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Build Your Own Solar Panels - It's Easier Than You Think!
Given the constantly rising cost of energy, many people are looking into generating their own electricity from renewable power sources like wind turbines and solar panels. Unfortunately, having green power systems installed is prohibitively expensive, especially in these tight recession times. This has led many people to wonder, "Can you build your own solar panels? Can you build your own solar water heating panel?" The answer is yes-and it easier than you might think.
Instruction Manuals
The biggest thing preventing people from building their own solar power systems are that they have absolutely no idea how to do it. Fortunately, instruction manuals can easily be found on the internet. The best of these are written in simple "plain English" that avoids jargon and technical language, include step-by-step instructions, detailed illustrations, and sometime even DVDs demonstrating some of the more difficult parts. Such manuals can usually be purchased online for around $50 or less.
Materials
The materials and tools required for you to build your own solar panels can almost all be found at your local electronics shop (like Radio Shack) or home-improvement store (like Home Depot). The lone exception is the solar cells themselves. In the last decade, however, solar cells have increased in availability and drastically decreased in price. You can now purchase a 36 square inch solar cell for between six and ten dollars. How many you will need, of course, depends on how large your solar panel will be.
The materials required for you to build your own solar water heating panel, however, are a bit harder to come by. You may have to hunt a bit and visit some specialty hardware and plumbing supply shops, but most materials can still be found locally without having to resort to the internet.
Cost
The cost varies widely depending on several different factors. If you build your own solar panels, how big are they? How many do you want to make? How many batteries to store the collected electricity will you need? If you build your own solar water heating panel, how many gallons of water do you want to heat? How many solar collector plates will you need to heat that much water? Finally, do you need to buy specialized tools to build these solar power systems, or do you already have every tool you need?
To build a solar power system with a single large solar panel will cost, at the very least, several hundred dollars. Keep in mind, however, that this is only a third or less of the cost of a professional installation. If you build your own solar water heating panel, it could cost upward of a thousand dollars. This is still only two-thirds the cost of a professional installation, however.
A Note of Caution
Remember, if you build your own solar panels, you're dealing with electricity. Whenever you're working with electricity, there is an inherent danger. An improperly wired electrical network can easily start fires and burn your house down. For this reason, you may want to hire a licensed electrician to connect your solar power systems to your home's electrical grid. If you insist on doing the wiring yourself, at least have an electrician look it over to catch and fix any mistakes you may have made.
