Build Your Own Solar Panels

Welcome to Building Your Own Solar Panels.org, your online resource for solar panel information.

With the existing energy crisis, the importance of learning more about conserving power is steadily increasing. Not only is it affecting the environment, but also our pocketbooks. Our purpose is to provide you with the information to make an informed decision about creating clean energy with solar power that can be harnessed for your home use.

With new technologies now available, people can create home solar power systems that are affordable. There are a couple of options for building your own solar panels: the solar heating panels which heat your water and a solar electric panel.

The flat plate collector, which is used for solar heating panels, is exposed to the sun. One type of these collectors contain a liquid which heats up and then circulates in pipes through the water heater thus heating the water for your home.

Another variation of this uses vacuum-sealed pipes on a circular collector. This limits the amount of heat loss even during cold weather and allows for more exposure to the sun during the day. These are obviously simple systems and have a limited use.

For a more complete system, the PV (photovoltaic) panel or solar electric panels, is another type of solar panel which actually converts the solar energy into electricity. This allows you to not only heat your water but to provide power to your entire home. However, it’s not necessary to attempt to power your entire home at the beginning. For instance, you can start by building one panel that will generate 10-100 watts. This will provide enough electricity to power many of your small appliances.

If your goal is to reduce your electric bills and possibly “go off grid“, the electric solar panels are an excellent choice as it’s entirely possible for a motivated person to build their own solar panel.

The supplies are readily available as most can be purchased at your local hardware store. The photovoltaic cells can be purchased rather inexpensively on the internet, if they are not available locally. If you intend on storing energy, you will have to include deep cycle batteries for continuous charging. These vary in price starting at about $70.

However, remember, you don’t have to start with a total system. The house I grew up in had two solar panels with no storage. They were connected to a system of ducts which blew hot air to heat our home. While the solar system did not allow us to quit using our heater in the winter (I grew up in Montana), it considerably reduced our monthly bills. It was years later that my father added storage and more solar panels.

With the cost of electricity rising you may want to seriously consider installing solar panels. The cost of hiring someone is prohibitive but with an excellent DIY solar panels guide, you will be building your own solar panels in no time. Also, as your needs change, you can alter or add onto your DIY system.

A DIY solar panels guide can give you step-by-step instructions for solar panels under $200. However there is a Federal Tax credit of 30% for installing solar energy in your home so you may be able to afford a larger system than you anticipated.

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