Go Green-Power Easy

Solar panels that capture the abundance of energy sent to us each and every day can be just the relief we need from the high cost of electricity. It almost seems like a crime to turn our backs on this wonderful gift of more free energy than we can possibly use. This is especially true today because it is possible to build your own solar panel with simple tools for less than $200. These homemade solar generators are capable of reducing household electricity costs by 50% or more.

How Do Solar Panels Work?

Photons, the energetic particles found in sunlight, strike the individual solar cells and bump electrons out of place. The electrons are, in effect, pushed out of the cell and into the wires that connect all the cells together. Ideally each cell will generate about .5 volts of electrical pressure. 80 solar cells wired together in one panel should generate about 100 watts of power.

The Secret Of Making Cheap Solar Panels

The secret to making an inexpensive solar panel is in scrounging for low cost or free solar cells. The lower the cost of this project the faster it will pay for itself. Using your own labor to assemble free solar cells into just one panel should pay back the original costs in just a few months. Buying a brand new pre-assembled and installed panel for over a $1000 might take 5 -10 times longer.

The Parts Of The Complete Solar Panel System

Plan A: This is the simplest system. The direct current DC electrical output from the solar panel goes to a bank of deep cycle batteries for storage. The batteries are then connected to an inverter that converts the DC Current to the kind of alternating current that most household appliances require. This is then wired to directly power a specific group of appliances completely separate from the house wiring.

Plan B: Takes the above system a step further by connecting to the electrical wiring in your house at the main fuse box. Legally, this step almost always has do be performed by a certified electrician.

Plan C: This system works completely off the grid for homes that have no electric power coming to their home at all. The key element here is to have back-up sources of power interconnected with the solar panels for supplying power on days that there is no sun. Windmill generators and gas powered generators often serve as additional sources of power.

The Advantages Of Solar Panel Systems

homemade solar panels

Besides providing almost free electricity, solar panel systems are quiet, non-polluting, low maintenance, safe and if properly weatherproofed could last up to 50 years. They can also be a life saver if you live too far from the electric grid to economically afford to extend the transmission lines to your location. If you tie into the electric grid, it is even possible to get paid by the power companies for any electricity generated over and above your personal needs.

The Need For A Good Plan

Despite the simplicity of a building your own solar panels, it is important to have a complete set of plans. Good plans should, at the bare minimum include the following:

1. Ideally these set of plans will originate from authors that have successfully built and used solar panels themselves.

2. The plans should give a brief background of simple electrical terms like watt, volt and amps.

3. A detailed explanation of the different types of solar cells and exactly where to find them.

4. Wiring diagrams for understanding how to wire the individual cells together.

5. How to build a protective case. 6. How to run this power into your house directly to certain appliances or to hook up to the current household wiring.

The simplicity of capturing the suns daily gift of free energy to reduce or even eliminate your electric bill is almost unbelievable. Equally amazing is the fact that we live in an age where low cost used solar cells are abundant. Is it time for you to take the energy crisis in your own hands? Take the easy first step and download your own plans for building solar panels.

The central part of a solar power system is the solar panel, the main function of a solar panel is the transformation of solar power into electricity. This process is very expensive and often portion of the expense can be saved if one learns how to build homemade solar panels for people interested in building their own solar power system. Learning to build a solar panel is extremely beneficial, it will reduce your electricity bill drastically and finally do away with it and it is environment friendly as well. If you are determined you can learn how to build your own solar panel and reap long term benefits.

Often you have good intentions and your enthusiasm level is at its peak but it all seems so confusing in the beginning, fret not, the market is full of DO-It-Yourself kits with extremely precise instructions that you can follow with ease and build your own solar panel and save you some money as well. All said and done it is much easier then you actually think. Below are the steps of how you can build a solar panel for your home, put your best foot forward.

1. You will need to have the following tools to get the job done, saw, drill, wire cutters, solder, wooden box to place your panel in, screwdriver and soldering iron. Silicone glue will be required to attach the solar cells to the panel container, the wooden box that is.

2. The solar cells can be secured from auctions through eBay, these cells are what the solar panel is made out of. You will need 36 cells per panel in order for your solar panel to provide 18 volts.

3. These cells need to be placed carefully in the wooden box.

4.Using the silicone glue fix the cells to the wooden box, the wood will expand and contract due to heat so put enough glue. Place the cells in accordance to your plan.

5.Wire the glued cells together, per-tabbed cells make the wiring together easier. The tabs can be soldered together. A diode needs to be connected which will allow power to flow in one direction.

6. This is the last step of how to build a solar panel, the cover needs to be attached and screwed over the box in a secure fashion. Take the solar panel into the direct sunlight to test it, a voltmeter needs to be attached to the panel needs to read 18 volts if not more.

homemade solar panels

There you are, experience the joy of building your own solar electric panel in a new way. It is as simple as that, what seems to be difficult only gets easier when one puts his heart, mind and hands to do it! What’s more the solar panel you just built requires very little where the maintenance is concerned so why not go ahead and build enough of them for your home to free you of the power grid!

Do you experience high home electricity bills? The amount of money we pay for electricity is second only to our home bank mortgage. Many home owners understanding this issue and are sourcing for ways to reduce their home power consumption.

One option to reduce your home energy cost is to use renewable energy source such as solar. The fastest way to start enjoying free energy from the sun is by purchasing a residential solar power system.

However, this kind of system can be quite expensive. A cheaper alternative is with a homemade solar system.

If you are planning to build your own home solar system via a Do It Yourself (DIY) approach, here are 4 key components to consider.

1) Photovoltaic cells – When you are making the solar panel, the solar cells will be the most expensive component. It will take up more than 60 percent of the total project cost. To save cost, you can source for used or slightly damaged solar cells on Ebay.

2) Charge controller – The main function of the charge controller is to take care of the battery. The power from the solar cells will go to the charge controller and then directed to the battery units.

The key function of the controller is to prevent the battery from being overcharged. Overcharging a battery can drastically reduce its lifespan. When a battery is fully charged, the extra power will be dumped onto a power load.

3) Battery bank – The battery will be used to store all the power generated from the solar cells. The kind of battery suitable for residential solar power system is the deep cycle type.

Do not use automotive battery. A homemade solar system will require a battery to reach very low Depth of Discharge (DOD). A car battery will destroy itself if it was to be used with a solar system.

4) Power inverter – Deep cycle battery can only stored Direct Current (DC). Since most of our home electrical appliances use Alternate Current (AC), you will need a device to change the DC to AC. That device is known as a power inverter.

To start using power generated from the sun, connect your electrical equipment to the power outlet from the inverter. When you have multiple equipment drawing power from the solar energy system, you will see a reduction in your home electricity bill.

The greatest thing about solar power is that it has an unlimited potential. Contrary to the popular belief learning how to make homemade solar panel isn’t technical, the truth is, you can solar power your complete home for a very small investment. You just need to know how to make your own renewable energy source and today I am going to tell you exactly how to go about making solar panel.

If you want to learn how to make homemade solar panel, you’ll first have to understand some basics on how exactly does a solar panel works. This way, the whole process will be pretty simple to handle.  Solar modules are the main components exposed directly to sunlight. Their main function is to change the sun’s energy into electrical energy that can be utilized by electrical equipments. To have them correctly installed, solar modules are to be mounted on a steel frame and placed on the roof top.Power generated by the solar modules is converted from Direct Current (DC) to Alternating Current (AC) through an inverter.

Generally, Alternating Current (AC) is the utilizable electrical power that we need to power the home appliances.Next, the electrical power transfers from the inverter to the electrical service panel. The electrical service panel is used for transmitting the electrical power to different parts of your house or office for use.The unutilized electrical power generated by the solar panels will then be brought into the grid via the utility electric meter. Thus, the meter will be made to spin backwards and this establishes a credit with the utility company in offsetting any future usage.

This method is known as Net Metering and is authorized by the State Level Electricity Policy.Learning how to make homemade solar panel isn’t really complex. You don’t need many skills beyond being able to handle wiring & basic tools with care and safety measures.The components needed for making solar panels include:

1.    Solar Cells

2.    Copper Wire

3.    Sheet Plywood

4.    Clear PVC Sheeting

5.    General Tools (Drills, screwdrivers, woodwork glue etc)

All these components can be bought pretty reasonably by you from the local hardware store. Photovoltaic cell is the only component that you might have to search online and it can be found easily on eBay.

Quality instructions that are easy to follow are very important to find when trying to learn how to make solar panel. This will make the building process less stressful and make you happier that you made the choice to do it yourself. Online is just one of the places you are able to find some of these manuals.

We have reviewed the best guides available to help you to learn to build your own solar panel. Go ahead and check them out NOW……learn how to make homemade solar panel and stop paying for utility bills…FOREVER!