Posts Tagged: Electrical Equipment

Don’t be too quick to start to build a solar panel, because before you start; there are a few pitfalls that you need to be aware of. 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. Decide how big your dream is. Do want to start a solar farm, building 2000 watt panels and feed electricity back to the national grid or do you want to build 500 watt panels for running specific appliances in your home or do just want a small one; to build a solar panel for re-charging your digital camera batteries?

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. Most of us, who build our own solar panels to generate electricity for our homes, do it so that we can drastically reduce the expense of actually fitting solar panels as they can be prohibitively expensive.

Now you know how large you solar panel is going to be, we now have to find a ready source of solar cells. Now you don’t want to pay a lot of money for them. The first port of call for me is eBay, sometimes you can get lucky and find someone who is selling a pile of solar cells at a very good price. So what if you can’t find what you need on ebay and other auction sites, what do you do next?

The best option is to contact companies in your local area who use solar panels to power remote pieces of electrical equipment. Contact these companies and make yourself known to them, tell them what you want to do so at a later date should they have any broken cells they want to dispose of, they will contact you. One of the major users of solar cells are the road and traffic signs, often you see them on the side of the road, and often they will have the company’s contact details on them. 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. These damaged panels will still work fine, and if you know how to build a solar panel, it doesn’t take much to repair them in most cases.

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. It will be chaos and you will have a disorganized mess. Stick a picture on the wall and go and build it.

Different Types of Solar Panels

• Polycrystalline Solar Panels - Cast Polysilicon
• Thin Film Solar Panels - copper indium diselenide
• Satellite Grade Solar Cells

Before you actually begin to build a solar panel, bear in mind that there are a few potential problems to keep an eye on. 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. Decide how big your dream is. Do want to start a solar farm, building 2000 watt panels and feed electricity back to the national grid or do you want to build 500 watt panels for running specific appliances in your home or do just want a small one; to build a solar panel for re-charging your digital camera batteries?

The only difference between making 500 watt solar panel and 100W solar panel is the quantity of solar cells you require and the time you have available to spend on the project. 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.

So once you have decided what size of solar panel you are going to build, the next step is to determine where you can get a cheap supply of solar cells. The first port of call for me is eBay, sometimes you can get lucky and find someone who is selling a pile of solar cells at a very good price. So what if you can’t find what you need on ebay and other auction sites, what do you do next?

The best option is to contact companies in your local area who use solar panels to power remote pieces of electrical equipment. You want to develop a relationship with these companies so that they call you when they have any damaged cells they want to get rid of. A big user of solar cells are the companies who repair roads or make street signs for roads. Traffic signs often get broken by manhandling or cars driving into them.

If the solar panel is damaged they will throw the old panel away replace it with a new one. 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.

My passing shot is to remind you what I said a short while ago, know precisely what it is you want to end up with, how big and where you are going to put it. From my experience, if you don’t have this, you build an odd panel for this and an odd panel for that. You will make life very hard for yourself and will probably be disappointed. 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

• Monocrystalline Solar Panels
• Thin Film Solar Panels - cadmium telluride
• Satellite Grade Solar Cells

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!