I've never been a person that you could label as green or earth conscious. Over the years though I've discovered that becoming green may not be a choice but a necessity. With rising electrical costs and limited resources, I decided to do some research about clean energy alternatives. I hope to purchase a home shortly and I want to see what clean energy choices are available. Given the state of the economy, do-it-yourself alternatives are the most appealing to me. This page has been constructed to share what I've learned about solar panels and their use. I'll continue to update the site as I gather more information.

Solar panels are basically a collection of photovoltaic (photo = light, voltaic = electricity) cells. These cells are able to capture renewable energy from the sun. These photovoltaic (PV) cells are made of semiconductors like silicon. When sunlight hits these semiconductors, a certain amount of energy is stored in the cell. Electrons are let loose by the energy and are allowed to flow freely. PV cells have a few electric fields which can force the flow of electrons in a certain direction. Metal contacts on the top and bottom of these cells and draw the current (flowing electrons) to be used elsewhere. The current and the built-in electric field (voltage) adds up to the wattage of that particular cell.

Many of you may have seen solar panels on calculators or emergency roadside call boxes. This is a picture of a solar panel used in a home to harness energy.

There are a growing number of people who are building solar panels themselves. I've done some research on the cost of having them installed professionally and many estimates were over $25,000! The cost of do-it-yourself installation is a very small fraction of that from what I've found. Some can be constructed for just a few hundred dollars.

I've visited some forums on the topic of solar use. It seems that those who attempt to go it alone are facing problems. I think guidance is necessary. Constructing them doesn't appear difficult but I think a blueprint is necessary. This is one resource that I've found that seems straightforward.

Why pay a huge amount like $1000's for utilization of solar or wind power when you can have the opportunity to build your own home made solar system for less than $200.

Please share your thoughts and comments below. If you've constructed solar panels yourself, I'd really like to hear from you.

With the ever increasing costs of living and global warming, there should be better time when we stop throwing money out the window and save some by starting to generate our own electricity.

There are guides that teach you everything you need to know about generating your own electricity by using wind and solar power. With the complete step-by-step setup fully illustrated manuals and easy to follow video instructions present in the guide you will be able to create renewable energy at home. This guide will provide everything you need to create your own source of energy and save lots of money.