So how do you know if building a do-it-yourself solar panel is the right thing for you?

There are a few guidelines that can help you along. In this way, you won’t ever have to get into a project just to abandon it mid-stream.

You should build your own DIY solar panel if:

1. You are able to work with simple tools and have a weekend to spare

Thankfully, all it takes to build a reasonably sized solar panel are simple tools and a weekend. If you have browsed through the free book titled “How To Build A Solar Panel”, you’ll understand it doesn’t take much. (Download it now, if you haven’t…)

This assumes you have already gathered all your materials and have them cut to size. In fact, if you already had some DIY experience, you can even build a solar panel (not the complete set to power your entire home) in an afternoon.

However do note that integrating your inverter and the battery bank into your power system certainly requires planning and installation. And this takes up time as well.

2. You are not willing to invest much into a solar power generator

Cost is the main reason people build their own solar panels. This is understandable. You can easily burn at least $20,000 (depending on the size of your house) to install a solar energy generator. And things are not getting any cheaper…

With homemade solar panels, you’ll only have to part with a fraction of this cost. This means you’ll get your returns on investment sooner. And your home may be worth a lot more than it originally was without spending a ton of money. In some states, you can receive tax breaks just by using renewable energy like solar power.

In terms of dollars and cents, it certainly makes sense to build your own photovoltaic panels.

Of course, there is no point in starting a DIY project if you simply have no time or are totally uninterested in picking up even a screwdriver to put the solar panel frame together.

Needless to say, if you have spare cash (to the tune of $20,000) to burn, it can be quite fun to watch the contractors climb onto your roof to slap on a few pieces of solar panels while you sit at your garden with a can of beer in your hand.

Seriously, you have to take some time to decide for yourself if building homemade solar panels is for you. Otherwise you can start a DIY solar panel project and leave it uncompleted, shelving it for years in your garage.

Continue Reading:

1. Homemade Solar Panels
2. Sizing Your Solar Energy Panels – Part 3
3. Solor Panel Inverters – Synchronous Solar Panel Inverters

Image via Wikipedia

There are two major benefits to using residential solar panels. First, you can reduce pollution as you rely less on the burning of fossil fuel. Second, you can get a very good return on investment on your photovoltaic panels — these are always double digit returns, much better than Wall-Street-types investment with only single digit paybacks.

Other than these two benefits, there are more that people seldom heard of. But these can be significant when added together:

1. Government subsidies

Many state governors have realized the importance of using renewable energy. Therefore rebates, tax breaks and subsidies are given to households that use renewable energy to power their homes. The total discount on a system may be more than you imagine…sometimes more than 50%. Therefore do check what you’re eligible for.

2. Electricity Bill Hedging

Fuel is consistently increasing in price due to inflation and diminishing supply. But whatever the cost of fossil fuel may be in the future, there is no need for you to pay an extra cent if your solar power generator can supply all your energy needs. The grand total of your bills will still amount to $0. Isn’t that great?

3. Property Appreciation

Properties installed with solar panels are worth more than those without. This is obvious, since solar power generators are assets that can help the household lower their monthly electricity bills dramatically. Having PV panels in your property will not increase your property tax. Therefore it is a priceless item that can maximize the value of your home.

When we install solar panels on our property, we always look for numbers like cost per watt or payback period.. With the above benefits such as government incentives and rebates factored in, we’ll find these numbers become more attractive. Moreover, there are also many intangible benefits like environmental protection that comes along with your PV “toy”.

Continue Reading:

1. Solar Energy Panels – What You Need To Know Before Purchasing
2. Cost Of Using Residential Solar Panels
3. Homemade Solar Panels – Should You Even Roll Up Your Sleeves To Build One?

Currently there are solar panels that boast 30 percent efficiency. These are specially doped triple junction cells that began its development as dual junction cells. However these phenomenons are largely confined within the laboratory and engineers are still unable to produce such solar panels in large quantities without charging consumers an arm and a leg for it. More work remains to be done before common retailers stock up solar panels endowed with this technology.

In practical there is nothing much we as consumers can do about technology. Yet the little we do to ensure our solar panels achieve its maximum potential really goes a long way — especially since solar panels are designed to last us for a few decades.

The most important thing we can ensure is to install our solar panels in the right orientation and tilt angle. The optimal position helps photovoltaic panels receive the most sunshine throughout the day and across different seasons of the year. This helps reduce the payback period. If you are living in the northern hemisphere (like most of us do), then you’ll need to orientate your solar panels toward true south (as opposed to magnetic south). You’ll also need to tilt them according to the latitude of your installation site. The correct installation position will allow your solar panels to be exposed to direct, unobstructed sunshine from 9am to 3pm everyday.

Many homeowners underestimate the adverse effect that shading has on their solar panels. Even if only one solar cell is shaded, its entire solar generator’s power output can be dramatically reduced. The individual solar cell that is now shaded acts as a resister that drains the electricity generated by its neighbors. As resistance increases, power reduces.

Another seemingly minor event that reduces solar panel efficiency is the accumulation of dust on the glass surface. This dissipates sunlight that would otherwise reach photovoltaic cells for power generation. Since dust and dirt will inevitably collect, the only solution is to wash the glass surface regularly. If you’re living in a relatively dust-free environment, this should be an infrequent activity.

Temperature also affects solar panel efficiency. The higher the temperature, the further its efficiency drops. Unfortunately more heat is collected as solar panels experience more sunshine. Thus efficiency tends to taper as sunlight intensity increases. Therefore we have to ensure that our solar panels are installed sufficiently far away from roof shingles. The gap in between the roof and solar panels also allow air movement to bring away additional heat that may otherwise be trapped there.

Continue Reading:

1. Solar Panel Installation
2. Installing Solar Water Heaters
3. How To Clean Solar Panels — That Once-In-A-While Maintenance

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

Continue Reading:

1. About
2. Sizing Your Solar Energy Panels – Part 3
3. Solor Panel Inverters – Stand-Alone Solar Panel Inverters

Solar Panel Installation

Solar panel installation may be a daunting task for most people — it requires you to know where and how to site your solar panels. Moreover installation on roofs exposes you to the danger of falling. You are also at risk of electrocution while wiring your inverters.

But we do not have to be discouraged. Knowing what to do can help us tremendously and keep us away from danger. Some important installation know-how can make your job much safer and easier. Here are some points to consider before you install your solar panel…

In the northern hemisphere, we’d like our solar panels to tilt towards to south so that it can receive the most sunlight throughout the year. If we have a south-facing roof, all we need to do is line the solar panels along the surface of the roof. Otherwise we’ll need additional brackets to tilt the photovoltaic panels toward the south.

The roof is usually the best place to site your solar panels, but there are exceptions. Therefore you have to do a thorough survey to know where is the best place to locate your panels.

During the survey, you’ll have to take into consideration shading from plants and nearby structures. Shading has an adverse effect on solar energy production. The amount of electricity generated by photovoltaic cells reduces by a significant percentage with slight shading.

Through different seasons of the year, the position of the sun changes. So you’ll have to take this into consideration. An easy way to find the location that receives the most sunlight throughout the year is to use a Solar Pathfinder. This instrument shows you at a glance where shadows will be at different times of the day and different seasons of the year.

If the ideal location is on your rooftop, you’ll have to find out the maximum loading your roof can withstand. If the solar panels are too heavy, you will need to provide additional reinforcement to the roof structure before installation.

After the location is finalized, actual work can begin. You’ll have to get the correct solar panel mount to fix them at the ideal place — there are pole mounts, roof-ground mounts and flush mounts.

When installing on roofs, we frequently use flush mounts. This is the cheapest and easiest way to mount small solar panels. These are metal brackets that support both ends of a solar panel. It elevates the solar panels a few inches away from the roof to form a gap in between. This allows air to flow through, cooling the solar panels. It is vital to moderate the solar panel temperature so as to maintain the efficiency of photovoltaic cells.

Roof-ground mounts are grid-like structures that are used primarily for large solar panels. They can be installed on the ground or on roofs. A pole mount is used mainly for supporting a small, single solar panel.

After the solar panels are fixed, you’ll have to run and connect the electrical cables. The actual connections depend on whether you want a grid-tied or off-grid system.

With proper solar panel installation, each panel will be able to withstand strong winds and work efficiently for decades. You can also expect your property to increase in value with a solar energy system installed.

Continue Reading:

1. Solar Pathfinder – What Does It Do For You?
2. Installing Solar Water Heaters
3. Solar Panel Efficiency

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.

Continue Reading:

1. How To Build A Personal DIY Solar Power System With Less Than $99
2. Step-By-Step Guide To Build A 12V Solar Panel
3. How To Find Used Solar Panels

12V Solar Panel

It is easy to build a 12V solar panel if you know how. This step-by-step guide is designed to teach you if you want to build one but are clueless on how to start.

This article also illustrates the sequence to building a 12V solar panel so you’ll have the least trouble.

After reading the 5 steps, I’m confident no matter how confused you are, you’ll be able to move along to begin designing your first photovoltaic panel:

Step 1 – Source for solar cells.

There are a total of 3 ways you can get a solar (photovoltaic) cell — you can buy them, you can salvage used or broken solar cells or you can even make them.

If you intend to use your solar panels for long, I recommend you buy them. Although they’re more expensive, they yield more power and can last longer. Thus you won’t need to make another solar panel a few years down the road.

If you intend to make a solar panel just for fun, you can join pieces of used or broken solar cells to make up a complete solar panel. They won’t be the most professional looking photovoltaic panels around, but who cares, they’re just for fun!

And if you feel more adventurous, you can even make your own solar panel by heating up copper plates to form cuprous oxide, which is a form of semiconductor by itself. These homemade solar cells are inefficient at best and only produce microwatts of power per cell. But if you’re just having some fun are feeling adventurous, why not?

Step 2 – Soldering the solar cells

To form a 12V supply, we have to solder the photovoltaic cells in series so they add up to 12V collectively. While many solar cells are rated at 0.5V each, you’ll have to check its specification before buying and using them. Some may not rated at 0.5V.

With 24 solar cells connected in series, we can easily make an array of solar cells that produce 12V supply.

However voltage is only part of the equation. We also have to consider the current output of the solar cells. With the correct voltage and sufficient current, we’ll have enough power to drive the application of your choice.

Step 3 – Pasting solar cells onto a substrate

After soldering the solar cells, you can prepare to paste them onto a substrate. Many hobbyists prefer to use silicone caulk to do this. However you’ll need to employ the correct technique to paste the solar cells using silicone caulk. Otherwise the cells may crack just after a short period of use.

Step 4 – Put the array of solar cells with a protective box

After the substrate is done, you’ll have to make a box to contain the substrate. This can be made of wood, plastic or metal. Each has its unique advantages and disadvantages.

The protective box is done last. This is because you can then be flexible to alter your solar panel design if you need to add more solar cells to the setup. This will free you from some worrying.

After the box is completed, you can hold down the substrate in the protective box using blobs of silicone caulk.

Step 5 — Cover the solar panel box

Finally, you’ll have to cover the box with a transparent plastic or glass. This will keep precipitation and dew from destroying your solar cells and metallic joints. Many hobbyists choose plexiglass because it’s not as fragile as glass. The choice is entirely up to you.

After completing these 5 steps, your solar panel is ready to produce electricity for you.

Continue Reading:

1. How To Build Solar Panel (Part 1 of 3)
2. How To Build Solar Panel (Part 2 of 3)
3. Used Solar Panels – How To Use Them To Build Cheap DIY Solar Panels

Generally, the techniques for harvesting solar power are classified into 2 main categories: active or passive.

Active solar techniques involve inventions like photovoltaic panels, pumps, and fans. These are responsible for converting solar energy into useful output. Passive solar techniques involve positioning materials (with desirable thermal properties) along the path of solar radiation and designing spaces that allow natural convection (air circulation).

You have to consider the benefits of each approach (active or passive) before you implement them. Active solar techniques are somewhat more expensive to implement. However it gives you more control and the energy can be converted into a wider range of output other than heat. Passive solar techniques involve careful thought to the architectural design of your house. However it does not drain as much financial resources. Most people will consider implementing both types of system that complement with one another.

The most common installation you can consider is the solar heater. They are cheap, easily installed and are efficient. These nifty devices can help you cut a large percentage of your energy bill by taking care of your heating needs. You can heat up your rooms without using any electricity. You can also heat up water so you can have a warm bath or swim after work.

Heat gathered during the day can be stored in materials with high specific heat capacity (or thermal mass). They act like rechargeable batteries for storing heat in the day. At night, they provide you with warmth while the ambient temperature outside falls. Some of these materials include water, bricks, cement and stones.

The next most common installation you can consider is a solar panel. Solar panels convert the energy from the sun into electricity via a process known as Photovoltaics (PV). Thus these contraptions are also known as photovoltaic panels.

Photovoltaic panels are popular because of their practicality and convenience. While solar heaters gives out only heat, electricity from solar panels can be converted into heat, movement and light. Electricity can also be stored in battery banks so there will still be electricity supply even at night or during an overcast afternoon. However the down-side of this installation is the cost. For the average household, it may require up to $8 per watt to install. A 2.5kW system can easily cost you $20,000. (This costing is not exact as it depends on several factors like your location and solar panel efficiency.)

There are also other systems that can be built into the architecture of your house. However using only the solar heater and photovoltaic panel, you can design a world-class home solar power system that can effectively gather energy from the sun for your household needs.

Continue Reading:

1. Build Amazing Home Solar Power Systems Used by Families Who Don’t Want to Pay For Their Utilities
2. Home Solar Power – Advantages and Disadvantages of Using Photovoltaic Generators to Power Your Home
3. 7 Different Ways of Using Solar Energy At Home and In Your Office

Reduce Carbon Footprint

Using residential solar panels help your household reduce carbon footprint. As you already know, solar has no carbon footprint. Solar energy is also renewable and sustainable.

The only possible carbon footprint that solar panels have is when they are being produced at the production line. However this is very small compared to the electricity they generate over their lifespan.

Most energy sources are burnt to generate electricity. Each resource produces different amounts of carbon under combustion. The worst of these is coal. They are known to harm the environment in many ways. Unfortunately the United States depends on coal to produce more than half of its electricity.

It is estimated that the average annual carbon dioxide emissions per person in the United States is 20 metric tons. Compared to the world average of four tons, we are really consuming lots of energy even though we do not know it.

At home, we are also using more energy than we realize. This is due to transmission line inefficiencies. Long lengths of transmission cable encourage electrical resistance. Thus the power station has to generate more energy than what we need.

By the time electricity reach our houses, a part of it has already been lost through Joule heating (this is also known as Ohmic heating or resistive heating). Therefore if we consume only 3kWh of energy, the power station may have to generate 9kWh in order to compensate for the loss.

We can all do our part to reduce our carbon footprint by using solar power. It is a misconception that we need to raise at least fifteen thousand dollars before we are able to use solar energy. It is true that it takes quite a bit of money to install photovoltaic panels on our roofs. But we can all start with solar heaters, which are relatively inexpensive.

Solar heaters use solar energy instead of electricity to heat up water or air. Thus it leaves no carbon footprint.

If you want to use PV panels, you can install a few pieces first. This lowers your initial outlay. Then when you have the cash (or have your loan approved), you can buy the rest of the PV panels to generate more electricity.

In fact, on a clear sunny day, 1 kWh per square meter of solar energy falls on the Earth. Most commercial silicon solar cells only have an average of 15 percent efficiency. Thus most of these energy is yet to be harvested using today’s technology. But there is a lot of potential in solar technology.

With better engineering, residential solar panels may double its efficiency, making them more affordable. This will help many homeowners use solar energy on a daily basis. As a result, there is a chance we can permanently reduce our carbon footprint.

Continue Reading:

1. Cost Of Using Residential Solar Panels
2. Home Solar Power — Different Ways of Harnessing Energy From The Sun To Reduce Energy Bills
3. Will Solar Power Be The Solution To Mankind’s Energy Problems?

Google assembled a 1.6 MW solar panel installation at their headquarters in Mountain View in 2007. After several months, they facilitated a study to find out if cleaning solar panels would make them more productive, thereby yielding more electricity.

The engineers focused on two separate sets of photovoltaic panels in Google campus — the flat ones in carports and the tilted ones on roofs. They gathered a plethora of data about the energy their solar panels produced. Observations were also made on the accumulation of dirt on both sets of solar panels.

Conclusion?

They found dirt accumulating on the surface of flat panels. On tilted panels, less dirt was found. This is because rain swept them away, leaving some accumulation at the bottom corners. After cleaning both sets of solar panels (after 15 months), energy output from the flat panels doubled! The improvement from tilted panels was marginal.

Both sets of solar panels were left untouched for another 8 months before they were cleaned again. This time, the flat panels showed a 36% improvement in electricity output while the tilted panels produced negligible gains.

The conclusion of this study illustrates 2 points:

1. Solar panels are best installed in a tilted position.

Like those solar panels in Google headquarters, tilted solar panels are less likely to retain dirt and occasional leaf. Blocked solar cells introduce high internal resistance and this devastates power production. In fact, just one cell without sunlight can cause an observable drop in energy output.

Fortunately, most of us are living away from the equator and chances are we have to tilt our solar panels considerably. Thus all we have to do is spend 5 minutes to wash away unsightly dirt that accumulates at the corner of your solar panels. You can do this by spraying water using a hose once a year.

2. Solar panels have to be cleaned once in a while.

If you have to install your solar panels in a flat position, you’ll stand to gain when you clean your solar panels every 6 months (or more often if you bother to). Obviously, the more energy your solar panels generate, the sooner you’ll be paid back your solar investment.

It does not take you more than 15 minutes to briefly wash down your solar panels. But once you put in this little effort, your solar panel efficiency shoots up and these photovoltaic power generators can again work as hard for you as when they first arrived.

Continue Reading:

1. Solar Panel Efficiency
2. How You Can Benefit from Feed-in Tariffs (FiTs) with Electricity Generated by Your Solar Panels
3. How To Build A Sun Tracking Mechanism to Increase Your Solar Panel Efficiency by 40%