If you’re interested in making DIY solar panels, this may be the most important place you discovered. Here’s why…

For every curiosity you have in your mind, there will almost certainly be a resource available to satisfy it.

Whether you want to build a solar panel by connecting individual photovoltaic (PV) cells or buy it retail… whether you are a do-it-yourself, homemade guy or a swear-by-a-brand person, we have mini-resources prepared for you.

Otherwise just write to us to request for it…and we’ll get it up just for you.

In the future, we’ll broaden our scope to include bits and pieces of other types of renewable energy generator like wind turbines.

For starters, you can browse the following pages to get up to speed with the DIY solar power world. Tell me what you think:

• Insider Solar Power Generator Review: 3 Most Common Mistakes Hobbyists Make on Their First DIY Solar Panel Project
• 3 Secrets You Didn’t Know About Building Solar Panels
• 1o Reasons Why You Should Build Your Own Solar Panel
• How To Build A Personal DIY Solar Power System With Less Than $99
• Build Amazing Home Solar Power Systems Used by Families Who Don’t Want to Pay For Their Utilities
• How To Build Solar Panel (Part 1 of 3)
•  How To Build Solar Panel (Part 2 of 3)
• How To Build Solar Panel (Part 3 of 3)
• Step-By-Step Guide To Build A 12V Solar Panel
• Solar Panel Battery — The Basics
  

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Are you ready for what Multifunction Solar Panel Inverters can do for you? Let’s jump right in…

Multifunction solar panel inverters combine the best from Stand-Alone Solar Panel Inverters and Synchronous Solar Panel Inverters. They are of course more expensive, but these are the best choice for your solar energy panels.

This type of inverter allows you to generate excess power to be stored in a battery bank. As such, you are able to use energy from the grid, from the solar panels or from stored energy in the batteries. You can even connect a standby generator to the whole setup. Let me illustrate…

During the day, solar energy panels supply your household appliances with power. At the same time, the battery bank is charged up to store energy for the night. If there is surplus electricity, they can be sold to your local power company.

By evening, the batteries will be charged up. At this time, the inverter provides AC power to the house from the batteries. If the batteries are flat, the inverter taps into the grid to charge the batteries and power up the house at the same time.

If a standby generator is used, the inverter will synchronize its power so it can be added to an existing source of power. Many multifunction solar panel inverters are not as efficient as synchronous inverters because the system must have a battery. However, they offer functions that grid-tied inverters do not.

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Let’s take a look at Synchronous Solar Panel Inverters…

2. Synchronous Solar Panel Inverters

Synchronous solar panel inverters are also called Grid-Tie Inverters. If you want to have a grid-tied solar power generator, a synchronous solar power inverter will suit you well.

This type of inverter takes the electricity generated by your solar generator and feeds it to the distribution panel in your home. The power is either used by the appliances at home or flows out to the utility grid. If you generate excess power, you are able to sell the energy to your utility company at the rate you’re charged.

When there is no solar energy available during cloudy days (and at night), the system seamlessly taps into the grid supply to make up the difference in power.

As such, you are able to use energy from the grid or from the photovoltaic panels. With this design, you will not need to worry about an increase in energy consumption. In case the solar panel system you design is a little too small, you can use the grid power to supplement your consumption.

Next, let’s go see what a Multifunction Solar Panel Inverter can do for us…

Click Here To Read More About Multifunction Solar Panel Inverters

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This is the third and final part of the “Sizing Your Solar Energy Panels” series. Have you done some calculations for your future solar power system yet? If you have been doing those mini exercises, you’ll most likely find a suitable solar panel for your home by now.

The next step requires us to find an appropriate-sized battery bank, inverter and charge controller. Let’s look at each of these:

1. The Inverter

The inverter you choose has to be sized according to the demands of the alternating current (AC) side of the circuit. Therefore you will choose a specification according to the loads in your house (with a little buffer in case you increase your loads over time). Pretty straightforward.

2. The Charge Controller

You’ll at least need a basic charge controller to begin with. Until you get fussy about how advanced you want this component to be, more affordable models will do just fine. You’ll need to get a specification that fits the output current (Amps) of your solar panel arrays. If you intend to scale up your solar power generator, you’ll do better with a larger charge controller with room to accommodate more solar panels than with two smaller-sized ones.

3. The Battery Bank

The size of your battery bank depends on how you want to use your solar panels. You can size your battery banks such that it can get you through thick clouds that pass by, or you can size them so you can get through three solid days of solar eclipse and a power outage at the same time. It really depends on you. But take note that over-sizing isn’t always realistic. You have to take into consideration the space they occupy and the how much they’ll cost you.

If your home is grid-tied, provided there aren’t frequent power outages, the size of your battery bank isn’t critical. Just size it to take care of cloudy days will do. You can still maintain your lifestyle by drawing power from the grid.

When you design your battery bank, you’ll have less power loss (through wires) if the voltage is higher. If you are able to design a 48-volt system, you can conserve more power than when you use a 24-volt or 12-volt system.

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After you know where most of your household energy goes to, you are now ready to plan for your system size. For grid-tied system (without batteries and charge controllers), you only need to make sure the inverter you use is large enough to handle the power generated by the solar panels.

If you are thinking of scaling up your system in the future, you can get a bigger inverter so there’s room to handle more power. You can also get an inverter that fits the power output of your current solar panel, and then add another inverter when you bring in more solar panels. Between these two options, it’ll be more cost effective to have a larger specification if you know your plans beforehand.

For solar power generators with batteries, you’ll need a little more planning…

For a start, we’ll look at how to determine the size of your solar array. Here are the steps to do it:

1. Compute the average Watt-Hours (usage) per day

2. Find out the Average Daily Solar Radiation figure for your location

3. Calculate the number of watts you have to generate per hour of solar exposure (divide #1 by #2)

4. With the solar module you have in mind, multiply its power rating by a factor of 0.7. If you are using a Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) charge controller, you’ll multiply it by a factor of 0.8 instead.

5. Finally, you get the number of modules needed when you divide #3 (energy you need) by #4 (energy generated by your solar panels)

After you arrive at the number of solar modules you need, you’ll also know how much space is needed on your roof. If there isn’t enough space, choose a more efficient photovoltaic module and do the calculations again. Going over this a few times, you will be able to find the solar module that’s most suitable for you and at the right price.

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If you’ve ever built DIY solar panels of a considerable size, you’ll probably come across this important component — the charge controller. The role of a charge controller is to regulate the charging voltage on the batteries.

When sunlight gets brighter, solar cells produce more voltage. Excessive voltage may cause over-charging which may damage your batteries. You’ll need this component if you want to store excess electricity from your solar energy panels.

Many modern charge controller units have a 3-stage cycle:

1. Bulk Phase – During this phase, the charging voltage gradually rises to approximately 14.4 to 14.6 volts (to charge a 12V battery). It is at this stage when charging current is maximum.

2. Absorption Phase – Voltage is maintained at the bulk level for a specified time. As the battery is charged up, current tapers off gradually.

3. Float Phase – After the absorption phase, voltage is lowered to about 13.4 to 13.7 volts (float voltage) and batteries draw a very small, maintenance current until it goes through the discharge cycle.

There are several different types of charge controller to choose from — some with fanciful LCD displays and others with battery temperature monitor. If you are building your first solar power generator, it may be more practical to buy basic ones to begin with. After you’re more acquainted with these components, you’ll have more knowledge to get the most out of more advanced charge controllers. Most multi-stage, Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) types of charge controllers will do great, really.

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It takes a little skill and practice to harvest components from pre-owned or broken solar panels. Yet it is not so difficult that you cannot manage it with basic DIY skills.

You have to free the photovoltaic cells from the base it’s mounted on. After you have done this, check the solar cells for loose connections, broken panels, condensation and damaged diodes. Common problems such as these can potentially cause your solar panels to break down shortly after installation.

If the joints between solar cells are broken or loose, you have to re-solder them. Malfunctioned diodes can be replaced with new ones from your local component store. And if you see broken photovoltaic cells, you will have to source for a similar component to replace it — this can be challenging. Yet you can still make do with the broken cell in case your efforts to replace the broken solar cell fail. There will be reduced power output as a result, but this is not a grave concern.

The array of solar cells is usually mounted on a piece of masonite or acrylic (substrate) board before it is placed into a new solar panel frame. You can discard this substrate after a few years if you intend to replace the solar cells with fresh, new ones.

Using pre-owned solar panels to build DIY solar panels has its pros and cons. The most obvious advantage is the price. Used solar panels can be very cheap and some kind contractors may even give them to you without asking for a single cent. You are also less worried about breaking expensive photovoltaic panels while building your project.

On the other hand, a used solar panel’s lifespan may be significantly shorter. Their power output will also be a little lower compared to when it was new. A loose connection or a fault may hide itself somewhere that escapes your attention. As you build your DIY solar panel, trouble may spring up from these areas. However this can be managed if you’re careful in checking for potential failures.

Overall, harvesting parts from a used solar panels proof to be the best money saving method to build DIY solar panels. The only downside is the additional effort you have to put in. Yet as DIY hobbyists, we tend to take joy in such labor.

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Trying to build a photovoltaic panel without basic skills is akin to a man who tries to be a painter without knowing the basic techniques of handling a brush…or toddler trying to cycle without developing a sense of balance. It is bound to be difficult — at least initially.

There are 3 essential skills necessary to build your own DIY solar panels. They are (1) handling of tools, (2) soldering & (3) a practical knowledge of electrical circuits.

Knowing how to handle materials is important. Whether you build solar panels using wood or metal, you have to understand how to manipulate the materials to shape them into the design you want.

This implies you have to know how to handle simple hand (or power) tools. Then you can cut the material or bend them. You’ll also need to finish (polish) the surface and edges so the burrs and jagged edges can be removed.

Inside solar panels are row after rows of electrical connections that have to be made by soldering. Therefore you also need to learn how to use a soldering iron to bond metallic joints. Bad solder joints can cause unnecessary resistance in the electrical circuit, lowering the effectiveness of your energy production. Fortunately this is a skill that can be acquired easily – often within 15 minutes or less.

Having a good working knowledge of how electronics work can be helpful. You do not necesssarily need to design your solar panel from scratch, but you will need to know how to implement the circuit design recorded on paper. It will also be useful to know some elementary electronics formula so you can size your solar panel system. Again, this knowledge is easily acquired if you take some time to read up.

Basic formulae that are needed for building electronic circuits can be easily found on the Internet or in your local library. Moreover there are also many books on homemade solar panels in bookstores that can help you with these basics.

Equiped with the above DIY skills, you can be assured that building DIY solar panels can become a rewarding hobby.

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