Posts Tagged: Ebay

Before you actually begin to build a solar panel, bear in mind that there are a few potential problems to keep an eye on. Building a solar panel is a relatively easy process if you have good instructions to follow, know where to get the individual products from and have the right equipment.

That is not the first step though. The first step is to decide how many solar panels you are going to build and what you are going to do with the electricity they generate. Do you just want to build a solar panel - 100 watt to recharge your camera batteries or do you want to build a 1000 watt solar panel to power some of the appliances in your home or do want to build an 8000 watt array to power all your home electrical products and feed electricity back to the grid.

Obviously, the main difference between building a 100 watt panel and a 1000 watt panel is the number of solar cells you need and the time to build it. The main reason for many people wanting to make their own solar electricity is that they can save on the cost of having to actually by them because they are very expensive.

Having decided the size of panel or panels you are going to produce, the next part of the process and the critical part is to establish where you can acquire low cost if not free solar cells. EBay is always a good place to start when wanting to buy anything on the cheap, the only downside is that you can’t always get the exact thing you are after. The only problem with this is that if you can’t find the specific size and quantity of solar cells, what do you do then?

One very good option for you is to research businesses near to where you live and find the ones which use solar cells in the electrical products they use on a day to day basis. Find these organizations, contact them and start building rapport. Explain your project goals and the tight budget you are working to, so when they do get damaged solar cells, they will contact you to take them away. A big user of solar cells are the companies who repair roads or make street signs for roads. Repairs are frequently carried on damaged signs.

They don’t fix the solar panel if it is broken or chipped, they will fit a new one and chuck the old one in the skip. If you have a good training manual which shows you how to build a solar panel, it won’t take much for you to repair a damaged one.

Finding a cheap supply of solar cells is the only major problem you need to solve if you are looking to build a solar panel on a shoestring, so start searching for those local businesses today.

Remeber what I said earlier, know what outcome you want to end up with, have a clear picture even sketch it out on a piece of paper. From my experience, if you don’t have this, you build an odd panel for this and an odd panel for that. It will be chaos and you will have a disorganized mess. At the beginning and end of each break ask yourself “is this panel going to turn out how I initially intended?

Different Types of Solar Panels

• Thin Film Solar Panels - cadmium telluride
• Satellite Grade Solar Cells
• Polycrystalline Solar Panels - String Ribbon Silicon

Make Solar Panels And Harness Free Electricity

More and more, folks around the world want to use alternative ways to create green energy. When you consider the growing costs of fossil fuels, going green is quickly becoming a realistic option. The Do-It-Yourself energy movement has become one of the fastest and best ways to save money and help the environment. The most commonly used solar technologies for homes and businesses are solar water heating, passive solar design for space heating and cooling, and photovoltaic solar panels for electricity. Making solar panels can be easy, cost effective, and fun.

Here are some interesting projects to consider for using solar energy:

• a wilderness cabin retreat
• a garden fountain
• your yard lights
• security lights

There are many ways to make homemade solar panels, none of which is very hard. Depending on the type of supplies you use, your solar panel might very well cost about 200 dollars. You have a choice of many types of supplies when you make homemade solar panels. Your first major cost will be to buy the solar cells. A recent Ebay search showed tabbed solar cells for about $1.80 each and untabbed solar cells for about $1.10 each. Plywood might be your cheapest material to purchase, and you may even have some lying around the garage already. However, rather than plywood, I would recommend using a sheet of white or black plexiglass. It’s lighter, nicer looking, and will last longer. You can probably find the size you need at your local hardware store or it can be bought online.

Once you have the back of your solar frame, you’ll want to put a frame around the edge. You can use either aluminum C frame material or wood. Aluminum is more expensive, but it will last a good deal longer and weather the elements better. Your final piece of the puzzle is the cover. Some people use a sheet of glass. I would not recommend using glass, simply because it’s so fragile. Clear, UV-protected plexiglass is the best option. Make sure, however, that it is UV-protected or it will turn yellow and reduce your panel’s effectiveness. As you start your project, plan out each step and put your plan into writing. You can easily make homemade solar panels with the right guide book. The right manual will help steer you in the best direction to make good decisions. Start small and work big. Be realistic in your goals. Your first panel may not be finest car at the show, but you’ll get better.

Take the time to plan out your solar panel project. Budget your project and balance cost with longevity. Just because you have an old scrap of plywood lying against the back fence does not mean that you have to use it just to save a few dollars. You may opt for untabbed solar cells to offset the cost of a plexiglass frame over a wood frame. Finally, keep in mind that you will be working with electricity, so have fun, but always be safe.

When you build a solar panel, there are a number of things that need to be taken into consideration before you actually start. Start your project on the right foot. Get all the components together before you start; get a tool box with all the right tools and a manual which gives step by step instructions.

But before even those basic steps, it is more important to have a clear picture of what your solar panel is going to end up looking like and where you are going to use it. There are many things you can do when you build a solar panel, you can build a small one for charging up re-chargeable batteries, or you can build larger 200, 300 or 400 watt panels to run home appliances and store excess electricity in a battery bank, or you can build 1000 watt panels and start a little business feeding electricity back to the grid.

Obviously, the main difference between building a 100 watt panel and a 1000 watt panel is the number of solar cells you need and the time to build it. The main reason for many people wanting to make their own solar electricity is that they can save on the cost of having to actually by them because they are very expensive.

Having decided the size of panel or panels you are going to produce, the next part of the process and the critical part is to establish where you can acquire low cost if not free solar cells. Auction sites can be a good place to find low cost solar cells and other stuff, you have to do your due diligence and check out the seller thoroughly, making sure you don’t get ripped off. So what if you can’t find what you need on ebay and other auction sites, what do you do next?

A cheap or even a free source of solar cells is from local businesses who either manufacture products or utilize solar cells on a day to day basis. Find these organizations, contact them and start building rapport. Explain your project goals and the tight budget you are working to, so when they do get damaged solar cells, they will contact you to take them away. The best source of these solar cells are the businesses who put out traffic signs, for example, when repairs are being carried out to roads. The Companies name and telephone number can often be found attached to it somewhere. Traffic signs often get broken by manhandling or cars driving into them.

They don’t fix the solar panel if it is broken or chipped, they will fit a new one and chuck the old one in the skip. If you have a good training manual which shows you how to build a solar panel, it won’t take much for you to repair a damaged one.

This is the biggest pitfall you have to overcome, so go and find some local companies who are throwing away their solar cells and recycling them.

A final word, if there is one thing I want to drive home to you, is the fact you need to have a very good picture in your mind’s eye of what it is you want to achieve. Having worked on many projects, you can learn from my experience, if you don’t do it you will have a panel fit for nothing. You will make life very hard for yourself and will probably be disappointed. Know what you want and go and build it.

Different Types of Solar Panels

• Thin Film Solar Panels - copper indium diselenide
• Polycrystalline Solar Panels - String Ribbon Silicon
• Thin Film Solar Panels - cadmium telluride

Considering introducing solar power into your home? If you are, then here is everything you need to know about how much it might cost and how much work it will take.

Start by deciding how much of your house do you actually want to be run on solar power. You could use solar power to heat your water tank. You could go to the furthest extreme and go completely off-grid thus ensuring the whole house is running on solar power. It’s up to you, but you must discover what your home’s monthly average electric usage actually is.

To work out the average energy usage of your home, simply dig out your monthly electricity bills for the last two years. Get the calculator out. Be aware of the year’s peak times, like Christmas when you would normally go through a lot more power than normal. This way, we can set up your home’s solar power system so it definitely can cope with all of your home’s energy demands.

Now, so you can sleep easy at nights, multiply that amount by at least 1.5. If any extra electrical equipment is brought into your house you remain fully covered. So, by the end of this task you will know how much solar power you need. You will also be able to tell how many solar panels you need and what size they must be.

These days, your best bet is to buy solar panels online. Go to Ebay and enter the words “solar panel pallet” exactly as is. Sit back and be prepared to be amazed by the incredible bargains you will find there. If you think they seem expensive, please don’t forget that these prices are a one time cost and solar panels tend to have a lifetime of at least 25 years.

Without exception, always employ a skilled, experienced tradesman to install your solar power. You will find plenty online or in your telephone directory. Don’t stop until you have three quotations for the job, but don’t necessarily make your decision based only on the price. Cost is important, but you can gain extra reassurance of a job well done from an established tradesman when installing solar power for homes.

You will also have to shop around for a good quality inverter. Solar panels give out direct (DC) current when harnessing the sun’s energy. The inverter will convert this DC current into alternating (AC) current from which we can all enjoy running all our electrical toys and gizmos.

Costing about $2,000 plus maybe $500 for installation, inverters tend to last about 10 years. replacement solar panels.

For those who want to go completely off-grid, it is essential that you use good quality batteries to store the excess solar power you pull down on sunny days. This reserve of energy can then be used to run your electrical equipment at night-time. The deep-cycle batteries you will need tend to cost $50 to $100. I suggest you buy 10 of them. Expect to have to get new ones every 3-5 years.

Be sure to enquire if you can get any support from local government for the price of installing solar power for homes. Most local authorities offer tax credits. Ask your local electricity company as well. They might have some good incentives or special deals. Do this right and you could cut the total price by half or more.

Although you absolutely have to get a qualified electrician, it’s reassuring to know that installing solar power for homes doesn’t have to involve a lot of electrical work. Generally. However, this is not often an extensive job. I repeat though, be sure to use a qualified, experienced electrician.

Solar power is a long-term investment. When estimating the value of installing solar power, the question is, “What is the payback time?” After you have paid everything off, you have can kick back and relax knowing that you now have a house that will be enjoying free electricity for many years to come!

Assembling the items you need to build your solar energy generator is one of the first things you do when starting a project, after you have read the do-it-yourself guide. So you start putting your shopping list together and find out that solar cells can be costly if you buy them new – no worries, with the right information you can find used solar cells. So keep reading and learn where to find those used solar cells that won’t cause pain in your wallet.

EBay – home to just about anything you could possibly find and that includes homemade power items, so it is the first place you should check. You can use other online auctions, but EBay is the most widely used and as so will most likely have more solar cells than you need. Note that you don’t purchase them individually, they are usually sold in groups (or lots).

Before you bid on the solar cells, read the details provided. Don’t bid a “new” price on a “used” item; also, if the solar cells are transparent you can expect to pay more. If you are bidding on a lot that says cracked or chipped used solar cells - don’t overpay and don’t despair, you can repair the chips and cracks. Email the auctioneer if you have any doubts about what you are bidding on.

A quick word on cracked or chipped solar cells; you should be able to get a very good deal on a lot of them. You will have to take the time to fix them but in the end the savings are worth it. Just make sure you know what you are paying for, the devil’s in the details as they say.

After browsing the online auctions, find out who installs solar energy in your town. Go visit them and ask them what they do with panels that are removed during upgrades or repairs. Most of the time they toss them out, their trash is your treasure. Offer to take them off their hands. You can salvage the used solar cells out of the old panels or luck up and be getting some panels you can repair.

The installer might not have any at the time you call or visit, but leave your name and number and ask them to call you. Check back on occasion so they don’t forget you.

Finding your used solar cells should be paying off at this point. But keep going there’s another place to investigate. Your local county highway department’s maintenance department.

Go in person, you’ll get much more accomplished. Ask what they do with damaged road warning signs, the ones that are solar powered. Ask if you can have them to recycle the parts. Once again, you are going to salvage the solar cells from the damaged equipment. Check with them often if they don’t have any at the time.

Lastly, research retailers of solar cells and get some contact information. Explain that you are looking for damage or used solar cells. Offer to buy any that they have had to take back due to cracks or bad packing causing damage. They will probably be happy to give them to you for nothing more than shipping costs.

It might take a little research and looking around to find used solar cells, but it is doable. And what can be more rewarding than making your own solar energy generator with solar cells you paid next to nothing for?

I have actually built my very first solar power system using the excellent Earth 4 Energy renewable energy guides and videos. I recommend you checkout this independent Earth4Energy review for further details.

Further resources on Solar Power Systems can be found here: Solar Power Systems.