How to Make Solar Panel at Home

by Timothy Seybold

Solar power is an excellent choice for the home because it's free, renewable and by todays standards, green or environmentally friendly. Literally hundreds of thousands of people across the globe have made their own solar panels and switched partially or in some cases entirely to solar power. Many people have enjoyed getting off the grid by way of this renewable energy and its partner, Wind Power. While the cost of setting up solar panels for an entire house can have a high price tag, from $5000 and upwards to the $25000 mark for the work to be contracted, there are pleasant alternatives.

More and more people are taking it upon themselves and building their own solar panels at home. Depending on the size, a fully functional solar panel can be built in just one weekend. The items you will need to complete this task can be found in some home workshops already or easy to pick up at your local hardware store. With the right set of instruction most anyone can easily build it. More on this later.

Once you have the panel(s) complete, there is some hardware you must have to operate the unit properly. They include the AC inverter, battery and charge controller. The AC inverter converts the batteries DC power into the house current we normally use, or AC. The battery is what stores the energy produced by the sun that is collected by the solar panel and the charge controller prevents the battery itself from overcharging.

You are now ready to run some of your appliances with your solar panel and new source of clean free energy. The size and number of solar panels you construct will determine the number of appliances you can run at one time in your home. However, even if you have only one solar panel unit to power a lamp, radio/TV or refrigerator, during a power outage you will have the electricity you need when you need it.

If you are looking to get off the Power Companies grid or just have emergency backup power, you can click on this link to get a detailed set of instructions or more information and learn more about building your own solar panel.

Author: Timothy Seybold, blogger and researcher.