When You Build A Solar Panel – What Are The Hazards To Be Aware Of?

When you build a solar panel, there are a number of things that need to be taken into consideration before you actually start. Building a solar panel is a relatively easy process if you have good instructions to follow, know where to get the individual products from and have the right equipment.

However, before all that it is important to understand what it is you want to end up with. 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.

So once you have decided what size of solar panel you are going to build, the next step is to determine where you can get a cheap supply of solar cells. The first port of call for me is eBay, sometimes you can get lucky and find someone who is selling a pile of solar cells at a very good price. The only problem with this is that if you can’t find the specific size and quantity of solar cells, what do you do then?

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. You want to develop a relationship with these companies so that they call you when they have any damaged cells they want to get rid of. The best source of these solar cells are the businesses who put out traffic signs, for example, when repairs are being carried out to roads. The Companies name and telephone number can often be found attached to it somewhere. These signs get damaged on a regular basis and have to be repaired.

They don’t fix the solar panel if it is broken or chipped, they will fit a new one and chuck the old one in the skip. The good news is that it is normally very easy to repair a chipped or damaged solar cell, if you know how to build a solar panel, you can easily repair a solar cell.

This is the biggest pitfall you have to overcome, so go and find some local companies who are throwing away their solar cells and recycling them.

My passing shot is to remind you what I said a short while ago, know precisely what it is you want to end up with, how big and where you are going to put it. If you don’t have that clear picture, you will build an array which has no useful purpose. You will make life very hard for yourself and will probably be disappointed. Stick a picture on the wall and go and build it.

Different Types of Solar Panels

• Monocrystalline Solar Panels
• Thin Film Solar Panels – cadmium telluride
• Satellite Grade Solar Cells