Solar Power Electricity

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With solar panel construction, you basically have two options: you can buy a guide that will show you in great detail what you will need, as well as the exact steps you’ll need to take to build and install the panel, or, you can invest in an actual kit that will include not only the instructions but the parts as well. Both options will streamline the process for you and show you exactly what to do.

You have many choices of guides online, it’s a good idea to find one that comes complete with a lot of pictures or maybe even a DVD that you can watch that will walk you through the steps.

After you’ve got your instruction manual you’ll need to decide how many panels you want to install.  That decision will be based on a few factors such as how much room you have, how much electricity you want to generate and your budget. It’s quite inexpensive to build your own panels yet the savings can really add up. Still, inexpensive or not you may not have the extra money right now to build all the panels you’d need to supply all your electrical needs.

Few people will have the budget or the space for enough panels to allow them to cut all ties with their utility company.  Even so, you can save hundreds, maybe even thousands, on your utility bills and the cost of building the panels, if you do it yourself, is only a few hundred dollars. That’s a good trade off.

Most of the time people will install their panels on the roof. This is a good option since it usually allows for the most unobstructed sunlight.

If you want to harness the power of the sun to help you save some money on your utility costs, remember that solar panel construction is something pretty much anyone can do with the help of a quality kit or guide.  Just find a good guide to follow and you’re halfway there. The savings on your utility bills and the pride you feel from having done it yourself will repay the small cost of the project for years to come.

Way back in the 70′s solar panels started popping up on roofs around the country, since then it seems like the trend has died down, at least until the last several years. Today, more and more people are looking for ways to save money and lessen their impact on the planet. Solar energy for homeowners is making quite a come back and with homemade solar panels inexpensive to build, it’s no surprise.

Buying a pre-made solar panel could cost you thousands of dollars, but building your own can be done for just a few hundred. You do not need any special skills so pretty much anyone can do it. What you will need is a complete step by step guide that can clearly walk you through the process. There are several places you can buy this type of guide, both online and off.

You could also invest in a kit that will include all the parts that you will need. This is a great option since it will save you the time of running down to your local home improvement warehouse. It’s completely up to you. Either option can work extremely well for the novice.

Once you’ve decided that installing solar panels is the right choice for you, and you’ve gotten your manual or kit, it’s time to decide how many panels you are going to install. Remember, the more panels you have the more electricity you will generate (and the more money you’ll save). You’ll need to keep in mind where you want to put the panels. Most people put them on the roof and as long as your roof gets full sun then this is a great option. The amount of space you have as well as your budget will determine how many panels you’ll need.

While you probably won’t generate enough electricity to get off the grid, you’ll be able to save a lot on your utility bills. If you are in a position where you can generate a lot of electricity you can actually sell it back to the utility company and have them pay you for a change!

Making your own homemade solar panels can give you a great sense of satisfaction as well as some significant savings. That is enough reason right there.

We recommend Earth4Energy, the original product to help you make your own homemade solar panels.

Even if you’re not an engineer, or even particularly handy for that matter, you can still cut back on your utility bills dramatically by building your own electric solar panels. More and more homeowners are taking advantage in the advances in technology that have made it possible to provide some, or all, of their home’s electrical needs. We are all sick and tired of being gouged by the big utility companies, and instead of just getting mad, now you can get away.

A ready made solar panel will cost you thousands, or even tens of thousands, of dollars.  That is not only out of reach for most homeowners it also means that it would take a lifetime to recoup that initial investment, and what’s the point in that? People want to be able to save right now, not 30 years from now.

Another, and more reasonable, alternative is to build your own.  And while that may sound intimidating, it shouldn’t, virtually anyone can do it as long as you find a good manual or kit to walk you through the process.

The parts that you’d need to build a solar panel can be easily found at your local hardware stores and will only cost around $200 in most locations, though prices do vary.

You also want to consider how much electricity you’ll want to generate and then figure out how many panels you’ll need  to have to generate that much. A good guide should spell out the exact method you’ll need to figure this out.  Once you know how many panels you want the next step is to determine if you have enough room for them. Most homeowners will mount the panels right on their roof, just make sure that you have enough open space on your roof for the number of panels you want to build.

It’s also important to take the amount of available sunlight into consideration. Remember, that the sun changes position throughout the year so make sure that the spot you’ve chosen for your panels gets enough sun all year long, not just during the summer.

The most important thing, as odd as it may sound, is to have fun. It can be enormously satisfying to take control of your own energy needs and build your own electric solar panels.  You’ll feel a sense of pride every time you get that (much smaller) utility bill every month.

It does not come as a great surprise that to save on electricity costs, few things are as popular and effective as installing solar panels.  If you really want to make a huge saving, you’ll have to build and install them yourself. If you have to pay someone to do it for you it will cost you thousands of dollars, as opposed to installing them yourself. Before you head up on the roof there are a few things you have to keep in mind.

1. Determine how many solar panels you have room for and how many you will need to supply your electrical needs. In most cases you won’t have the room for all the panels you’ll need to supply all your electrical needs. Most people will have to settle with a few panels which will save them money but not free them completely from the clutches of the utility company.

2. Find out where the rafters are so you can have a solid place to attach the panels. To do this all you need to do is use a stud finder.

3. Use a laser line or string to mark out the exact positioning of the panels and all the rafters.  Measure to determine how much room you’ll need for the number of panels you’ll be installing.

4. Drill the holes and attach the bolts to the rafters where you will be attaching the solar panels.

5. Attach the rails for the solar panels to the mounts using 3/8 inch bolts.

6. Attach the panels to the rails.  Make sure each one is securely attached.  Hook up the conduit from the solar panels to the converter.  Make sure everything is attached securely so it doesn’t come loose in a heavy wind.

Don’t miss out on the opportunity to save money on your utility bills by taking full advantage of the energy of the sun. Installing solar panels is quite easy to do, all you need is some time, a few simple tools and a little bit of ingenuity.  That’s it and you can be on your way to huge savings before you know it.

Making your own homemade solar cells is actually pretty simple. Most people can do it with some readily available materials. Here is a quick rundown on the process:

1. Cut two 4″x3″ squares of copper flashing with tin snips or metal shears.  Wash the copper thoroughly to remove any dirt or oil deposits. Take some fine grained sandpaper and rub one piece of copper on both sides until it has a bright sheen.

2. Put that piece of copper aside and take the other piece and lay it across one of the electric burners of your stove.  Turn the burner to high and leave the copper piece on the burner until the top of the piece has a thick layer of material on it.  This layer is called cupric oxidization and it will take 30 to 60 minutes to form. Turn the burner off and let the piece of copper cool.

3. Wash the piece of copper gently under running water. This will remove a lot of the cupric oxide particles.  Don’t scrub or bend the copper since that can damage the bottom layer of cuprous oxide, which you want to stay intact.

4. Gently bend both pieces of copper so they fit inside a jar, touching the jar sides. You want to keep the pieces of copper from touching one another.  Keep the side with the cuprous oxide facing inwards.

5. Clip an alligator lead to the top of each piece of copper. Connect the lead to the negative terminal of the ammeter and then to the cuprous oxide copper piece. Connect the lead from the clean piece of copper to the positive terminal of the ammeter.

6. Add enough hot tap water to the jar so only one inch of the copper plates and the leads are above the water level.  Mix in 2 tablespoons of salt, stir thoroughly until the salt dissolves.  Don’t get the leads wet.

7. Put the jar in a window or anywhere you can a constant source of bright light. You can register the amount of light your cell receives by watching the readings on the ammeter. Place your hand between the jar and the light source and you can see what that does to the output.

This is a fun experiment to do but please don’t think that your homemade solar cells are going to power your TV.  You will need much more sophisticated cells to provide you with that kind of power.