Build Your Own Solar Panel
To build your own solar panel, and use it to generate your own electricity, is easier than you might think, and much cheaper than buying commercially available solar panels. Just think about it – if you want to save money on power bills, you don’t want to start by spending hundreds or even thousands of dollars – you may never get a payback. Even if you’re doing this to be more environmentally friendly, how can you be sure that the panels you buy have been built in a carbon-neutral manner? It makes sense to build your own solar panels, so what’s involved?
Materials required to build your own solar panel
The most important components are the solar cells themselves. These are the small photovoltaic cells in which silicon molecules react to sunlight, and produce power. If you’re interested in the exact process, look it up on Wikipedia. If you shop around, you should be able to purchase the cells at a bulk rate, because you will need several hundred if you are making more than one solar panel.
The other components are just standard DIY materials – plywood for the base and backing, copper wire and solder to connect all the solar cells together, glass for the front cover, and a suitable material to build a frame for the whole structure, to make sure it’s weather-proof. Depending on your tastes, budget and skills, this could be wood or perhaps uPVC the same as used in windows.
Information required to build a solar panel
I can’t stress this enough – I wasted a lot of time on trial and error before I got a reasonable panel built, and then when I found a good guide, and read it, I realised I could have made a better panel more cheaply! Make sure you’ve got a good up-to-date guide before you start.
The basic process
- First of all, lay the solar cells out on the base board, at the optimum spacing. Refer to your guide for details. Mark the cells, and then drill holes in the board for the connecting wires.
- Affix the cells to the base board, and carefully wire them together according to the instructions. Place a backing board over the wiring to protect it.
- Construct the frame, mount the base board with the cells into the frame, and affix the glass securely.
You should now have a professional-looking, efficient solar panel! You now need to connect it to a suitable battery system, and feed the power into your home electricity supply. Again, this will be detailed in your instruction book.
If you’re serious about DIY Solar Power, then you need a comprehensive instruction manual. Find out how to install your own solar power system for less than $200 here, Build Your Own Solar Panel, where you will also find out how to install your own wind generator system!
Posted: December 21st, 2009 under Energy Saving.
Tags: building solar panels, solar panels