location. Additional testing should be conducted to assess the effectiveness of the solar panels' capability of powering the XO, as well as possibly charging its battery.
Although the scope of the project was to provide a prototype design that was portable, durable, and inexpensive, the final prototype was not the optimum solution. The optimal solution to this problem can correspondingly be found once additional funds are allocated for the purchase of the best solar panel. It is unrealistic to find the optimum solution when the one-off cost of the solar panel equates to the proposed mass production costs for the final product when millions of units would be purchased. With the decreasing cost of solar panels and the correspondingly reduced cost associated with large purchase orders, the prospect of selecting a thin-filmed flexible solar panel that could be rolled is within reach. The flexible panel could be protected with a waterproof sleeve, similar to those housing camping gear, and include an external pocket to accommodate a foldable stand for acquiring the appropriate angle of inclination depending on geographic location. The result would be a durable, portable, lightweight, technically effective solar panel, which would be inexpensive once purchased in mass quantities, and could be assembled locally to reduce costs and provide financial stimulus to the targeted countries.