The Basics of Building Cheap Solar Panels at Home

Are you one of those people who believe that building and installing your own solar panels would be an incredibly daunting task? Do you think that it would cost far too much money and take way too much time? Well, this article is here to tell you that you are wrong on both counts.

masonite drawing board

As far as this being a daunting task, the only thing you really need to be able to build is a shallow plywood box. If you can operate a drill and a screwdriver, then you have all the necessary skills to complete this project. Aside from building the box, the only technical application is to actually hook the solar panels up to your house. In truth, that part is nearly as easy as plugging in an appliance.

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When it comes to cost, you have probably already done quite a bit of searching and price comparisons. Commercially available solar panels are pretty outrageously priced and can run you anywhere from ,000 to ,000 a piece. Yet, if you go down to your local hardware store and purchase all of the items you need to make a panel, you'll only need to spend about 0. If you want to install solar panels on your home, that is a savings that you just cannot ignore.

The following supplies will be needed to build cheap solar panels:
36 3x6 Solar Cells Boards and lumber to build a shallow box Peg Board, cut to fit the shallow box plexi glass screws & misc. hardwar Silicone Caulk Wire Diode Jones Plug Paint Storeage BatteriesThat is about all there is to it! Most of these items are easy to come by at your local Home Depot or hardware store. Heck, many of these items are probably already on hand in your garage!

Building the box is the first step. It's as straight-forward as that. You'll want to make sure the box is in two sections, as you will wire two sub panels of solar cells together for this project.

The peg board will serve as the substrate for the actual solar cells, so ensure that you cut it to fit into the shallow box easily. Also, each panel will have a plexiglass front to protect it from the elements. One the box is built, you can begin on the solar cells.

The cells will be mounted on a piece of masonite peg board. Each half panel will contain 18 solar cells, all soldered together in a series, using a low-wattage soldering iron and copper wiring. This part requires a bit of a delicate touch, as the solar cells themselves are quite fragile.

Holes drilled through the top of each panel provide an exit for the wires connected to each panel. Each panel will need a blocking diode to prevent the panels from discharging the charge in your storage batteries. A polarized two-prong Jones Plug attached to the end of the wires completes the project!

The Basics of Building Cheap Solar Panels at Home

That is the basics of building cheap solar panels at home. They will pay for themselves in no time, and it's a great way to help out the environment! If you want some more detailed instruction, as well as some links to some valuable info, please check out my page at http://www.squidoo.com/Build-Cheap-Solar-Panels

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