Benefit of DIY Solar Panels

Everyone knows that alternative energy is the way to go if we are to move to a more efficient and clean energy grid. A big impediment to this smart grid, is the lack of distributed alternative energy sources. This is where you can get into the act by installing your own home solar power systems.

Even a small 45 watt system can power the majority of appliances and lighting in a room such as a den. With efficient solar cells and the proper wiring, you can have a solar power system up in less than a weekend.

The benefits of DIY solar panels extend far beyond your home because they allow us to slowly move off of foreign energy dependence. This in turn strengthens our national security because we are not so concerned with appeasing nations that don't like us very much. The environment will be positively impacted because we have these distributed energy sources in place that allow us to take less energy from dirty fossil fuel sources such as coal and natural gas.

The cost savings in making your own DIY solar panel are tremendous! People regularly save 66 to 75% over buying retail panels. If you have any carpentry chops at all, you can get a fully functional system up. People find it so addicting to build their own solar panels, that they end up making enough to power their entire household.

Whether you are looking to power a small tool shed, add power to your recreational vehicle, or power appliances on a boat or better yet power appliances in your home, this is a very cost efficient way to go about it. Trust me, it's not as hard as it seems. All you need is the right equipment, time, and determination. It's a fun project that you can do over a weekend. Get to it and just do it!

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Get Started With Solar Power

Home solar panels are becoming more and more affordable with more installers and manufacturers competing for residential customers. There are also a wealth of incentives available to homeowners depending on the state that you live in. Federal tax rebates and tax incentive have opened up home solar power systems to all audiences.

In order to get started with solar power you need to take the following steps:

1. Obtain a Free Consultation: Some solar installation companies will even guide you through the rebates procedure. Be sure to ask a lot of questions at this stage about equipment, service contracts, or additional financing. The installers will go over your electric bills and usage patterns to give you an accurate estimate. The initial estimate will show you how much you can save with solar and what the expected payback period will be.
2. Proposal: This is where the company will prepare a written request for proposal or (RFP) which includes the system size, services, location, and financial analysis. They will also identify government tax incentives and rebates.
3. System Design: An engineering team or individual will be assigned to your house to build a custom design depending on the your house's architecture and electrical needs.
4. Installation: Installation takes anywhere from a few days to a week depending on the size of your installation. They work with you to ensure that there are no disruptions in electricity to your home. The company will also look over zoning permits, inspections, and usually will have an electrician on staff to connect the system to the grid.
5. Maintenance: Ongoing maintenance can e in the form of quarterly checks or can be more routine for larger systems. Talk to them about this during the consultation. 

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Solar Panels - Harnessing Energy From The Sun

The sun gives energy to the plants, we eat the plants and receive the nourishment from the sun. Humans have always worked at developing methods for harnessing the available renewable energy including the sun's energy. It is said that Archimedes saved Syracuse by polishing shields to attract the sunlight and aiming them at the Roman army.

We have developed ideas for heating and cooling in harvesting the sun's energy. The most preferred way is to use solar panels. These are divided into two categories, passive solar or active solar depending on how these convert, capture and distribute light. This is the fastest growing energy source for the world today. With the most recent advances, the portable solar generator has been a boon to the many remote job sites and for anyone who needs dependable energy in a hurry.

Solar energy is the use of solar radiation, generating electricity from the sun. It is done either by solar photovoltaic (PV), solar thermal or concentrating solar power. The photovoltaic cell or solar cell uses the photoelectric field. This type allows the energy to be produced and consumed in the same place. Concentrating power is a larger scale for central power plants.

Recently, installing solar has moved into the residential areas. Using these help to save money as the investment is fairly low and the government will usually issue rebates to help defer the costs. The government is interested in your follow through on this because it will make such a difference in the quality of our air as it lowers the consumption of fossil fuels and the pollution of the older style power plants. This system will keep working even on cloudy days or when it's raining. The insolation value from area to area will vary but every location will benefit from the gathering of electricity by solar power. Home solar power systems do not have moving parts are durable and can last for many years to come.

How to store the energy is important to consider as the solar energy doesn't happen at nighttime. Medium to small portable generators can handle the electrical needs of your home and car. Many have a long battery life. A great idea is the SOL8 Solar Generator Briefcase with the stamina for laptops, GPS systems or any hand tool. What a great way to save some money with only an investment of about $140.

There is also a favorite called the Solar Stik which is a hybrid system that is popular in remote locations. There are many style and price ranges for these portable generators today. It is recommended that you assess your needs before you begin your shopping. Once you know exactly what you are looking for, you'll be able to snatch one up in a hurry as soon as you see a good deal.

The portable solar generator is attractive since it is maintenance free clean, safe, and pollution free. You are conserving the earth's resources while making this wise investment. Become more environmentally responsible and look into one for you and your home.

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Power Your Home With Home Solar Power Systems

Most households are very inefficient with their electrical usage. Spending some time first identifying where electricity is wasted and eliminating this waste is an absolutely necessity if you want to implement home solar power systems.

If you are considering running your home on solar and make solar your only source of power, you will need to make some major economies on power requirements to make such a system a practical option. If you are prepared to do this, home solar panels for your home may become a practical option for you. Providing electricity for a holiday home, however, is well within the capabilities of home solar power systems, so long as heating and cooking are catered for using gas or solid-fuels and the site is in a sunny position with little or no shade. In this scenario, a solar power system may be more cost effective than installing mains electricity if the house is ‘off-grid’ and is situated away from mains electricity.

If your requirements are more modest-providing light for a lock-up garage for instance – there are off-the-shelf packages available to allow you to do this for very reasonable amounts of money: around pounds 130-150 ($180-$220) will provide you with a lighting system for a shed or small garage, whilst pounds 200 ($300) will provide you with a system big enough for lighting a large stables or workshop.

This is far cheaper than installing mains electricity into a building, which can run to thousands of pounds even when a local supply is available just outside the door.

Low cost solar panels are also ideal for charging up batteries in caravans, recreational vehicles or on boats, ensuring that the batteries get a trickle charge between trips and keeping the batteries in tip-top condition whilst the caravan or boat is not in use.

Alternatively, you can choose to build your own solar panels from the comfort of home.

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Building DIY Solar Panels

Building solar panels may sound a little complicated, however, investing a little time and dedication can help you accomplish everything. That said those without and electrical background should expect to spend more time on the project that those who already know the basics.

Solar panels are groups of solar cells that are all connected together electrically. Each sell only makes about 1 watt of electricity at about.5V, but if you connect them together in series the volts add up. Usually this is done up to about 18 volts or 36 cells in series. With 18 volts you are able to reliably charge a 12V battery that can be used to power some DC loads (most house loads are AC).

Those were the very basics of how a panel is built. If you plan to use these to power you house loads you will either want look for as many 12v dc appliances and lights as possible or get the equipment necessary to convert the energy to AC. The details on connecting the DIY solar panels to a system are a bit out of the scope of this article.

First, you will want to acquire the solar cells this can be done sometimes from a local hardware store or radio shack. I prefer just to look online for them, and buy them in bulk. Expect to pay approximately 1-2 dollars per cell.

Using soldering strips solder the cells together in series. Be sure to check the polarity of the cells so that they are not "fighting" each other to develop the desired voltage.

When you have a sufficient number of cells powered in series, solder blocking diodes into place at the end (be sure to bias the diodes properly). The diodes are important because they prevent the solar cells from draining your batteries when the sun goes down. Once you have the string of cells and diodes in place you will want to cover the cells in clear plastic or glass and waterproof around the outsides!

This is the basic information on how to make a solar panel at home. The overall idea is fairly simple, but it does take some time to put it all together. That said its time well spent, a commercial solar system can cost well over 30K, a persistent "DIYer" could do it at less than 2K for everything! Getting the right equipment to hook up your to the battery and transform it into AC is what usually throws people off but that to can be overcome.

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