Is it really possible for an average Joe to build his own solar panels?
Posted by admin on Mar-3-2010
Has anyone out there actually done this? The guide says anyone can figure it out and its only a few hundred dollars per panels, but it seems like if it were that easy everyone would be doing it.
Whats the truth?
Brilliant deduction! Yes, if it were that easy, we would see at least a few people doing it. I don’t personally know a single person who has homemade panels on their house, although I would say I do know a good number that have commercially-made panels. Including our family.
Posted in: build solar panels
i would invest in a book usually $10 , you will have to solder each cell together to create a panel, this type of soldering is easy to learn, and you ll be doing a lot of it, You will have to know the output of each individual cell to create 12 V. DC from there you will have to have a regulator to Control the charge, You will probley use a battery bank so you will need an inverter to change to 110 V VC household current, Solar energy is not cost effective , but if your concern is environmental go for it, to power your whole house using a system to put the power into the grid and make your meter run backwards will cost upward of $20000 to power your house, take your average power bill per year divide cost of solar system to find payback, it wont be there, the life of a solar panel is approx. 20 years, and if you live in the north you will never see a gain, however I live in Illinois and I buy a 45W panel every month, around $150 and tie them in, however you have to start out with a large regulator to allow for expansion.anyhow it is not economically feasible, but environmental friendly
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30 years grean
Brilliant deduction! Yes, if it were that easy, we would see at least a few people doing it. I don’t personally know a single person who has homemade panels on their house, although I would say I do know a good number that have commercially-made panels. Including our family.
References :
Honestly, I don’t think people want to put that much "energy" into making something themselves in most cases. But yes, it’s very possible. One publication that should give you some insight is Mother Earth News. They have been alternative energy and living green well before it became popular.
It does take a reasonable set of skills and that is daunting for a lot of people. You not only have to be able to build but wire and maintain the system which requires some electrical knowledge also.
And there are printed film solar panels coming out that are much less expensive. Actually, Mother Earth News had an article on them in this months issue. I had seen a segment on these on the Science Channel and have been looking for more information. Being so much lighter and cheaper solves some issues for a lot of installations.
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