Don’t Fall Into the Trap When You Build Your Very Own Solar Panels

Before you actually begin to build a solar panel, bear in mind that there are a few potential problems to keep an eye on. Start your project on the right foot. Get all the components together before you start; get a tool box with all the right tools and a manual which gives step by step instructions.

But before even those basic steps, it is more important to have a clear picture of what your solar panel is going to end up looking like and where you are going to use it. There are many things you can do when you build a solar panel, you can build a small one for charging up re-chargeable batteries, or you can build larger 200, 300 or 400 watt panels to run home appliances and store excess electricity in a battery bank, or you can build 1000 watt panels and start a little business feeding electricity back to the grid.

The only difference between making 500 watt solar panel and 100W solar panel is the quantity of solar cells you require and the time you have available to spend on the project. People want to build their own solar panels to reduce the cost of purchasing solar a panel because they can be very expensive.

Now you know how large you solar panel is going to be, we now have to find a ready source of solar cells. Now you don’t want to pay a lot of money for them. EBay is always a good place to start when wanting to buy anything on the cheap, the only downside is that you can’t always get the exact thing you are after. So what if you can’t find what you need on ebay and other auction sites, what do you do next?

One very good option for you is to research businesses near to where you live and find the ones which use solar cells in the electrical products they use on a day to day basis. Contact these companies and make yourself known to them, tell them what you want to do so at a later date should they have any broken cells they want to dispose of, they will contact you. One of the major users of solar cells are the road and traffic signs, often you see them on the side of the road, and often they will have the company’s contact details on them. Traffic signs often get broken by manhandling or cars driving into them.

If the solar panel is damaged they will throw the old panel away replace it with a new one. These damaged panels will still work fine, and if you know how to build a solar panel, it doesn’t take much to repair them in most cases.

Finding a cheap supply of solar cells is the only major problem you need to solve if you are looking to build a solar panel on a shoestring, so start searching for those local businesses today.

Remeber what I said earlier, know what outcome you want to end up with, have a clear picture even sketch it out on a piece of paper. If you don’t have that clear picture, you will build an array which has no useful purpose. You just end up with disorganized chaos. Know what you want and go and build it.

Different Types of Solar Panels

• Monocrystalline Solar Panels
• Polycrystalline Solar Panels – String Ribbon Silicon
• Thin Film Solar Panels – cadmium telluride