Sunday, February 12, 2012

The Best Way to Create Affordable Solar Panels for Your Home

By Tim McDonald


If you want to have great savings on your expensive electric bill, it's best that you build your very own solar panels for your home. Building solar panels is actually something you can do. All you really need is a reliable guide that will tell you everything you need. Then, you can enjoy the benefits of having solar panels that would really last for years at the comfort of your own home.

Building solar panels for your home is actually quite easy. With a guide that gives you everything that you need in building solar panels, you'll definitely not go wrong. With just $100, you can then build your very own solar panels and even install upgrades to get more power.

The first step in building your own solar panels is to gather all the materials that you need. You will need wood glue, any solid board and solar cells. Solar cells can be purchased from your local hardware store or you can also order online. Although wiring one solar cell to another only takes a few minutes, it is best to buy pre-tabbed or wired ones since they only cost a few bucks.

Solar cells are quite fragile and that is why they need to be mounted on a solid piece of board. The most common material used is plywood since it is very easy to work with. You can also use some thicker piece of wood for the frame. Anything that is at least a quarter inch thick will work perfectly. Other from wood, Plexiglas and pegboards can also be used.

Before making any cuts, it is best to measure the amount of surface that the solar cells need. Make sure to cut the wood a few inches larger than the space needed as this will serve as the frame and will be needed for last minute alterations. Cut the frame a couple of inches larger than what is intended and use the thicker piece of wood on the sides. The thick wood on the sides will serve as a frame that will keep the solar cells from getting wet.

Once you're down making the frame and the board, make sure to use wood glue or sealant on any holes. Find any holes and use a sealant to cover them. Your solar cells will definitely last for years.

Wiring the cells together is an intricate process that requires some patience. If you were unable to find any pre-tabbed cells, you can solder each cell together by using either uncoated copper wiring or coated copper wiring. Uncoated copper wiring is raw copper while the other is your regular wires protected by a rubber.

Once the cells are already wired together, mount them unto the base or plywood. Use wood glue or some kind of non-conductive adhesive. All you need to do is to connect those wires to the charge controller. Then, it will begin charging the batteries. Use an inverter to convert the power coming from the batteries into usual or standard home appliance voltages.

These are tips that you can consider when building solar panels for your home. As long as you have a guide that will help you build solar panels, you'll absolutely be able to build effective and working solar panels yourself. You'll surely get most of the savings on your electric bills.




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