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Energy Conservation Tips: Homemade Solar Panels

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By aikidk01


Why Solar Energy?

If you are do-it-yourselfer and interested in energy conservation, then this article can help you identify the components of a homemade solar panel.  The importance of being energy self-sufficient has increased as the cost of oil has skyrocketed in the past months.

The Photovoltaic (PV) cell is at the core of the solar panel because it is the fundamental element that converts solar energy into electricity.  The solar panel is composed of a "series" of these cells connected together.  Hiring a contractor to take care of the acquisition and installation of a solar panel can be quite pricey.  One way to get the solar panel of your dreams is to either buy a kit or to build one from scratch. 



Solar Panels ... Power from the Sun.

Solar panels convert sunlight into electricity.
Solar panels convert sunlight into electricity.


Residential Solar Panel Systems: Solar Panel Tips

The Components of a Solar Panel

The basic solar panel consists of four components:
-Solar panel(s)
-Charge controller
-Battery
-Inverter

Solar panel - The fundamental and functional component of a solar electricity system is the solar panel, which consists of a group of photovoltaic cells.  The number of cells is determined by the energy needs of the household as well as the budget.  The beauty of solar panels is that they can also be added-on in sections.  Solar panels can generate electricity for real-time use or storage in a battery system (discussed below).

Charge controller (regulator) - The regulator is there to control the battery charge level in an effort to prevent "overcharging".   In addition, it monitors the drainage of the battery in the evening.  The net effect, is that battery's effective life is maximized.

Battery - Of course, solar panels can not provide a constant level of electricity because the sun does not shine on them 24/7, 365 days a year.  The battery, provides the means of storing the unused energy for later use.  While it is possible to use a regular automobile battery, the deep-cycle marine battery is the best choice because it is capable of storing virtually all of the electricity produced by the solar panels.

Inverter - The solar panels generate electricity in the form of DC or Direct Current, while virtually all household appliances run on AC or Alternating Current.  The inverter provides the means by which DC is converted to AC making the power usable for everything from the toaster to TV.



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Saving Money - Making Money with Solar

If you are hoping to generate enough electricity for all of your needs AND to sell back to "the Grid", you will need an AC Breaker Panel, and a Kilowatt-per-Hour Indicator.  The KW-per-hour Indicator for example is necessary to monitor the amount of electricity coming to and from the Grid so as to determine the charge or credit which appears on your electrical bill.

Please do not forge the least expensive and potentially most cost-effective energy conservation tip which is the use of Energy-Saver fluorescent light bulbs to replace incandescent bulb.  These may be more expensive in the short run but they consume considerably less energy and last many times longer that the regular bulbs.

Homemade solar panels are a great way to help make the home energy self-sufficient and is one of many excellent energy conservation tips.  Such panels can be purchased in kit form or made from scratch, which of course is the cheapest option.  There are other uses of solar power which will be discussed in future articles.


Solar Energy in the News

  • Solar energy good for businessNew Jersey Herald1 second ago

    By ROBERTA FUGATE rjfugate@njherald.com HARDYSTON — Deputy Mayor Kenneth Kievit knows the benefits of solar energy first-hand. Two months ago he installed solar panels on the roof of his mason supply business in Clifton.

  • Solar Development in Germany Surges to Record, New Energy SaysBloomberg14 hours ago

    Nov. 9 (Bloomberg) -- Power companies will build a record amount of solar-energy capacity in Germany this year, or two- thirds more than they added in 2008, seeking to take advantage of subsidies, New Energy Finance said.

  • NJ factory where M&Ms are made flips switch on new solar array to provide clean energyMinneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune6 hours ago

    HACKETTSTOWN, N.J. - Those green M&Ms really are getting greener. A New Jersey candy factory that produces M&M's flipped the switch Monday on a new solar array that provides clean energy.

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Comments

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Denny Lyon profile image

Denny Lyon  says:
9 months ago

Bookmarking this one - who knew you could get these in a kit! Very informative hub, thank you!

Thomas T profile image

Thomas T  says:
7 months ago

Excellent content here and a nice writing style too - keep up the great work!

gr8info profile image

gr8info  says:
5 months ago

This is really useful information. I didn't realise that you had to have other stuff (like the inverter, battery etc) as well as the solar panel. I am seriously considering getting solar panels at the moment, I just have to figure out the kind of wattage I need to power my laptop computer. Thanks so much for this :)

aikidk01 profile image

aikidk01  says:
5 months ago

Gr8info - Power needs can be calculated. You can start small by buying a kit or obtaining used components to "get used to" the technology. Dan

Info Provider profile image

Info Provider  says:
5 months ago

Build Your Solar Panels Learn Step By Step http://hubpages.com/hub/Save-23-OFF-The-Cost-Of-SO

solar  says:
5 months ago

das good

jayb23 profile image

jayb23  says:
4 months ago

Brilliant hub. These tips r really useful. Cheers

aikidk01 profile image

aikidk01  says:
4 months ago

jayb23: Thank you. Best wishes on your use of renewable energy. Dan

Build Your Own Solar panel  says:
4 months ago

Great hub Dan. Weel written and organized. I am glad to know you like the Earth4Energy program as well.

Rick  says:
4 months ago

Well presented and very informative.

aikidk01 profile image

aikidk01  says:
4 months ago

Thank you, Rick. Best wishes on your successful use of alternative sources of energy...Dan

planet overhaul profile image

planet overhaul  says:
3 months ago

Very useful hub. Someday ill be using solar panels at home.When that time come, im equip with good knowledge. Thanks for sharing this hub.

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