Build Your Own Solar Panel

If you’re a DIY guy yet need more reasons to cajole you to build your own solar panel, here are ten most important reasons why other DIY-ers like yourself are persuaded to build their own solar power generator. Here they are:

Reason #1: Building your own solar panel is very cost effective. It is a lot cheaper than buying comparable retail panels.

Reason #2: Building your own solar panel takes only less than a week and it is relatively easy to do if you follow a plan.

Reason #3: You’ll get the satisfaction of being able to create something useful with your own hands…and when you see your project powering up your gadgets and appliances, you’ll be filled with warm delight.

Reason #4: After the solar panel system is built, it keeps giving back to you and requires almost no maintenance at all.

Reason #5: It is an environmentally friendly thing to do and you are giving back to Mother Earth.

Reason #6: It gets the whole family together and it gives the kids a solid understanding about solar powered systems.

Reason #7: It usually takes you less than 2 years for your DIY solar panels to payback what they cost…as contrast to an average of 15 years payback period for commercial-grade solar panels.

Reason #8: Making your own solar panel forces you to get outdoors and get the less-exercised part of your body (and brain) moving.

Reason #9: It challenges you to get creative on what else you can use the solar panels for. (Mainly electronic gadgets comes to most people’s mind)

Reason #10: It’s always a talking point whenever there’re visitors. It makes you feel great as you see the “wow” on your friend’s face!

I hope these heartfelt reasons resonate with you…enough to get you working on your own project soon.

However, also allow me be a little straightforward with you. Building your own solar panel is not a task that you can accomplish with great ease. There are hidden pitfalls if you’re building a solar panel for the first time. This may result in loss of time and money.

Therefore before you build your own solar panel for the first time, go seek someone experienced to guide you along. Otherwise you can get good instructions to show you the ropes.

Continue Reading:

1. “Who Else Wants to Build DIY Solar Panels?”
2. About
3. How To Build A Personal DIY Solar Power System With Less Than $99

Home Solar Panels

You may aspire to build a full-scale solar panel system for your house. This is awesome, because you’ll be able to start reducing your utility bill (or eliminate it) and also help the environment at the same time.

However if you are doing every part of the installation yourself, you must be aware there are dangers involved. If you are not careful, serious injury or death may result.

Remember: Safety first.

Always ask yourself what you will be handling and the skill set (experience) you have. If you are a first-timer, you may find expert help useful.

Generally, if you take precautions and follow the usual safety procedures, you should be able to make your own PV panels without any issues.

So what are those dangers?

Here’s a list of them. Read them carefully and think of what precautions you should take when you’re doing those tasks:

1. Handling high voltages in grid-tied PV systems

Only qualified personnel should be meddling with different connections to the grid. In most areas, unless you are licensed, you are not allowed to make connections to the grid anyway.

Hire an electrician if you are not 100% sure. They are not too expensive and risking your life just isn’t worth the savings. Voltages at the mains are seriously high and it can kill.

Also, if you use the wrong cabling or make connections in the wrong configuration, you may have problems with your home insurance. You could also have a hard time selling your house until some licensed personnel fix this.

(The government doesn’t want to give you a hard time, they’re just trying to keep things safe.)

When handling any power cable or electrical connections, wear an insulating glove. Do it even if you know it isn’t connected to the mains or the breaker switch is off. You can never be too sure.

2. Installing solar panel on roofs

It is dangerous to be up on the roof at any point in time. Most people have no idea what it is like to work on roofs. Not only do you have to be carrying the solar panels (which are pretty heavy) up the roof, you will also need to pull cables, fix mounts, worry about the alignment and be moving back and forth all the time.

To make things worse, there could be strong winds blowing across your roof. This may cause you to lose balance, especially when you’re carrying those heavy solar panels.

Always wear a safety harness to prevent falls.

3. Handling batteries

If your full-scale solar panel array is not grid-tied, you’ll almost always require many batteries to store electricity. Batteries are pretty safe. But if their terminals are shorted, batteries will produce tremendous amounts of heat causing fire or even explosion. You may get burnt.

Even when they’re connected correctly, you may also see some sparks as you connect jumper leads to battery terminals. (Do not be alarmed.) This is because there are so many batteries connected together and you are dealing with pretty high current.

Always wear an insulating glove and be very sure of what you intend to do before making those connections.

Please don’t get the idea I’m discouraging you from installing your own solar panels. What I’m trying to say here is safety comes first. Building solar panels are fun and you can make them real fast.

But when it comes to roof installation and connecting inverters to the grid, you must be sure you know what you are doing.

Otherwise it is wise to just part with a little money and get professionals to do it. They are fast and will probably do a better job than you. (At least for now..)

Continue Reading:

1. Building A DIY Solar Panel – My Personal Experience
2. How To Build A Solar Panel Charge Controller
3. Homemade Solar Panels — Common Mistakes to Take Note Of When Building And Installing Photovoltaic (PV) Panels

How To Build Solar Panel

In this final part of the “How To Build Solar Panel” series, we’ll impart the finishing touches that make your solar panel project a winner. You’ll discover how to push your solar panel system up one notch so you’ll have a world-class DIY solar panel.

Here, I’m assuming that resources like money, time and skills are not lacking. What we’re trying to push for is a solar panel that will make you proud.

The Solar Panel Frame

The best material to use for the solar panel frame is aluminum. This is a material that will not rust easily and it’s able to carry away additional heat that may be trapped inside the solar panel. This is particularly important since heat can diminish the efficiency of the photovoltaic cells.

Diodes

The diodes you should be using are the Schottky types. These diodes have a much lower forward voltage drop so less power is wasted. And when the temperature gets higher the forward voltage drops further.

Solar Panel Cover

If budget allows and there is no hail at your area, the best cover that your solar panel can have is made of non-reflective glass. Solar panels covered with non-reflective glass can enjoy significantly higher efficiency because greater proportions of sunlight reach the solar cells.

Battery

If you intend to power outdoor equipment like sprinklers and gate openers, your battery will need to be sheltered from the rain and dew. Unfortunately it may be impractical to house these indoors as we’ll then need very long wires that may also be a safety hazard if it’s left lying around.

You can put the battery (or batteries) into a waterproofed electronics housing and seal up the opening (for the wires). In this way rain or dew will not cause short circuit to the battery.

By implementing all of the above tips to your solar panel project, you can surely make for yourself a world-class DIY solar panel project.

Continue Reading:

1. About
2. How To Build Solar Panel (Part 1 of 3)
3. How To Build Solar Panel (Part 2 of 3)

But are their claims credible? And if it is really possible to build your own solar panels at home, what are the skills, tools and materials needed?

This article goes further to find out whether it is really true that you can build your own home solar panel system for only a few hundred dollars.

Making Your Own Solar Panels

There are many solar panel manufacturers in the market. Some examples are Sharp, Suntech, First Solar, JA Solar, Yingli Solar, Trina Solar, Motech, Qcell, Canadian Solar, Gintech, BE Solar, et cetera. The components that they use to make commercial solar panels are can be found in the consumer market.

The main parts they use to make solar panels are solar cells, a solar panel frame, diodes, solar tabbing wires, a piece of glass (as cover) and a substrate. You can purchase these components easily on the Internet.

Therefore if you have DIY skills to put these components together, you can make your own homemade solar panel. After all, those people who work at the assembly lines producing PV panels do not possess special talent. Neither do they have extraordinary skills. All of them are trained to perform repetitive tasks that are as simple as household chores.

However, if you want to build your own solar panels at home, you’ll have to design your own circuit. Otherwise you’ll need to follow a proven blueprint. If not your solar panels may not provide your with your desired voltage and current output.

Thankfully, construction plans and electrical wiring charts are available on the Internet or bookstores. Once you choose the correct design for your house, you can simply follow its design to make your own solar power generator.

Ok…so what does it take to build a homemade PV panel?

Surprisingly, to build something as advanced as a solar panel, all you need are the following skills:

a. Soldering

You have to do a lot of soldering and do it well. Dry and cracked joints introduce unnecessary electrical resistance, which affects the performance of your PV panel.

b. Using adhesive and sealants

You have to know how to adhere the solar cells onto the substrate. On top of this, you’ll want to encapsulate you solar panel properly. Thus you have to learn how to use sealants as well. Thankfully, most people get proficient in applying silicone elastomer after only 5 minutes of practice.

c. Sawing and filing

If you are building everything from scratch, you’ll have to know how to cut aluminum angles and file its burrs away. Otherwise you can always buy ready-made aluminum manufactured specially for building DIY solar panels. The substrate and glass cover can also be cut to size before they are delivered to you.

So far so good…it seems if you are interested in making DIY solar panels, only basic skills are needed.

What about the cost?

After adding up the total solar component costs, I’d conclude that you are indeed able to make a solar panel without spending more than one hundred dollars.

For this amount, you will be able to make a wooden-framed solar panel that produces at most 60 watts of power at 18 volts. This is sufficient to charge a 12-volt battery.

However most people wouldn’t only want to charge 12-volt batteries. They want to power their entire house with solar electricity! Thus if you intend to install a (sizable) 5-kilowatt system, you’ll need about 84 pieces of homemade solar panels.

At this scale, you’ll need to spend at least $8,400 to complete your home solar power project. And you’ll have to take time to make all 84 panels over a period of time.

Fortunately, you don’t have to wait till you build all the solar panels in order to enjoy the fruits of your labor. You can build your first few PV panels, and then add more when you have the time and money.

So far, this cost only involves PV panels. You’ll also be required to buy inverters and deep-cycle rechargeable batteries. Inverters are not as costly as batteries, but good ones can set you back by a few thousand dollars.

If you build a grid-tied (or intertie) solar energy system, you won’t need rechargeable batteries. For off-grid systems, you’ll require many rechargeable batteries to provide you with electricity during the night when there is no sunlight.

All in all, you’ll have to spend more than $10,000++ if you want to build a 5-kilowatt solar energy system. Thus all that talk about being able to build solar panels that can power your house for only a few hundred dollars is B.S.

With this budget, you can only build a very small solar power system that can run your workstation. But the good news (as I mentioned) is you can start small, and then add more solar panels when you have more resources.

Note: Buying budget solar cells with low efficiency only takes up more roof space. It’ll be better for you to spend a little more to buy good solar cells so each panel can provide you with much more power.

After all, can your roof really hold all 84 PV panels? …

I understand the costs involved. And I really want to build my own solar panels. How do I begin?

The best way to start is by getting some education. Even if you are building your homemade solar panels according to a blueprint, you have to understand why you are doing what you are doing.

It doesn’t make sense to follow any instructions blindly. When it comes to photovoltaic projects, incomplete understanding doesn’t help at all.

You may end up with solar panels that don’t perform to expectation. In the end, you’ll only be wasting your time, effort and money. In the worst case, you may end up damaging your solar cells.

There are many books available on the Internet, bookstores and in the library that can help you.

As you read through these materials, understand the general principles behind solar electricity generation. Then get familiar with each part of the home solar power system. If you can, learn how to do solar calculations.

With this, you’ll be able to make sense of what you are doing as you follow a blueprint. And you’ll be proud of yourself for making your own homemade solar panels that actually provides electricity for your household.

Continue Reading:

1. About
2. Homemade Solar Panels
3. Homemade Solar Panels – Should You Even Roll Up Your Sleeves To Build One?

• Financial savings. You can expect your electricity bill to decrease significantly as soon as you switch to renewable energy (supplied by solar panels). You can further increase your savings by getting rid of installation costs…by doing the installation yourself. This is not a difficult task. With simple tools and some technical skills, you are good to go.

• Personal learning. When you build your own solar panels, you are presented with an opportunity to know and understand the system better. With practical knowledge, you will not need to hire a technician when things go wrong — you can troubleshoot the system yourself.

• Freedom to Customize. Because you are familiar with the installation site, you can customize your own solar design that fits your home. This is especially important if you have limited space. A custom-made solar panel can allow you to line every inch of your roof with photovoltaic material, unlike mass-produced ones.

• Fast. One weekend is usually enough for an individual to build his or her own solar panels. The more skillful you are, the faster you’ll complete your solar panel installation. Speed certainly comes with experience and practice.

• Sense of Fulfillment. Nothing beats the sense of fulfillment bubbling inside you after you have installed your own solar panels for your home…with your own abilities. You will feel a stronger sense of ownership for a solar panel system you have built with your own hands.

Solar panels are becoming more and more common. This is due to the increasing demand (and growing interest) in solar panels and other renewable energy technologies. The cost of solar panels has also decreased over the years. However this is still beyond the reach of many households. Thus even though solar panels have increased in popularity, it is still not as common as we desire it to be.

Fortunately, you can now have solar panels at home for a fraction of the usual cost. All you have to do is roll up your sleeves, apply some elbow grease and get your homemade solar panel together. For a “hands-on” person, this can be an exciting proposition.

Although some time and effort is expected, it is in fact easy to install your own solar panels at your home. The entire endeavor may entail some difficulties and challenges at first. But you need not worry about these obstacles. You can always focus on those activities you enjoy and engage an expert or a professional to help you with the rest.

Continue Reading:

1. Building A DIY Solar Panel – My Personal Experience
2. Homemade Solar Panels – Should You Even Roll Up Your Sleeves To Build One?
3. Homemade Solar Panels — Common Mistakes to Take Note Of When Building And Installing Photovoltaic (PV) Panels

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

A commercial solar panel system can easily cost you upwards of $20,000 to $30,000. Systems that cost $70,000 are also not uncommon. A homemade solar panels system costs only a fraction of this price, depending on how good you are at sourcing for components.

With a lower outlay, it also means your payback period can be drastically reduced. Instead of waiting for more than 15 years before your solar panels give you a return on your investment, you can perhaps achieve this in less than 10 years.

To power your entire house, you’ll need to have an array of solar panels. This means several solar panels must be grouped together. Only then can the total power required for your household equipment and lighting needs be supplied.

Each solar panel can be built in a weekend if you know how to. Therefore if you want about 10 solar panels for your PV panels array, you must be prepared to spend up to ten weekends constructing them. However you’ll almost always use less time than this. Simply because you’ll get much faster as you get more practice.

In order to learn how to make your own solar panels for your home, you’ll need to first acquire some knowledge on these areas:

1. How to tab solar cells
2. Securing solar cells to the substrate
3. How to choose a suitable material for your substrate
4. Making a solar panel frame
5. Which types of glazing to choose for your solar panel frame
6. How to waterproof your solar panel
7. What types of connectors to use for solar panels
8. How to make an inverter
9. Connecting your solar panels to the inverter and calculating the wire requirement
10. Sizing your solar panel system
11. How to install solar panels

If you have a friend who has an extensive experience building and installing solar panels for their own home, you can tap on his expertise. Otherwise you can always find guidebooks to help you.

Good guides are filled with step-by-step instructions on how to build each solar component. Not only this, they should have many illustrations and even videos that give you a good feel on how to carry out each instruction.

Guides are definitely a must when it comes to building your own solar panels. This is true even if you consider yourself a DIY expert. There are many “shortcuts” pertaining to building a solar energy system that you won’t want to miss.

Having said this, it doesn’t mean you must do everything yourself. You can pick those tasks that you love doing and leave the rest to a professional.

For example, you may enjoy building solar panels but hate pulling cables on your roof to install those panels. You can simply pick up the phone and ask for a quotation. Anyway, having built your own PV panels, you’ll already have saved a lot of money. Spending a little for installation won’t burn a hole in your pocket.

Continue Reading:

1. Homemade Solar Panels – Should You Even Roll Up Your Sleeves To Build One?
2. Advantages Of Building Your Own Solar Panels
3. Homemade Solar Panels — Common Mistakes to Take Note Of When Building And Installing Photovoltaic (PV) Panels

Most portable solar power systems depend on 12-volt batteries. In our project, we’ll want everything, including the solar panels to be packed into a box.

Here is a list of things you’ll need:

1. 4 pieces of 15-watt solar panels
2. Charge controller
3. 12-volt deep cycle sealed rechargeable batteries
4. A wooden box or a briefcase
5. 4-gauge cables

Briefcase Portable Solar Power System

The first thing to work on is the container. You can either use a wooden box, a cooler box or a luggage.

Personally I prefer using an old luggage because it is easy to carry around. It also has wheels for you to drag it across a distance without using too much physical strength.

You’ll need to figure out a way to attach the batteries to the base of the container. If you are using a wooden box or a cooler box, you can simply strap it to the base using pieces of plastic strap and screws.

If you are using a luggage, you may have to use some epoxy to fix the batteries to the casing since they are usually quite thin.

Other than batteries, you will have to secure the charge controller properly. After this is done, you can connect the cables to their respective terminals.

Then pull a rubber or plastic sheet over the batteries and charge controller to prevent metallic objects from touching the terminals.

Alternatively you can get rubber sleeves to cover the terminals.

For the solar panels, you have the option of using rollable flexible solar panels. They may generate less power than the usual panels, but they are light. This makes it easy to pack a few more panels into any box.

Other than power output, you have to make sure your solar panels can fit into your casing. You may also want to attach all the panels together using small hinges or tape so the cables won’t be stressed and damaged whenever you handle them (when taking them out of the box or putting them back).

When attached together, solar panels tend to knock into one another as you handle them. Therefore you may want to put small rubber spacers between them to reduce the impact.

Finally, you need to allocate a space inside the luggage for the PV panels. If possible, make use of rubber or high-density sponge as padding to hold the panels snugly inside the box.

Such materials can also protect the solar panels from damage if you accidentally drop the portable solar panel system.

Continue Reading:

1. How To Build A Solar Panel Charge Controller
2. Lighting Up Your Yard or Garden Using Solar Energy
3. Making A DIY Solar Powered Reading Lamp

How To Build Solar Panel

In Part One, we’re going to take a look at the materials you need to build a successful project. In Part Two, you’ll learn how to put these parts together to form a complete system. Different applications certainly need different design considerations. We’ll cover how to modify your design to suit particular applications you have in mind. In Part Three, you’ll discover how to push your solar panel system up a notch so you’ll have a winner in your hands.

Before I go on to explain the different materials and components you need to build a solar panel, I must take some time to explain an important thought with you: you do not have to be an engineer of any sort to build a professional looking (and working) solar panel system.

You however need to know some basic soldering and this can be learned in a short span of 5 minutes…flat. You’ll also need to start your imagination engine so you’ll know how you’ll be using your solar panel to power your electrical devices.

In case you do not have any DIY skills at all, you can always buy ready-made solar panels complete with mounting brackets and connect the electrical wiring from there. This will be a little more expensive, of course.

Now, let’s look at the materials we need:

1. Solar Cells
2. Plywood
3. Jones Plug
4. Silicone Caulk
5. Super glue and screws
6. Diode
7. Plexiglass
8. Wires
9. Paint
10. Battery

Solar Cell

Solar Cells. Depending on your budget, you can either buy new cells or purchase slightly damaged ones. Yes, you can certainly put together broken solar cells. However if you’re not confident doing this, my best suggestion is to spend a little more money to buy new cells from eBay.

Plywood. No matter how small your project is, unless you’re very skillful with woodworking, you’ll probably need 3/8” thick plywood. A very good idea that I came across is to use a sturdy photo frame (metallic or wooden one) and work from there. At least you don’t need to put in too much effort for the solar panel frame. You can get plywood easily from your local hardware store.

Jones Plug

Jones Plug. This is a two-pin plug that terminates the end of the wires that comes out from the solar panel so you can plug this into your electrical system. You can find these at Newark Electronics or sometimes at eBay.

Silicone Caulk. This is a strong, waterproof seal that is used for fixing household items like our bathtubs and kitchen sink. Your local hardware shop sells silicone caulk.

Super glue and screws. Some super glue is useful to hold the pieces together before you screw them down firmly. Again, your local hardware shop probably sells super glue and screws.

Wires. It is best to get those wires that come in a twisted pair of red and black so that you can be very sure of the polarity as you solder up the wires.

Paint. Choose paint with UV protection so that it can protect against the continual UV radiation beating against the materials.

Diode

Diode. This component only allows electricity to flow in one direction of your choice. This is needed so that your battery will not be drained into the solar panel during the night or when the sky gets too cloudy.

Plexiglass. This provides a protective cover over the solar cells. Plexiglass has various advantages over glass – it doesn’t break easily and is much easier to handle.

Battery. One of the most important parts of the solar energy system is the battery. It ensures that electricity is available to your electrical application when there isn’t enough power output from the solar panel (probably due to a cloudy day or during the night).

These are the components you’ll need to put together a complete solar power generator that can supply a small electrical application.

In next part (Part Two) of the “How To Build Solar Panel” series, you’ll learn how to put all the above parts together. Till then, get your imagination engine cranking so you have an idea how you’ll want to put your solar generator to work for you.

Continue Reading:

1. About
2. How To Build Solar Panel (Part 2 of 3)
3. How To Build Solar Panel (Part 3 of 3)

Home Valuation Increases When Solar Panels Are Installed

The payback for your solar panel investment doesn’t stop at monthly utility savings. When you have a solar generator on your roof, property valuators will take that into consideration.

The increase in your home valuation depends on the reliability of your solar panel system and its remaining lifespan.

Think of your solar panels and solar heaters as equipment that provides value (in this case savings) to the buyer.

If its (projected) remaining lifespan is longer and the brand gives people confidence in its reliability, buyers will be willing to pay more for this asset.

Suppose you decide to sell your home five years after installing PV panels (or a solar water heater) and your system saves you $50 per month on utility bills.

Prospective buyers for your house are willing to pay more for your home because you can help them save $600 every year on energy bills. On top of that, they don’t have to get a separate loan for the solar installation.

Some valuators feel that by having solar panels on your property, your home’s valuation improves by 125% of the solar installation cost. Thus investing in solar energy generators allows you to list your home at a higher price. You may also get it sold faster. This is especially true when oil price shoots toward the sky.

Between solar water heaters and PV panels, solar heaters will give you a better return on investment and also a shorter payback period.

This is because solar heaters are relatively cheaper, are much more effective and helps to reduce heating costs in significant ways.

Thus if you haven’t installed anything yet, consider this route. Use solar water heater to heat up your swimming pool, hot tub, shower room, living spaces, et cetera…whatever you can think of. There are numerous techniques to get heat flowing where you want it.

After you have experienced the benefits of solar heating, then move on to photovoltaic panels. After all, more than 44% of our utility bill is attributed to heating cost.

With the combination of solar heater and photovoltaic panels, you have a good chance of moving towards self-sufficiency. After the payback period, your utility bills will no longer be a pain, because it’ll be free.

Read Part 2 of this series here:

http://www.diysolarpanelsworld.com/how-to-determine-the-payback-for-your-solar-panel-investment-part-2-of-3

Read Part 1 of this series here:

http://www.diysolarpanelsworld.com/how-to-determine-the-payback-for-your-solar-panel-investment-part-1-of-3

Continue Reading:

1. Why Are Solar Panels The Best Investment For Your Home?
2. 7 Different Ways of Using Solar Energy At Home and In Your Office
3. Survey Your Household Energy Usage Before Installing Solar Panels