I Made a Solar Cell with Copper, Salt and Sunlight

What if the basic principle behind solar panels could be recreated at home with a piece of copper, salt water, and sunlight? In this experiment, we build a simple copper oxide solar cell using materials you can find in a hardware store and a kitchen. This is not a replacement for commercial solar panels, but it demonstrates the same photovoltaic principle that turns light into electricity. From Edmond Becquerel’s 1839 discovery to a DIY copper solar cell on a kitchen table, this experiment shows how simple materials can reveal the physics behind modern solar energy.