DIY Solar Panels World » Solar System

“Who Else Wants to Build DIY Solar Panels?”

admin — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 22:00:24 +0000

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:

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10 Reasons Why You Should Build Your Own Solar Panel

admin — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 10:01:53 +0000

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.

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The Dangers of Building A Full-Scale DIY Solar Panel System For Your Home

admin — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 10:00:08 +0000

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..)

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Advantages Of Building Your Own Solar Panels

admin — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 09:59:41 +0000

There are many advantages in building your own solar panels. I have listed some points below to illustrate these benefits. Some are important while others seem insignificant. Here they are:

• 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.

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Solor Panel Inverters – Synchronous Solar Panel Inverters

admin — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 10:01:16 +0000

: Image via Wikipedia

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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How To Make Your Own Solar Panels For Homes

admin — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 10:00:33 +0000

You can make your own solar panels for homes. Apart from lower initial investment, you can enjoy lower utility bills. During winters, you will will also not suffer from incredibly expensive energy bills.

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.

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How To Build An Outdoor Portable Solar Panel System

admin — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 22:00:16 +0000

A portable solar panel system is an extremely useful source of power to have when you go on a road trip. You can also bring it on board your boat to generate some power at your deck.

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.

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Homemade Solar Panels — Common Mistakes to Take Note Of When Building And Installing Photovoltaic (PV) Panels

admin — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 09:59:36 +0000

Making A Homemade Solar Power System

When building and installing homemade solar panels, there is a fair amount of trial and error involved. This forms part of your learning curve.

There are also mistakes you might make that are totally avoidable. These “detours” can discourage you especially if it is your first time building your own PV panels.

Here are some common ones to take note of when you work on your project. When you avoid them, you should arrive at a good product that is ready to serve you:

Common mistake #1: Trying to build the solar panel frame first

We have to draft out a plan for your solar panel construction. However many of those plans, as we know, often require minor tweaks. At times (although quite rare) certain designs do not work at all. We’ll learn what these are as we start building more complex PV panels.

The way to build a PV panel is to adopt an inside-out approach. First get your solar cells together on your workbench, and then cut out the substrate. After you have mounted all the solar cells on the substrate, you are now pretty sure what the dimensions of the solar panel frame must be.

You’ll be left high and dry if you have completed the frame, only to find out later it is not deep enough to contain your solar cells. Also, there is no advantage in building the solar panel frame first. Thus you’ll save yourself a lot of (potential) trouble if you can build the frame only after you have mounted the solar cells.

Having said this, people who follow proven solar panel blueprints to the tee will not be susceptible to such mistakes. Yet this is a good habit to have, since you’ll sooner or later design your own blueprints, isn’t it?

Common mistake #2: Not allowing solar cells to expand and contract

Solar Cells Expand and Contract

Solar cells expand when it’s heated by the sun and contracts when it is cold. If there isn’t sufficient consideration toward this, your solar cells will crack after some time.

By then it is a great hassle to repair this damage. You have to climb up to your roof, loosen the mounts, bring down your solar panel, open it up, do lots of testing, etc.. You know what I mean.

One important thing you must do is to mount the solar cells on a just one blob of silicon caulk. If you spread the silicon adhesive on its entire surface, you leave no room for expansion. Thus the glass structure will weaken and crack after several cycles of expansion and contraction.

Common mistake #3: Sweating the small stuff

The fact is some of us are perfectionist. This quality, even though is good on some occasions, cause many to stop dead in their tracks while making a homemade PV panel.

You know you are one when you try to do these things before your PV panel is completed:

a. Trying to sort out small blobs of glue that overflow the joints
b. Filing off burrs at inconspicuous corners
c. Worrying about how to align your wiring

Fine details can really be sorted out later. In reality, there isn’t a mistake you make that cannot be resolved. After all, making mistakes are part and parcel of learning.

The best time to make adjustments and improvements is when you have more or less completed your project and have gained more confidence. Your DIY skills will also be more polished by then.

To save time (and effort), there are also many small little parts (like brackets and mounts) that you can buy from hardware stores or specialty stores. They do not cost much. If you make these yourself, you’ll not be able to spend more time on important parts of the project.

Common mistake #4: Not wearing a certified safety harness when installing PV panels

Many folks use a piece of rope or an old harness kept away for many years. BIG mistake. If you were to fall, the joy of making your own solar panels is totally robbed. The savings will also be entirely siphoned into your doctor’s cash-lined pocket.

Beg, steal or borrow…use a certified harness to keep yourself safe.

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Why Are Solar Panels The Best Investment For Your Home?

admin — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 22:00:01 +0000

Solar Panels -- Our Best Investment At Home

Electricity produced by solar panels used to be the most expensive option.

But things have changed.

Government and large institutions investing into this technology encouraged economies of scale. This caused the price of solar panels to come down over time.

Nowadays, solar panels have become affordable to the point where average households often consider owning them.

Even though solar panels may seem a little costly at first, they can actually help you financially. This happens in a few ways:

1. You can enjoy significant savings on your monthly energy bills.

2. Your property value increases

3. You may be qualified for grants and rebates when you use renewable energy

Since buying PV panels is really an investment, we must be able to quantify monetary returns over a specific period of time. This involves some basic calculations.

Here are some numbers that you need to figure out in order to know if installing solar panels make sense (financially) for you:

(a) Calculate your payback period. This is the number of years it takes to recoup your upfront cost. The savings you enjoy every month adds up. The time (years) it takes to reach the total cost of installing solar panels is your payback period.

An example: If you spend $3,000 on a solar heating system and that saves you $50 every month, your payback period is 60 months. This is also equivalent to 5 years.

If the cost of oil rises (every so often), you’ll save more money. As a result, your payback period becomes shorter.

Other purchases around the house will not give you such advantage. They usually result in zero (if not negligible) returns on your investment, no matter how long you wait.

And if you were to put that same $3,000 into the stock market, you could be making a windfall…or end up losing your shirt. The returns are just not as certain as investing into solar panels.

Note: Your payback period is directly influenced by the solar panel’s efficiency and the amount of solar radiation your property experiences. It is advisable to get a qualified personnel to help you with these figures if you are not familiar with the calculations.

(b) Find Out About Feed-in Tariffs (FiTs). This is important if you are using a grid-tied solar power system. Essentially, you are using the power grid as storage. Whenever your PV panels generate more electricity than you can use, they are channeled to the grid for others to enjoy. The utility company will then offset your energy bills according to their feed-in tariff rates.

There isn’t much to calculate here. As long as the FiTs are almost equivalent to the rate they’re charging you, it makes sense to use grid-tied systems. Otherwise you’ll need rechargeable batteries, which are not cheap. This, unfortunately, increases your payback period directly.

(c) Ask About Rebates. This is different for every state. The rebate you receive can either encourage or discourage you from installing PV panels. Some states offer reasonable rates while others seem to be nonchalant about using solar generated electricity. If the rates are good, your payback period shortens.

After some calculation, you will almost always agree that solar panels are the best investment for you home. Therefore we should all consider installing them (even on a small scale) sooner rather than later.

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Important Facts You Must Know Before Installing Your Own Home Solar Panels

admin — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 22:00:24 +0000

This article highlights those important facts about solar panels you must know before buying them. If you are about to make an important decision to install solar panels at your home, be sure to read this.

Commercial solar panels cost at least $20,000 (usually much more than this) and you need to wait at least 12 years before your investment pays back. Of course the actual price and payback period depends on how much electricity you require and the amount of sunshine at your location.

Even though solar panels seem expensive, owning them can help your finances in the long run. Beyond its payback period, solar panels are essentially free. Thus you are actually using free electricity from that point on. If oil price continues to rise (quite certainly), the savings you realize will only become greater.

On top of that, your property value appreciates the moment you install solar panels on your roof.

Installing PV panels at home or office may be one of the best few decisions in your life. If you buy the correct solar energy system, it’ll reward you handsomely in time to come.

Why solar panels?

Solar panels convert solar energy into electricity. Since the sun will not burn out in the next few billion years, this is a perpetual source of energy we can use. Many solar panels can operate for up to 30 years. Thus they provide us with a long lasting source of electricity.

Solar panels are suitable for providing electricity in remote places that are far away from the main electricity grid. If your home is situated in such places, solar electricity may be the cheapest and most convenient source of power for you.

PV panels do not require much maintenance. In fact all they need is an occasional jet of water for 5 to 10 minutes. This helps to wash away the dirt and dust that accumulates on the glass panel after months and months of use. Besides this, no other regular maintenance is needed.

Solar power does not pollute. It neither gives off toxic nor foul-smelling gases. There is no way solar panels can harm your health and well-being when it generates electricity. In fact, it doesn’t even produce any noise. Thus solar panels do only good and no harm.

The only time when pollution is involved is when solar panels are being produced. Energy is needed at production lines, and this likely comes from burning fossil fuel. Fortunately it does not take long to manufacture each PV panel. Thus its indirect damage to the environment is negligible as compared to its advantages.

For many homeowners, using solar electricity is a means to hedge against the rising cost of fuel. It is quite likely that oil price will double again after 15 or 20 years…who knows. But the price of solar panels keeps dropping. Today, you can get solar panels for as low as $3 per watt. And this (one-time cost) is all you have to pay for the next few decades. What a good deal.

Different Types of Solar Panels

Solar panels are made from single crystal (monocrystalline) wafers, polycrystalline wafers or by depositing photovoltaic material onto thin films.

Monocrystalline solar cells are made by cutting single crystal wafers into 1/3 to 1/2 millimeter slices. This is a costly process. The silicon used must be of very high purity and must have an almost perfect crystalline structure. This makes the final product expensive. Therefore even though monocrystalline solar cells have the highest yield, they are not as popular.

Polycrystalline wafers are made by pouring molten silicon into a mould and allowing it to set. Then they are cut into thin slices, similar to how monocrystalline wafers are made. Since polycrystalline wafers do not require very high purity silicon or a near perfect crystalline structure, they are cheaper to produce. However it produces less electricity than monocrystalline cells under the same illumination per square foot.

Yet polycrystalline solar panels are very popular. Unlike monocrystalline solar cells, polycrystalline cells can fill the solar panel with more photovoltaic material (due to its shape). This allows it to produce almost as much electricity per square foot as monocrystalline solar panels. Hence it is more cost effective to use polycrystalline solar panels.

Amorphous silicon cells are made by depositing a layer of silicon on a substrate. Amorphous silicon is just one of the product of thin-film technology. Other products include thin multicrystalline silicon, copper indium diselenide/cadmium sulphide cells, cadmium telluride/cadmium sulphide cells and gallium arsenide cells.

Among these 3 types of solar cells, thin-films produce the least amount of electricity per square foot. However they are light. Therefore they are used widely in portable applications.

In the process of manufacturing thin-film solar panels, very little silicon is wasted. This is in stark contrast to the manufacturing process of monocrystalline and polycrystalline solar cells where almost half the silicon is wasted as saw dust.

When choosing solar panels, it is important to know what type of technology is involved. More importantly, you must calculate the price you are paying per watt for the particular PV panel you chose.

A Typical Solar Power System

In a solar power system, one single solar panel is not sufficient to provide enough power for your house or office. An array of PV panels must be used in order to get the necessary amount of energy.

Other than the solar panel array, a control panel must be installed. It is used to regulate power from the panels. For an off-grid system, electricity must be stored in deep-cycle rechargeable batteries so you can use it later (usually at night). For an intertie (or grid-tied) system, this is not necessary.

Power coming from the batteries or your solar panels is in the form of direct current (DC). To run electrical appliances that use 110 VAC, you need an inverter. This device converts DC to AC power.

Even after all these are setup, you may want to consider having a backup source of power. This is important if you are not connected to the grid. One type of backup power you can consider is a diesel generator.

If you have a large solar power system, installing a solar tracker can help you recover some power that would otherwise be lost. What this device does is track the position of the sun and aligns the solar panels toward it. The increase in electricity supply can more than offset the cost of a solar tracker if your system is big enough.

You can also tap another source of renewable energy together with solar power. Wind turbines are commonly installed for residential use. The power generated by wind can charge your solar panel batteries. Instead of lining your roof with more PV panels, this is a good way to increase your electricity production.

Solar Panels Installation

Where your solar panels are sited is of utmost importance. The solar professional must help you determine the best location to install your solar panels. He must also inform you about the shading condition at the site he choose.

During installation, your solar panels will be tilted southwards. The angle of inclination depends on where you live. If solar panels are not installed properly, you may not get as much power as you expect. As a result, your solar panels may end up producing below its potential throughout its lifespan.

To improve the shade condition at the installation site, your contractor may advise you to crop some trees at your property.

When you work closely with a trusted solar professional, you can be certain he will be your best partner when it comes to providing renewable energy for your household.

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