Posts Tagged ‘Solar’

Is It Worth Making Solar Panels Yourself? And Is It Difficult?

If you look at the cost of readymade solar panels you are likely to get a strong dose of sticker shock, so is it possible to make solar panel systems at home?    The clear answer is an unqualified YES.  You will find a huge amount of advice online to show you how to make a solar panel.  The main problem is trying to sort out the expert advice from the dangerous stuff.  

We have searched through all this information using our own expertise in solar panel construction, to give you all the basic advice and guidance needed. 

The first thing is that you will not need any particular skills or technical knowledge, which is really good news.  You can get all the necessary materials quite easily, or perhaps even find them from scrap.  It is quite possible to make your own solar panel for under 200 dollars and in a weekend.

And more good news – making solar panels is a simple and straightforward process.  Here are the basic steps.

As always, it pays to plan things properly before starting to make anything.  These are the main things to consider:

Location:  Solar panels are dependent on sunlight so should be sited to get as much sun as possible.  Avoid costly mobile units that constantly face the sun as it moves across the sky.  It is better and cheaper to build several fixed solar panels even if it is slightly less efficient.  Ensure that your solar panels will not be shaded by trees or tall buildings at any time of the day.  

Fitting:  You can mount your solar panels on your roof, on the ground, on a wall, on a garden shed – anywhere convenient and suitable.  Since they are a little delicate, it might be a good idea to keep any solar panel out of reach of children and animals!

Tools and Materials:  There are no special tools needed, simply some hand tools like screwdrivers, a drill, a saw and a soldering iron.  Powered tools would make things a little easier and speedier, and a workbench would be helpful too.  Materials are limited to plywood, plexiglass, solder and flux, caulking and copper wire.  You don’t make the solar cells – just get them very cheaply online.

Directions:  To build your own solar panel, you will need good quality step-by-step directions or instructions.  You will get advice on how to estimate the size and quantity of the panels, how to select and site the inverter, how to mount the panels and how to join the system to your domestic electric circuit.  

None of this is complicated, but investing in a good step-by-step assembly manual is, we believe, vital to ensure a safe and professional result.

We have reviewed several popular online manuals and have a favorite that will show you how to make a solar panel from scratch, with lots of diagrams, photos and even some very helpful videos.  It has full details about electrical wiring techniques and regulations, as well as how to feed any surplus electricity into your local utility company grid.

The final piece of good news is that it is possible to make a small solar panel, with a power output of about 100 watts, for under 200 dolars, including the cost of a good instruction manual and plans.  Building up several such panels to provide a very useful 1000 watts should cost less than 800 dollars.  Compare that with a readymade system, which will set you back several thousand dollars.

Makes sense to do it yourself, doesn’t it?

Solar Panel Kits For Homes – How Tight Budget Beginners Build Their Own Solar Panels!

Top-quality yet low-cost solar panel kits for homes are incredibly hard to find these daysâ?¦so are you going to throw in the towel, or keep on searching?

Solar panels are very expensive to purchase and if youâ??re on a tight budget, then go for the DIY approach!

Now, various solar panel kits for homes are being peddled online, but they are mostly rubbish! Just a few weeks back, I purchased a copy of DIY guide and let me tell you somethingâ?¦

It was 90 percent filler information! There was no panel construction plans, the assembling instructions were vague, materials sourcing information was inadequate â?? it was practically useless for a beginner like me!

So what did I do next?

First I requested for a refund and then, I proceeded to scour a few home improvement message boards to acquire more info about solar panel kits for homes.

Hereâ??s what I found outâ?¦

Okay it turns out that most tight budget beginners constructed their own solar panels thru the aid of step-by-step videos!

Of course in the beginning, the assembling process can be a bit tricky for us amateurs hence the need for step-by-step videos.

So I downloaded several how to videos onto my PC and followed each step â?? putting the materials together, assembling, wiring, soldering etc, one at a time.

Lo and beholdâ?¦

I successful build my first panel! Indeed it was quite tricky at first but we need not worry too much. Just view each process shown in the videos and perform one step at a time!

The experience was truly satisfying as Iâ??ve now discovered how to build those solar panel kits for homes using low-cost materials such as UV coating, plywood panel, primer, blocking diodes, flux paste, Plexiglass and of courseâ?¦solar cells!

After researching for God knows how many hoursâ?¦I came upon a solid instruction that actually walks me through all the necessary steps. Before long, I have my own solar panel system built from scratch!

How To Build A Solar Panel For Your Home- The First 3 Things You Need To Get

If you want to know how to build a solar panel for your home then you need to know what you need. The 3 things you will need are your materials, tools, and a guide. To really know how to build a panel for your home you will need to know what you will need.

How to Build a Solar Panel for Your Home- Materials The materials to make your panels can be very inexpensive. Many people have gotten all of the materials for far under $100. Some of these are copper wires, plexiglass, and plywood. The only things you would need to go to the store to buy are solar cells and UV protective varnish.

How to Build a Solar Panel for Your Home- Tools Having your tools is the most important part of building your own panels and without them the materials would be useless. 3 of these are a drilling machine, cutters, and a screwdriver. To get these tools you can go borrow them from a friend or you can go to a pawn shop for more expensive ones.

How to Build a Solar Panel for Your Home- Guide To really be successful when you are building your own panel you will need a good guide. The best ones will show you how to build one step-by-step using videos. They will also teach you how to make panels that will cost under $100. This will save you thousands of dollars instead of buying one and it will save you money on your electric bill every month.

The First Step In Building Your Own Solar Panels

While paying those monthly power bills, many households get a feeling as if they are throwing away money? If you have been thinking about a greener alternative to your coal-fired electricity line, then, why not switch to a better, affordable, and more efficient source of green energy? Solar panels are the only thing we can think of right now, if that is what is in your mind. Your next door guy is not the right choice for installer. What we are recommending is really building your own solar panels. Do you think you cannot, think again, solar energy can be harnessed to power up your home without much hassles.

Can i make my do it yourself solar panels?

The biggest hurdle you have overcome is the way you thought about building your solar panels. You dont have to be tech savvy to build your solar panel, you will be surprised to know the number of households powered by solar power and not all belong to tech savvy guys. How many among these sun powered-homes are owned by geeky and techie head of the households? Much lesser than 5% in my community. Any literate person can build a solar panel of his own by folllowing these easy and simple instructions one by one.

Buying your stuff. If you have been doing some major repairs or home improvements, chances are you have the most basic tools and skills to power your project. In your to do list of shopping the next thing to come up should be the solar panel kit.

It might be a strong possibility that you will find the solar panel kit at your local DIY store since those are in high demand in these days. Never mind if they don’t, a large inventory of solar panel kits are available on ebay. For the parts, you need to shop for the following: plywood sheating, tin wire, plexiglass, silicon caulk, solar cells, UV-ray protective varnish. The items that eats your maximum dollar away is the solar cell. I have a good list of solar cell retailers and the lowest for each piece of solar cell is 2$.

You can forget it if you are planning to compare the cost of hiring a team to build a solar panel for you and build one on your own. Do you know that the average cost of basic solar installation will cost you at least $20,000? By spreading the total for 20 yes you can calculate the exact monthly payment of yours. Let me tell you, there are plenty of reasons why you should just go out there, shop for the things you need, and just build your own solar panels. When you see other guys building up their solar panels with fun, it is more fulfilling to do it yourself.

Do It Yourself Solar Power – 4 Large Cups Of Coffee And You’Re Done!

Do It Yourself Solar Power can help you save money and lessen carbon footprint. I learned how to do it after drinking 4 large cups of coffeeâ?¦

My neighbor said it was impossible to make a do it yourself solar power system because itâ??s fairly complicated and the process would require someone with high technical skills.

Well, Iâ??m glad I didnâ??t listen to him!

Solar panels are expensive yet I still wanted to avoid using electricity to power my work shed.  So what else?

I had to go the DIY route. I had to give it a fair shot at the very least!

Okay I have to admit that my first do it yourself solar power project wasnâ??t a bed of roses. Putting the components together was an absolute nightmare!

Whatâ??s the hardest part of all?

Well, soldering the cells was something I didnâ??t enjoy at all. But like I said, the entire assembling process was a nightmare!

My fault to be honestâ?¦

I was an amateur who tried to act like a pro.

See what happened was I discovered an instruction online. It was pretty detailed but it was also 100% text�There were no photos, no illustration plans, nothing of that sort.  

So I viewed the instruction thoroughly and followed each step very carefully.

No good!

I failed my first do it yourself solar power project! The wiring and soldering section was all jumbled up!

So I went searching online and long story short. Found what I was looking for â?? amateur friendly video instructions along with printable manuals with photos.    

1st Step to Success

I drank a large cup of coffee while viewing the videos and manuals.

2nd Step to Success

Rolled up my sleeve and got to work again.

3 cups of coffee later and I got my first solar panel set up. The wiring, solar cells fixed to the plywood panel, plexiglass framing â?? basically the whole shebang done!

The moral of the story?

If youâ??re an amateur, try to get detailed tutorials, where each process is delivered in a clear fashion. A successful do it yourself solar power project can be done in less than 210 bucks once you get all the details right.

Building Home Solar Panels

Solar energy produces electricity by converting sunlight into energy using photovoltaic cells.  Since 2002, solar energy has been increasingly used at a rate of 48% each year making it one of the fastest growing energy sources to date.  With the ever-increasing knowledge and study of this source of energy the materials used to produce solar cell arrays has also become easier to come by for home energy use.  Solar heating, solar electric, and solar hot water are the most common ways this power source is being utilized today.  Many home owners are interested in having a green home since an energy efficient home is not only environmentally friendly but the potential savings are substantial.

Building home solar panels is actually not as difficult as one would think, provided you have the materials needed.  One such material that is probably the biggest stumbling block when it comes to building your own solar panels is the solar cells themselves.  Its not the sources of the panels you need to worry about, it’s the pricing and the quality that you must be sure of before deciding to buy.  The best source for finding solar cells is eBay but you must be aware of who you are buying from.  New cells are available but you will pay dearly to get them.

Therefore, the best option for getting your hands on suitable solar cells is to buy a set of broken or chipped cells that come bundled together.  Buying broken cells may not sound like much fun but as long as you thoroughly research the seller as best you can you should be able to get a good idea of the quality you can expect when buying solar cells.  The most commonly used cells are 3×6 mono-crystalline; make sure the panels you buy are tabbed cells.  The cells will more then likely come to you covered in wax, they are dipped in wax in an effort to better secure them for shipment since the cells themselves are very fragile and thin.

Once you have the solar cells the next step is to create a shallow box to house them.  Typically, a solar cell is comprised of 36 cells, which come out to needing roughly a 46” x 24” box structure to be built.  Using simple materials like plywood and 1” slats will more then suffice for this.  Your overall design for the structure of the box is entirely up to you, basically the function of this piece is to just hold the cells in place and allow them to soak up the sun’s energy so don’t get to worried over the minor details.

Once you have your shallow box built its time to begin soldering the cells together.  This is done with a string of ribbon wire usually.  Simply attach two 10” sections of ribbon wire to each cell with the excess wire hanging off the bottom of the cell.  Once you have all the cells soldered with at least an extra 5 inches of ribbon wire hanging off them, you simply turn the cells over and connect the ribbon wire to the tabs on the back of each cell accordingly down the line until you have a string of 6.  Make six of these cell strings to complete the basic structure of your panel.

Now that you have 6 cell strings, next step is to attach them to a panel that will fit into the shallow box you made earlier, best is to use a white panel to attach three of them to and make two half panels.  Run a copper braided wire across the bottom of each panel and attach each string.  Include an at least 3.3 amp blocking diode in series to prevent the panel from discharging your batteries overnight.  Using a good silicone to secure the wires and cells is a good tip, make sure you allow it to thoroughly set in before you complete the project by covering and sealing the enclosure with plexiglass.  Place your panel in direct sunlight and let it begin charging a few 12-volt batteries.  Building your own solar panels is not only much cheaper but a rewarding and enjoyable experience.

Effective Tips To Build Solar Panels

By referring to a reliable solar panel guide, you can easily build solar panels for less than $200. However, you have to be very careful while building solar panels and should complete each step with complete perfection to avoid any complications later.

 While building solar panels, you first need to determine the amount of power you need from each solar panel. Remember, if you wish to build solar panels in an area which does not receive sufficient amount of sunlight, you will need more solar cells.

 Cut your plywood into pieces of appropriate dimension. The plywood should be large enough to accommodate the number of solar cells that will be present on each panel.

 After cutting your plywood, use a paintbrush to apply UV- protective varnish to the wood.

 It is recommended that you use your Rosin flux pen for applying flux on the bus strips on solar cells. This will ensure that when the tab ribbons are soldered to the solar cells, they adhere completely. This will help in proper wiring.

 After this, you need to carefully connect the solar cells to each other. Once you connect all the solar cells, affix them on the plywood panel by using minimum amount of silicon. If you find any wire hanging from the solar cells, feed them through the plywood and then seal the gaps, if any, around the holes using silicon.

 You will then need to construct a frame for the panel to cover the solar cells with Plexiglass. For this, you can stick the frame to the plywood using water-proof wood screws and silicon. Remember to drill the screw holes into the Plexiglass or else it may crack. After this, fasten the Plexiglas to the frame with the help of silicon and screws..

 The last thing you need to do is drill a tiny hole at the bottom side of the panel to facilitate the passage of air into the panel. This will prevent the moisture from building up.

Build Cheap Solar Panels – Easy 6 Step Process To Building Cheap Solar Panels!

Do you know how easy it is to build cheap solar panels?

I thought it couldnâ??t be done. I figured the process must be too complex for an average Joe so I went to several retails stores to find out what is the present market price of a solar panelâ?¦

You know what?

The price tags are outrageous!

Luckily, the cashier at one of the stores told me that as long as I wasnâ??t planning on powering an entire apartment building, then building cheap solar panels on my own is a viable option.

Thatâ??s good news!

Okay, so I went online to get the necessary instructions but…guess what? 90% of the info I found online are not detailed enough and also not beginner-friendly.

After hours of persistent search, I came upon a really good guide â?? complete with simple to follow videos. Ding, ding, ding! I build my own solar panel at last!

Iâ??m so happy that I now feel like sharing this 6-step process to building cheap solar panels with you. Here it is!

Tools of the trade:

Plywood panel, solar cells, clear silicon sealant, solders, UV paint, screws, Wire, wood for framing the panel and Plexiglass.

Step 1

The plywood should be cut according to the amount of cells in your disposal. Coat the plywood with UV paint. At this point, you can begin setting up the solar cells!

Step 2

Thereâ??s a small tab at the back of the cells and you need to put a little solder on each one. Now take out the wire and press it on top of the soldered tab.

Step 3

Connect all the cells together suing the wire. With very simple wiring combo, you can get to link and work properly. Very basic stuff, you just connect the negative with the negative and the positive with the positive.

Step 4

Take out the silicon sealant and install the cells to the plywood. You donâ??t have to cover the wire!

Step 5

The front part of the panel should be framed with some wood.  Just apply the sealant to make it stick.

Step 6

Finally, you need to cover the cells. This is where the Plexiglass comes in â?? you just stick it to the border using that handy silicon!

There you have it! Very simple stuff! Once you get the hang of things, youâ??ll begin to build cheap solar panels that work in double quick time!

How to Build Solar Panel — Putting Together Different Solar Power Generator Components

The easiest way to learn how to build a solar panel is by taking a look at how to assemble major components together. Today, you’re in for a treat. Because this article shows you how, so you too can build for yourself a solar power generator that can send power to your appliances.

Connecting the Solar Cells

Each solar cell produces half a volt. To get eighteen volts, you have to join thirty-six solar cells in series. You should always make calculations to ensure that power generated by your solar panel is sufficient. Otherwise you will have to connect more cells in parallel so you can have enough voltage and current.

The reason we need an eighteen-volt output from the solar generator is because this is what’s necessary to charge a twelve-volt battery. A twelve-volt supply is not sufficient to charge a twelve-volt battery.

Constructing the Panel Frame

Next, we have to create the frame. This is a simple box for the photovoltaic cells to sit in. The borders of the box should be three-quarters of an inch wide and should not be too high. Otherwise sunlight will not be able to reach some of the photovoltaic cells (at the sides) when the sun shines from an angle. This will lower the overall efficiency of the panel as some photovoltaic cells will not receive full solar radiation.

Putting the Array of Cells Into The Solar Panel Frame

To get the solar cells into the frame, glue the array of solar cells onto a thin, rigid backing before placing it into the “box”. An example of a thin, rigid backing is a Masonite board.

We need to give the rigid backing (substrate) a few coats of paint before pasting the photovoltaic cells on. We must also apply a few coats of paint to the panel frame and dry it thoroughly before putting in the array of solar cells.

Connecting the Diode

You can place the diode inside the solar panel and hold it firmly with some silicone so it won’t move about. Remember to allow some slack in the cable so they will not be strained and start pulling on the components.

Covering with Plexiglass

Before you cover the solar frame with plexiglass, test the solar panel’s voltage and power output. Then carefully attach the plexiglass onto the solar panel frame using screws.

Attaching the Jones Plug

Finally, you have to solder a Jones plug to the end of the wires that come out of the panel. This completes your solar generator.

After hooking up the different parts in the above manner, you have made for yourself a solar power generator that can supply renewable energy to your appliances that run on twelve-volt direct current.

Building Your Own Solar Panel

Buying solar panels from the market is expensive. It may cost about $10,000 for a small set up that can provide electricity to a house that consumes average of 300 watts power everyday. This set up is too costly for a family.

There is second option also. Build your own solar panel. It is easy.

Solar panel is in fact a shallow box so that the sides of it does not shades the cells when the sun in not overhead. Take the size of it to be 3/8 inch plywood having edges of ¾ x ¾ pieces of wood. Glue the pieces and screw them well. This solar panel is capable of holding 36 3×6 inch cells.

Drill tiny holes at the wall edges. These holes keep air pressure inside the panel by equalizing with outside. It also allows moisture to escape. Make sure these holes to be at bottom otherwise rain or dew may get inside. At the centre divider drill vent holes.

To avoid critters or dusts, stuff inside the some holes fiberglass insulations. The center divider holes don’t require insulation.

After doing this cut 2 pieces masonite peg-board and fit it inside the wells. This boards are substrates to the sub-panel.

Give plexiglass front to the panel in order to protect it from the weather. Even glass can be used instead of plexiglass, but keep in mind that glass is fragile.

To check the quality of it, just hail flying debris and stones on it that can shatter glass, but this will bounce back of plexiglass. Give several coats of paint to the panels so that it can protect the panels from moisture and weather. Also paint the peg-board pieces on both sides. So, now you can start with fitting it. The panels are ready.