Hello, welcome to these series of posts on how to build home made solar panels.

First you will need a few tools and a comfortable work space. You will be doing some wood work as well as electronic work so a nice comfortable workbench and chair are ideal.

Things you’ll need…

Cordless drill, soldering iron (small pen type), pliers, hammer, caulking gun and miscellaneous nuts and screws

This is a picture of the back of a solar cell, the building blocks of solar panels. Several of these small cells which are about the size of your hand go into the making of a solar panel. Mostly we use monocrystalline solar cells.

Back of solar panel

This picture shows you the component parts of a solar cell. They are small and very fragile until they are mounted.

Solar panel choices

Solar panels are probably the simplest form of renewable energy. There are no moving parts and there are installations in place with only minor maintenance for over 20 years.

How does thes sun make electricity?

Simply put, the cells inside of a solar panel convert the sun’s energy into electricity. Photo Voltaic cells are normally fabricated using special semiconductor materials that allow electrons, which are energized when the material is exposed to sunlight, to be freed from their atoms.

These cells are what you will have to obtain in order to build your own solar panels. Lots of people mistake solar cells for solar panels; just remember, that it takes many small solar cells to make one large solar panel, like putting together lego blocks or piling firewood in your backyard.

Once freed, the electrons can move through the material and carry an electric current. The current flows in one direction (like a battery), and thus the electricity generated is termed direct current (DC).

Just under the surface of a solar panel are small thin pieces of semiconductor material called cells. These cells, usually a series of cells aligned in rows, make up the panel.

The cells that make up the panel are made of silicon in most cases, and are treated with phosphorous or boron. As light strikes the cells it is captured by the semiconductor material. This is known as the photovoltaic effect.

In our next post more about the Photo Voltaic effect. Stay tuned.

In 1979, the developer of a condominium village in New Hampshire decided to bring an environmentally responsive alternative to the market. He designed the building to use solar energy. The solar panels were made of glass, offering a beautify view of the scenery. Buyers responded very well, leading the developer to design several more similar buildings.

Construction began in 2007 in Boulder Colorado on a project called Solar Row. The project consists of thirteen homes using only solar power. This will be the first solar home development project in the Boulder area. The design of each home has been carefully set up to allow the home to use and creates its own energy.

Some states are pushing for solar powered housing. California officials are proposing half of all new homes build run on solar energy in within ten years. They are pushing for solar homes to prevent further issues with energy crisis. Three years ago utility customers had difficulty paying their electric bills because of the high cost. Officials plan to give rebates to home builders who agree to install solar panels on new homes. They may offer incentives for installing panels on existing homes as well. Environmental groups are backing California’s proposal as they fill it will encourage other states to follow. It is believed that if many states decide to implement such programs, then the cost of setting up solar power will greatly decrease.

However, many environmental groups aren’t willing to wait around to see what California decides to do. They have taken solar power issues to the legislation. A solar incentive bill has been approved by the Senate. It is still pending with the Assembly Committee. If approved, it would require fifteen percent of new homes being built are complete with solar panels beginning in 2010. The goal would be for the rate to increase each year by ten percent until it reaches fifty five percent.

The building industry opposes the promotion of solar homes. They are against the legislative bill. However, many in the building industry agree that solar homes could lead to economic and atmospheric improvements. The many concern of the building industry is the additional cost to them to meet the solar powered home requirements. If Congress is willing to give them monetary incentives to help reduce these costs, the issue could likely be resolved. It is estimated on average that addition solar power equipment to a home will cost $17,000 to $20,000.

Solar energy is a clean and efficient form of energy. The demand for it is greater than the supply.

The cost of supplying electricity to remote locations is expensive and time consuming. Solar power is an excellent alternative. Portable solar power has been referred to as packaging sunlight. The concept is using an adapter to allow you to use solar power that has been accumulated during times when you do not have enough solar energy, which is mainly used at night.

Battery chargers with solar power are very popular. They simply plug into your cigarette lighter and charge your car in minutes.

On a larger scale you can purchase portable generators that will allow you to use energy produced by sunlight when sunlight is not available. These power sources are used by corporations, small businesses, and individuals. They are used to supply power to entire networks or simply to operate your DVD player. The type and size of generator you want to purchase will depend on your individual needs. Within the next three years, it is believed solar panels will be made that can supply power to cell phones as well. However, the cost of such phones is anticipated to be high because it is expensive to design that type of solar panel.

The internet offers information to compare portable solar power products and their uses. This information will be very useful in deciding what products will give you the best deal for your money. If you still have questions, a great resource is the Advanced Energy Group. It is a respected supplier of solar power and portable power systems throughout the United States. They offer quality products and consulting information about solar power options. They also have an excellent rating for their technical support to customers.

While some remain skeptical about the use of solar power, it really does make sense. The portable solar power devices available at reasonable costs make it even more efficient, safe, and worth while to do for the environment. As the solar power industry continues to grow, expect to see new and better portable devices available on the market.

The trend toward homes that are powered by alternative energy sources, ranging from wind turbines and solar collection cells to hydrogen fuel cells and biomass gases, is one that needs to continue into the 21st century and beyond.

We have great need of becoming more energy independent, and not having to rely on the supplying of fossil fuels from unstable nations who are often hostile to our countries and our interests. But even beyond this factor, we as individuals need to get “off the grid” and also stop having to be so reliant on government-lobbying giant oil corporations who, while they are not really involved in any covert conspiracy, nevertheless have a stranglehold on people when it comes to heating their homes (and if not through oil, then heat usually supplied by grid-driven electricity, another stranglehold).

As Remi Wilkinson, Senior Analyst with Carbon Free, puts it, inevitably, the growth of distributed generation will lead to the restructuring of the retail electricity market and the generation, transmission and distribution infrastructure.

The power providers may have to diversify their business to make up for revenues lost through household energy micro generation. She is referring to the conclusions by a group of UK analysts, herself included among them, who call themselves Carbon Free.

Carbon Free has been studying the ever-growing trend toward alternative energy-using homes in England and the West. This trend is being driven by ever-more government recommendation and sometimes backing of alternative energy research and development, the rising cost of oil and other fossil fuels, concern about environmental degradation, and desires to be energy independent.

Carbon Free concludes that, assuming traditional energy prices remain at their current level or rise, micro generation (meeting all of one’s home’s energy needs by installing alternative energy technology such as solar panels or wind turbines) will become to home energy supply what the Internet became to home communications and data gathering, and eventually this will have deep effects on the businesses of the existing energy supply companies.

Carbon Free’s analyzes also show that energy companies themselves have jumped in on the game and seek to leverage micro generation to their own advantage for opening up new markets for themselves.

Carbon Free cites the example of electricity companies (in the UK) reporting that they are seriously researching and developing ideas for new geothermal energy facilities, as these companies see geothermal energy production as a highly profitable wave of the future.

Another conclusion of Carbon Free is that solar energy hot water heating technology is an efficient technology for reducing home water heating costs in the long run, although it is initially quite expensive to install. However, solar power is not yet cost-effective for corporations, as they require too much in the way of specialized plumbing to implement solar energy hot water heating.

Lastly, Carbon Free tells us that installing wind turbines is an efficient way of reducing home electricity costs, while also being more independent.

You can download a FREE copy of the PDF “How To Build a Wind Generator” by Clicking Here