How To Make Cheap Solar Power

In the past few years solar energy has begun to emerge as a viable alternative to fossil fuels. But one of the major issues with alternative energy sources is that they are not yet cost efficient enough (grid parity) to make the switch from fossil fuels. Although recent breakthroughs have in-fact lowered the manufacturing cost of making solar cells to under $1 a watt, 75% less than just 4 years ago. These organic solar cells, made from plastic, are flexible, lightweight, and translucent and are the primary reason the manufacturing cost has gone down.

All this sounds great but if you allow for a 25% duty factor (how much time the solar cells are exposed to the sun, clouds, bad sunlight angles or light scattered by the atmosphere) it ends up bringing the cost closer to $4 per watt. Not bad considering nuclear power is around $5 per watt and coal is about $1.50 per watt plus fuel but more expensive to maintain. This of course doesn't include all the little details that we tend to forget about that increase the cost of power plants such as installation, electrical engineering, and so forth. Its all the infrastructure that is required to convert energy to useful electricity that actually influence the cost the most. And not to mention how much energy storage and recovery costs which is not minor at all. All these problems will have to be overcome before solar energy will become a mainstream source of energy.

The progress in technology is great news for the commercial side of the industry but what about you the consumer? What this means is that the cost of solar panels for homes will decrease but they are still going to be out of the price range for most families for a few more years at least.

So what can you do to produce cheap solar power for your home? Well you can either buy used solar panels or make some yourself. Both are viable if you have a few hundred extra dollars and some spare time.

Without access to the power grid, highway construction or remote weather sensors require alternative energy sources which makes solar panels perfect for these devices. These devices can take quite a beating over time being exposed to weather for long periods of time. If the solar panels become chipped or damaged they are no longer "safe" so they are retired which means there's a great potential there for us. They have to get rid of these panels somehow and many companies that own these solar panels would rather give them away then pay to have them disposed of. Of course these damaged panels will never produce as much power as new panels will but you're getting them for free or a substantially reduced price. Even if the efficiency of the panel is reduced by as much as 50% you're still saving money.

To find the companies that supply these panels try looking around the next time you drive down the highway for some of these devices that use solar panels. Often times theres a sign nearby with the contractor’s contact information. If all fails, search your local yellow pages for the contractors.

Getting someone to just give you something over the phone if more difficult then visiting them in person. Remember to be polite when you ask for these expensive pieces of equipment and make them an offer even if you know they give them away for free. Making friends with the management can lead to future rewards - they tend to wear out these solar panels often and it will be easier to get them from someone you've already done business with. Check back with them often to see if they got anymore damage solar panels.

You should probably check the solar panels with a multimeter to see if the can still generate power and if they will be worth your time. Many of the most worn down and broken panels will still work with a little effort. You can always just take the best looking solar panels and not have to deal with fixing them up if you're not the do it yourself type.

With some basic handyman work, homemade solar panels can be a great way to make cheap solar power. These panels will be a lot less efficient than their commercial counterparts but since you will only need a budget of about $150-$250 per solar panel and it will save you a ton of cash. There are several guides out there if you just do a google search for it so I won't go into detail here as that could fill a hub by itself.

If you need more detailed instructions, another option would be to purchase a solar panel DIY kit that you see all over the Internet. Some of these are actually legitimate resources for those looking to make their own solar power but many are just preying on the beginners that don't know what they're doing. A lot of the kits are just ebooks that you buy that contain basic information available for free online. And after you buy their book they try to sell you some over priced materials to build your own solar panels or wind power generators.

When I built my first solar panel for my own home I actually bought one of those kits. It was solar panels for beginners or something like that. It really didn't teach me anything I didn't already know from researching online. So I ended up just trying to do it myself using some defective solar cells I bought off eBay earlier. You can grab those for around $50-$100 usually depending on the buyer. It was more work than I was expecting and took a few weeks to put together but I did eventually get it up. I was pretty proud of my 20 watt panel. I use it to power a few lights and charge some small devices like my cell phone and as a backup in case the power goes out.

If I was just starting out today I would probably use a solar panel kit. I just bought one last month to see if it contained any useful information I could use when I build my next panel sometime soon. Surprisingly enough it actually did have worthwhile information but nothing you can't already find online for free. It can be summarized like this: buy damage or broken solar cells on eBay or some other source, get used golf cart or fork lift batteries, construct the solar panel. But really the reason I kept it and didn't get a refund were the step by step videos the guide includes. It was helpful to actually see the solar panels get put together rather than just read about it which is why I say beginners should try it if they don't know what they're doing.