How to Build a Solar Panel – Make your own DIY solar panel

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Deal Score+60

If you spend so much time scouring through websites and different networks looking for information available concerning how you can build your own solar power, sometimes you probably get lost and confused. There’s so much information out there, which are both helpful and not really helpful but  this article will surely give you enough information that hasn’t been covered in the many solar panel building instructions, this will guide you through your journey of building your own.

Solar panels have proved to be promising alternative sources of renewable energy for quite a long period of time gotten from the sun and are utilized for numerous purposes by humans. Among the uses include; cooking food, water heating as well as production of electricity. Solar panels crown rooftops and roadside signs and in keeping the spacecraft powered. There are already articles showing instructions on building solar panels on different websites with useful information, however, most of them do not clearly outline step by step building procedure and the  materials needed rather than base on “the cheapness” of the materials. This will absolutely give you all the details as follows:

Things to Know before installing solar panels

Here is a list of things to consider before setting up your DIY solar panels.

  • Find an angle that works best for both winter and summer
  • Be sure to check the regulations where you live before installing.
  • Buy gadgets that work with solar energy such as chargers for batteries, mobile chargers and others.
  • Place mirrors on the walls of your house in order to reflect more sunlight for more energy.
  • Find a safe way to store energy by getting a quality battery that saves energy for a long time.
  • Know how much energy your household consumes daily before switching to solar panel to achieve the correct alignment before installation.
  • Above all, do a thorough background check from the company of the materials you’ll be using and take your time to make the right decision.

Material that make up a solar panel

Here is the list of the main materials that make up solar cells for the solar panel.

  • Amorphous silicon which is a nonmetal with conductive properties that converts sunlight into electricity.
  • Cadmium telluride
  • Copper indium gallium selenide
  • Organic PV cells

Materials needed for homemade solar power system

You can check this out for all the things you’ll be needing when building your own solar panel at home.

  • Frame preferably made from aluminum
  • Recycled glass and an exterior glass silicon
  • Solar cells ( easily broken to be handled carefully )
  • Tubbing wire and bus wire
  • Diode
  • Sylgard 184
  • Terminal block
  • Standard wire preferably no 12
  • Silicon caulk and flux,
Steps on building your own Solar panels

Maybe a lot of you are thinking that making your own Solar Panel is exhausting and may consume so much time. But building your own DIY-solar panel at home is very simple if you are really willing to do it. The basic process for creating your own panel involves the following procedures.

  1. Creating a template and putting the frames together, this can be done by using regular plywood, cardboard same size as the solar cell, tile spacers to help keep the solar cells even and staple gun.
  2. Assembling the solar cells. Identify the positive and the negative sides of the solar cell then connect the cells in series by using a tubing wire/bus wire and soldering iron 
  3. Creating holes for the connections. You will need to screw the peg wood down inside the plywood. First place the solar cells inside the frame to be sure where you placing the screws then draw marks and remove the solar cells. Drill 2 holes at the ends of the frame for negative and positive connections to run out
  4. Gluing the solar cells down to the pegboard with silicon
  5. Soldering bus wire, since the first two strings are already completed, go ahead and soldier the bus wire on one of the ends to bond the two strings of the solar cells together, remember to always check the voltage/current. After hooking the three strings together, gauge the wires(black and red ) by soldering the wire down to the bus wire
  6. Visiting the electric side, here you will need an inverter, charger controller and deep cycle battery. First hook the panel connections to the solar side of the charge controller, from the charge controller hook up deep cycle battery then hook it to the inverter
  7. Adding even pressure on the plexiglass around all the edges to prevent from cracking the glass
  8. Installing the junction box. After finishing connecting pieces of plywood that will be supporting the solar panel when mounted on the roof. Install a junction box normally that has blocking diode that prevents current backflow. Check voltage and current as usual then mount on the roof.

Remember when installing a full-scale solar power system for your household, consult and work with an experienced solar installer, this saves both your time and money.

 Uses of solar panels

They have a wide range of uses from generating electricity which we can use in a variety of ways both for domestic and industrial use, water heating by the use of a hot water solar panel, battery charging mostly those fitted with a battery backup system, remote power supply, portable power supply, reducing carbon footprint and money making by selling any excess electricity produced. Installing solar panels plays a big role in helping the environment, it combats greenhouse gas emissions and reduces our over dependence on foreign oil and fossil fuel.  It’s also a source of renewable clean power that is available every day of the year even during cloudy days.

Homemade solar panels are becoming quite common in most households right now and the majority are embracing the use of it to save on money. It is quite possible to build your own solar panel at home as long as you are adventurous, skilled enough and ready to take the challenge. If you have read this article, then you are considering making your own solar power at home which is quite commendable, go ahead, step by step as instructed above  

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