Archive for the ‘how to make solar panels’ tag

Is it Worth Making Solar Panels Yourself?   no comments

Posted at 4:20 pm in Energy Saving

With the cost of fully assembled solar panels now so high, is it possible to make them yourself without too much hassle? Yes, definitely, without a doubt. There is a ton of information available online to show you how to make solar panels. Probably your main difficulty will be finding the good advice amongst all the other stuff.


We have searched through all this information using our own expertise in solar panel construction, to give you all the basic advice and guidance needed to make a safe and efficient alternative energy system for your house. You should find this helpful.


The first thing is that you will not need any particular skills or technical knowledge, which is reassuring. All materials are also easy to obtain. It is quite possible to make your own solar panel for under 200 dollars and in a weekend. That’s a whole lot better than the several thousand dollars you will be quoted for a fully assembled system – even a single small panel will cost nearly a thousand dollars these days.


As always, it pays to plan things properly before starting to build anything. These points need to be considered in any plans to make a solar panel:


Location: Solar cells need sunlight, so the panels should face the sun at noon. Resist any urges to fit costly mobile systems that keep the panels facing the sun – it is much cheaper to make several fixed panels in slightly different positions if necessary. Ensure that your solar panels will not be shaded by trees or tall buildings at any time of the day.


Installation: You can install your solar panels practically anywhere that is convenient and suitable, such as the roof of your house or a shed. Since they are a little delicate, it might be a good idea to keep any solar panel out of reach of children and animals!


Materials and Tools: There are no special tools needed, simply some hand tools like screwdrivers, a drill, a saw and a soldering iron. If you have access to a workbench, electric drill and saw, that would make things much easier and quicker. Materials are limited to plywood, plexiglass, solder and flux, caulking and copper wire. The solar cells themselves can be bought cheaply on the internet.


Instructions: To build your own solar panel, you will need good quality step-by-step directions. These should include advice on calculating size and numbers of panels needed, mounting them securely, and essential electrical information such as use of inverters and connecting to your residential electric circuits.


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


Having researched the crowded market we have found a manual which we believe is the best available for showing how to make a solar panel, with clear assembly instructions, lots of diagrams and even a set of great videos.


It has full details about electrical wiring techniques and regulations, as well as how to feed any surplus electricity into your local utility company grid.


This is how to make solar panels the right way, right first time, the expert way.

Our aim is to provide in one place expert advice and guidance for making a number of solar and wind energy projects, such as solar panels, solar hot water heaters, solar swimming pool heaters, solar hot tubs, windmills, wind turbines and many other green energy devices, using easy step-by-step instruction manuals and good quality plans for the amateur and professional alike. From our experience we are able to investigate and select only those kits and systems that we know will work well and be simple to assemble. We only recommend products that, in our opinion, offer true value for money and are fully guaranteed.


Please go to our specialized website Practical-Solar.com to learn more. We hope you will find your visit interesting and stimulating.

Written by Philly Decorator on March 12th, 2010

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