Build your own solar panel - diy, homemade power?

Yes, you can build your own solar panel and even a wind generator too.

There are even some excellent ebooks that will show you how to do it with the help of diagrams and videos.

My brother and I were quite excited about generating our own solar and wind power but that crashed after our first quote!

After some online research we found a guide from earth4energy with advice not only on how to build your own homemade solar power but also how to make your own wind turbines.
 
Michael wrote the book and he shows you through clear videos and diagrams how to easily build your own solar energy for less than $200. We were quoted more than 100 times that amount for a home solar system!
 
You can visit homemade solar power at earth4energy .
 
We started with the solar panel first and were very happy with the ease of use of the guide and how easy it was to follow the instructions. We have now finished 2 solar panels and are almost finished our first homemade wind generator.

Something else that we discovered is that the United States Department of Energy has rebates and incentives for people who invest in or purchase renewable energy system like solar panels and wind turbines. DSIRE (Database of State Incentives for Renewable and Efficiency - dsireusa.org/) has a map directory where you can click through and visit the available programs for each state.


Michael also has some more advice on this.

All the best and good luck with the solar power for homes adventures.

Burt

We got a quote for a home solar power installation and it came to $24 750 !

Needless to say, that's as far as we got with our venture into renewable energy, so I really commend you for wanting to get this done yourself.

Good luck

Hello,

Thank you for your info!

http://www.woodpeckershareware.com/blogger/home-made-energy/
http://www.swanshareware.com/blogger/energy-2-green/
http://www.swanshareware.com/blogger/earth-4-energy/

If you mean a Solar PV system as opposed to making the cells and wiring and packaging them together yhen the answer is definitely yes.  If you could provide more information on what you would like to do then your answers would be more appropriate.

http://www.windsun.com/

They carry a line of books and give good advice over the phone as well.

However if you want to take advantage of the 30% investment tax credit for new grid tied solar PV and possible state dependent rebates then you need to jump through the appropriate hoops which means using a certified installer with certified components (or at least working with one who is a good friend).

If you are doing a stand alone off-grid system then pick good components and follow (or exceed) the electrical code.

One reliable, low cost supplier of Solar PV Panels and components that I have used for an off-grid system is Arizona Wind-sun.com which includes the panel at $2.77 / Watt below.  I paid $5 - 6 / Watt for my off grid panels 7 years ago.

http://store.solar-electric.com/ky205wasopaf.html

In a complete installed system the cost has historically been divided about equally between:
1) Cost of Solar PV Panels (now coming down rapidly)
2) Cost of the Inverter to generate clean, stable 120 V 60 Hz AC that would run your computer.
3) Cost of labor for installation and paperwork.

Another tradeoff is the amount of available area for solar panels.
If you are out in the country, then the $/Watt is very important while if you have a constrained rooftop area then Watts/square meter becomes an important factor.

Get a MPP (maximum power point) inverter / charger for your system such as from Outback.  This will get you about 30% more useful energy from your panel than if you operate at close to the maximum current.  There is goo information at

http://www.solar-electric.com/solar_inverters/inverters_for_solar_electric.htm

You would need to purchase PV panels by the pallet to pay less than $8/watt.

Folks, were you aware that to make solar power practical, you need a method to store said power for nighttime use?  Lead-acid batteries are a nightmare at a landfill.  Lithium batteries are worse yet.  Solar heated steam is a possibility, but the steam turbine is noisy, and storing confined steam raises safety issues.

Photovoltaic systems take twice the power to make as they will ever produce -- if you live in the desert!  Folks, we're talking the most poisonous and reactive metals on earth: gallium, phosphorus, and arsenic! 

About the only clean power sources are wind and hydroelectric, with nuclear coming in third cleanest.  In all of the history of the nuclear power industries, only two accidents of any concern ever happened.  Hydro power means building dams, flooding huge areas, and earthquakes, but it also gives us water in the dry season and offers flood control that saves millions of lives annually.

The real option is hydro power.  If you have a stream and enough land to back up a decent reservoir, talk to a civil engineer about building the dam and selling power.  It doesn't have to be another Grand Coulee, Hoover, or Three Gorges project.  A small earthen dam with a concrete face that goes down thirty feet will supply you and your neighbors indefinitely.

Just make sure that you get a COMPETENT civil engineer.

I would suggest you purchase new solar panels and new wind turbine in a box assemble the fans and mtg on a tower which you can purchase  at any hardware store. Green zone 678.982.7210

Take a look at this website- Just about everything these days is going to cost you an arm and a leg, plus a first born!

http://www.squidoo.com/make-solar-panel