Is A DIY Solar Panel Really Possible?
Having solar panels can be a great way of saving money on your utility charges. If this is something that interests you (and you'd be pretty weird if it didn't) then solar panels might be a subject that you've already looked into. Solar panels have the dual benefit of being great money savers and a good way of reducing your carbon footprint. Any responsible person wants to do this and what could be more satisfying than knowing that you're doing your bit for the planet whilst saving money too?
You may have investigated on the internet or perhaps contacted a local supplier and found that commercial solar panels can cost upwards of $4000 for a single house. Now, I don't care how much of a green energy enthusiast you are, four grand is a lot of money to spend on a piece of kit that might take upto 20 years to recoup its cost. Of course, the earth will benefit from the day you install it but if we're honest, many of us would find that sort of expenditure beyond us. But, of course, it only has such a low ROI because it is so expensive in the first place.
However, if th caost of a solar panel was two hundred instead of four thousand dollars, that would put a very different complexion on it. How do we go about getting a fully working solar panel for such a low, low cost? It sure is! There are people out there who have dedicated their lives to finding low-cost solutions to our energy problems and now details of everything they have learned, designed, built and tested is now available to the rest of us.
To be realistic, for most householders, the only way they are going to get a solar panel is to build it themselves. So can you really make a solar panel for yourself? Well, if you are competent do it yourself-er, can follow simple instructions and can use a bit of imagination and initiative when it comes to sourcing components, then you could have your first DIY solar panel up and running in a few days. There are of course two types of solar panel. I referred to these above.
A. Type one is the flat plate solar collector which comprises a network of aluminum or copper pipes encased within a glass-fronted box. Water passing through the copper pipes is warmed by the energy from the sun. If the sun is strong then a system of this sort can heat water to well over 140 degrees F. And the beauty of these systems is that they even absorb indirect solar radiation on cloudy days, so they are very effective. If you want to construct a solar panel like this you need to have the ability to make a glass fronted wooded case and fit a netwrok of bent copper pies inside it. Nothing too taxing. There?s not much more to it than that.
B) The photovoltaic array. These are arrays of plastic or glass panels coated with a semiconducting material. The semiconductor material varies, and new types are becoming available all the time. If you are doing it yourself then you need to obtain second-hand or B-grade solar cells and making them into a useable solar panel. It is really quite simple and it can be exremely cost-effective too.
So you can see, if you have basic DIY skills, there?s no reason why you shouldn?t be able to build your own solar panel. And if you do, then both your wallet and the planet will thank you for it.
About the Author
Learn the secrets of building a solar panel for a few dollars and get free design instructions for a flat plate collector panel at http://www.diyalternativeenergy.org
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