The recession, which led millions of Americans to curtail their spending, brought a do-it-yourself mentality back to the fore – and even DIY solar installations are gaining in popularity. Before performing a solar installation sans professional assistance, though, it’s useful to consider the pros and cons of a DIY solar power project.

Solar Installation Video Tutorial

First, the pros. Doing any home-improvement project without hiring a professional can save buckets of money – whether it’s installing a new toilet, re-grouting a shower or painting a room – and the same goes for solar installations. This week, for example, technology website CNET profiled Massachusetts resident James Cormican, who installed his own solar array for just $10,000. That’s about a quarter of what a professional installation would cost.

Another reason to go DIY is that a person who does her own solar installation will understand the ins and outs of her work, so she’ll be capable of fixing or maintaining her array in the future. And a DIY project can provide a sense of accomplishment that would be missing if a professional contractor were hired.

There are downsides to doing a home-improvement project on one’s own, though. Generally – unless a homeowner happens to be a contractor himself – there’s a steep learning curve to most projects. That’s certainly true of solar installations, which require knowledge of electrical systems, experience with roofing and general contracting savvy. Even Cormican, the budget-conscious DIYer, had the help of an electrician in installing his array.

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Also worth keeping in mind is that professional contractors can be held liable in court if their work is subpar. If a homeowner does a shoddy job on his own solar installation, however, he’ll have no such recourse and will have to fix his array himself.

And there is, of course, the time factor. A solar installation is a major undertaking, and a homeowner with a full-time job simply may not have the time for a DIY solar project.

Before embarking on a DIY solar project, it’s smart to weigh both the pros and the cons of DIY. Going DIY on a solar installation can provide significant cost savings – but it may only be appropriate for people confident in their handiwork. For homeowners looking to go solar, DIY is certainly worth considering.

Establishing your diy solar panels is not a difficult task. Even if you do not have any experience doing such projects, there are many websites that will readily help you with providing you easy instruction guides. There are many people who are looking for second hand solar panels and this is getting quite lucrative and you can take the advantage of the situation to start your own home industry using solar power.

The main expenditure is the solar cells and you can also get these at lower rate when you will buy them in bulk. There are ‘broken’ solar cells that are available and they work with the same efficiency as the new ones.

The only drawback is that they do not look good and do not give fine finishing touch to your product. However, these are excellent in helping you keep the entire cost down of the solar powered panels.

You can easily find these solar cells in online stores or any shopping site as well. Once you make your diy solar panel it will be your next target to market your products, which is not an easy task.

You need to promote and project your achievement and show that you have successfully made one. Remember, there is huge demand and it will go on increasing people are trying to cut their costs wherever possible and also want to do anything that is environmental friendly.

The future of this industry is certainly bright and you have a profit of almost double and sometimes even more than that. The demand is increasing at a very fast rate and the suppliers are less in this field.

It is a good opportunity for anyone to start his diy solar panel industry and establish himself in this field of business. The energy costs have increased a lot during recent past and people are really trying to cut the costs in any way possible.

However, with little money and effort you can make your own diy solar panel and provide your household gadgets with sufficient power. Installing the solar powered panels is easy and safe and it will also enhance the value of your house.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/accessories-articles/increase-your-home-value-by-solar-power-2753615.html About the AuthorThe authoress is an experienced Content writer and publisher on the topics related to diy solar and solar panels.

by Timothy W. Scee II
Special to Newzjunky.com

Published June 5, 2010 —  On Feb 12, 2010, New York State launched the “Great Appliance Swap Out” to reward its residents with rebates for buying new, energy efficient appliances which some say result in both lower utility bills and a “greener”  environment.  

HARRISVILLE, N.Y. 

What if, however, there was no need to pay home utility bills in the first place? 

Jerry W. Tucker, Harrisville, said he and his wife, Carol E. Tucker, have “never paid a power bill”  since his retirement from the United States Air Force in 1998.  

“Why depend on a utility company when you can make your own power and its free,” Mr. Tucker said. 

Mr. Tucker bought $10,000 worth of raw materials needed to build and design a solar energy system from Backwoods Solar Electric Systems, Sandpoint, Idaho in 1998. 

“In three to five years, it paid for itself,” the former B-52 maintenance officer said. 

The solar panels connect to a power converter which changes the 24-volt DC power, made by solar energy, into 120 volt AC power for household use. 

On an average day, Mr. Tucker said his solar panels produce 4.8 kilowatts of energy, the equivalent of 600 watts per hour. He and his wife use about half of the daily energy output. 

“We make more power than we use,” he said. 

The only maintenance required for the solar panels, according to the Mr. Tucker, is the use of a roof rake in the winter months for scraping off snow and an annual cleaning. 

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Besides maintenance, Mr. Tucker said there seems to be no drawbacks to solar powered home energy.  

“I have seen no disadvantages to date,” Mr. Tucker said. “We have never ran out of power the 12 years we’ve lived here.” 

Mr. Tucker, who is certified with the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), now independently builds home solar energy systems in his spare time. 

“Seventy percent of what I do is camps and cottages,” he said. “I discuss the customer’s  power needs with them and over design it by 20 percent.” 

Mr. Tucker also noted he had done commercial solar work as a subcontractor for Acts II Construction, Gouverneur, to build two anti-collision lights for the Adirondack Regional Airport in Saranac Lake.  

With no electrical lines connected to the Tucker’s home, there are also no water, cable or telephone lines.  

Mr. Tucker said he and his wife use a wireless card to get internet access and a cellular tower to communicate with “the outside world” 

“Yes, we get Newzjunky out here,” he said.  

A 274- foot deep, spring fed well provides the Tucker family with “more than enough” water. 

“We have every luxury you have, we just don’t have to pay for it,” Mr. Tucker said. “I’m living my dream.”

Posted by Chris van der Zwaal in Solar energy

Because I think that the price of a solar panel is still pretty high(in Europe), and because the stimulation from our government (in the Netherlands) is not so good (very,very complicated and time consuming) I started the project of building my own solar panel. I would like to invite anyone who has some experience with this or is interested in it ,to give me any advice or remarks about it. The main challenge is to build a panel that can withstand heat, cold, rain and hail for many years.

Buying My First Solar Cells

In October 2008 I bought my first 100 cells via Ebay. But as I later learned, they were still very expensive: 300 Euros for 100 cells, including shipping. I was told they should produce 1,98 Watt each. Below a picture :

The First Solar Cells

After some experimenting and very long brainstorming about how to continue, I found another seller on Ebay who had the same cells (of which he gave the specification that they were 1,75 Wp each……) But these were slightly damaged.

Well I decided to buy 500 cells ,a mix of 3 different qualities. The seller had not counted these cells but there were 620 cells, of which after a first selection , just over 500 were reasonably good. Not a bad deal to start with. And a lot cheaper! Also now I had over 100 cells for practice on soldering and handling.

The 620 Cells.

Building the First Small Panel.

Well I got started. Beginning with the soldering-technique, that takes some practice, but after a while you get the hang of it. And now my first small experimental panel is ready! The main focus and moreover challenge is to get the cells 100% sealed: air and water tight. The cheapest solution for me is to make a double-glass construction. And the cells in between the 2 plates of glass. The panel is made of 12 cells, each 0.55 Volts. On the picture below you can see many purple coloured wires. Those wires are each connected in between each cell so afterwards I can still do some measurements to compare each separate cell.

My First Do-it-yourself Solar Panel

The First Measurements in the Sun

I must say that at first I was worried whether I would see the cells really produce the power they should. But after building a variable resistance (making it possible for me to roughly find the maximum power point) the sun at last was shining (not much sunshine here beginning of February) and I got my first real measurement : 15,5 Watt. According to the specifications the panel should give a maximum of 12 x 1,75 W = 21 Wp.

Given the fact that the glass takes away about 10% of the power,without the glass it would have been about 17 Watt. I expect that during summer as the sun rises much higher above the horizon, the measurement will give higher readings , thus coming closer to the specifications…. I am using normal 4 mm (0.16 inch) glass because it costs me nothing. If you just look around near places were they renovate old houses you can get the old glass for free…… This compared to the real stuff they use for solarpanels which is quite expensive and probably very difficult to find.

Influence of Heating the Panel in the Sun.

During the first measurements, I found that the heating up of the panel was pretty strong. But this especially was the case for the backside. were the cells are glued upon (using the same kit I used for glueing and sealing the panel). This panel is 12 mm (0.47 inch) thick : 2 plates of glass each 4 mm (0.16 inch) and 4 mm in between. What troubles me is the temperature-difference between the front and backplate of glass. This will result in different expansions creating stress on the sealing,if that is repeated too often it will start leaking. Now I am using the same kit as is being used in solar panel factories. But it still worries me. A solution can be to keep the panels small, so the difference in expansion stays minimal.

Improvements

A solution to the temperature-problem can also be to make the gap between the 2 plates of glass smaller. So the heat will be more evenly dissipated to both the front and backside ( thereby also creating more cooling capacity). My next panel (picture below) is the same size,the difference is the distance between the 2 plates of glass : it is now 1.5 mm (0.059 inch) …..and this also makes the sealing a lot easier and thereby better. I have used pieces of copper winding wire that I happened to have : 1.2 mm (0.047 inch) thick. I took several pieces of about 3 cm and spread them evenly along the side on the glass backplate. Then the kit along them all around the full edge. And finally pressed the front plate on it. The result is a gap between the plates somewhere between 1.2 mm and 1.5 mm. So on the inside, there is some trapped air (with, of course, a certain amount of humidity in it), which can potentially cause condensation. But my hope is that the amount of that is so small (only very small amount of air……) that it will not be a factor…… ( In the first panel I did put some stuff that can “eat” the condensation. I got this out of old double glass that I separated,the stuff is inside the aluminium strips between the double glass edges)

The Improved Panel

The kit will have to dry for a few days, but anyhow the weather forecast does not indicate any sunshine the coming days………

First Results

Bottom line is that if the output of each cell really hits 1,75 Wp then I can come to a price of Euro 1,20 per Wp (or even lower than that….) And with such a price the panel will not have to last for 20 years……..but off course that is my aim ! That will be the main challenge ! But I must say with this second panel my hopes are getting higher.

You can find more (and more up to date) information on my website

Well, who feels like building panels also ? Or give me some advice, or share experience. I do not mind getting negative critics because they might be correct………and they are there to be solved !

Next Phase

Update: 15 februari 2010:

The first systeem of 400Wp is now fully functional and produced it’s first electricity. The cost price is now around $1.68 per Wp and is expected to drop to $1.10. More information about the next phase in the project can be read in the article Built Solarpanel Installation Now Operational.