subject: Homemade Solar Panels -- Can We Really Build Them? [print this page] Recently, building homemade solar panels has become the talk of the do-it-yourself community. Many DIY hobbyists have constructed their own photovoltaic panels to generate electricity for their garden lights and automatic gate openers. More confident (and experienced) hobbyists build grid-tied solar power generators that supply the majority of their household energy consumption.
The promise of cheaper and greener energy lures many folks -- amateurs and experts alike -- to roll up their sleeves and build their own solar power generator.
In many people's mind, homemade photovoltaic panels are often perceived as cheap, fragile or makeshift. This is understandable. Without big brand names behind our handicraft, do-it-yourself solar panels are often misunderstood as temporary setups that may break before the week is over.
What people fail to notice is that photovoltaic cells found inside our solar panels are actually reliable units of solar generators manufactured by corporations that adopt world-class production processes.
A DIY hobbyist only puts various components together to make a system that generates sufficient solar-generated energy to run electrical appliances. The reliability of the system lies largely on the photovoltaic cells.
Although it requires a little knowledge on how to use simple tools and constructing simple electrical circuits, building a homemade solar panel is really one of the simplest DIY projects around.
To build a DIY solar panel, the hobbyist builds a shallow, wooden box that provides structural support to house all the necessary components. Then a masonite or acrylic substrate is prepared to attach the solar cells on before they are all placed at the base of the shallow box. After that, he prepares a piece of glass or plexiglass to cover up the box. This protects the components from outdoor elements such as precipitation and snow. If necessary, an inverter is used to convert direct current into alternating current so household appliances can use the electricity.
Those of us who aspire to build a simple homemade solar panel can do so within a weekend even if we have no prior experience making one. This is provided we have basic DIY skills to fabricate simple parts as described above to house the components.
There are, however, a few pitfalls that can cause our homemade solar panel project to come to a screeching halt. Hence it is important to seek advice and supervision from another hobbyist who has more experience. Alternatively, you can also get a reliable guide to show you the steps and pitfalls to building homemade solar panels.
