building solar panels Archive

Green Projects, DIY Solar Panels

You are looking for power, and you need it right now! Watts and Watts of electrical power, kw per hour of power. Yet the utility company keeps raising up your rates, making your current energy costs a lot more oppressive than a mid-west summer day just before a thunderstorm produces more than enough power to illuminate a city. Where exactly could that storm get it’s electric power? It’s all power from the sun, naturally. Utilizing a solar cell array, some batteries, diodes and switches, you’re sure you can have all the energy you’re after! Power from the sun is free, environment friendly, and readily obtainable just about just about anywhere on Earth, after getting the equipment that can convert it to electricity. What does it require to produce solar power? At the heart of any solar energy power system is the photovoltaic or pv cell. Cells can be found in a variety of styles. A solar cell is a silicon semiconductor, often square or rectangular and is also offered in various sizes to accommodate a wide range of applications, from compact calculator cells, to bigger cells grouped in arrays that power people’s homes as well as buildings. Whenever sunshine hits the surface area, an electrical current is created.

Just how many Watts?

First, it’s recommended that you know how much electric power you want to produce. The easiest method to figure out how much electric power you would like is by calculating Watts. Your lights and home appliances are typically rated by how many Watts they use. As an example, to produce all of the electrical power you need for that AC unit you installed during last summer’s massive heat wave, you have to know the actual number of Watts it needs. A little AC unit takes approximately 500 Watts; medium sized and big units use 1000-1500 Watts or even more. By adding up the number of Watts you use hourly, you’re able to figure out your consumption. How can you be sure total number of Watts you’ll need for your entire home? Easy, look at your energy charges, or call up the power company and figure out the actual number of kilowatt hours (kWh, 1000 Watts per hour) you will usually use every month. An appliance that utilizes 1000 Watts, left on for one hour, uses 1 kWh. The average price of one kWh can vary between around 8 and 20 cents in the United States. Many cells intended for home arrays are 4, 5 or some times six inches, and produce approximately two watts of power, in ideal (direct sunlight, warm temperature) conditions. Solar cells are usually mounted on frames of wood or metal in sets of 18, thirty six, or 72, putting out thirty six, seventy two and 144 Watts (at two Watts per cell) respectively. 72 cell panels retail for about $500-700. For Do-it-yourself solar panel systems, you can save a lot more money by purchasing the solar cells and making the individual panels for yourself. Precisely what does it take to construct a panel your self?

Do It Yourself How to construct Residential Solar Panels at Home

Making solar panels at home has never been easier. Solar cells can be bought on the internet for about $1 each, often with additional parts included. A package deal of seventy two solar cells, plus a diode, that keeps the electricity moving in only one direction, and wire for connecting it all up can be found for $100 or less! If you also get yourself a frame for $40, it can save you a lot of money when compared with $500- 700 per built panel. That’s a possible savings of $360-560 per module! All it takes in order to make your own personal solar power panels at home is a little bit of know-how, some basic tools, and good guidelines. Go and visit this article’s resource link to view a comparison chart and report on do it yourself solar panel guides. The manuals offer a thorough summary of the features of a photovoltaic system, from the solar cells, to the electrical circuitry and framing, to inverters and batteries, plus much more. How much can you honestly save on your current energy bills?

Saving Money on Your Power Bill

It’s simple to start small and increase your system while you learn, but will it truly help you save money? The answer is yes, and no. Sure, your power bill will get lower when you increase the photo voltaic power capacity to your system, but you need to think about exactly how much power you are able to purchase with the cash you spend on parts. Going solar is an investment, so it takes time to recover the initial money you’ll spend. Considerations are the expense of the tools and materials, and your time and energy when compared to the amount of money it can save you with regards to your energy bill in time. Just as significant, however, is definitely the fulfillment of having a solar pv system that you set up yourself, and the pleasure of opening up your energy bill and watching it get less expensive. You could possibly even be able to sell electric power back to the power company and get a check instead of paying them! Keep in mind though, if you’ve made the system yourself, utility company might not let you sell energy back for safety, since most diy individuals aren’t accredited electrical engineers, and the set up is not UL listed. Talk to your local utility company for regulations. The pleasure you will enjoy from listening to your hvac kick on, as you sit back and relax guilt free, with the knowledge that you won’t need to pay the utility company a cent for the energy, is probably the most satisfying reason of all to make your very own solar pv system.

Green Energy, DIY Solar Panels DIY Solar Panels Solar Energy, DIY Green Power DIY Green Power, Solar Panels

 Mail this post

Technorati Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Benefits For Using Solar Panels

Residential solar power systems generate electricity from the sun. The thought of building a home solar system can be intimidating, but it is not that complicated to build. Solar panels have minimal moving parts and required little maintenance while they are set up on the roof of your house. Its quiet, produces no pollution and is a very efficient way of getting electricity from nature.

By lowering the quantity of energy that you get from the utility company is the way that residential solar panels will save you money.The way that this works is that electricity is generated from the sunlight that the panels on the roof receive during the day.The utility company monitors the energy being used in your household every month. Electricity can be transferred back to the utility company if you generate more than what you use in a month.This being the case, the utility company has to credit you back for the electricity you produced but did not use.And this is how to save and even make money.

Another good reason to consider building solar panels for your house is that it will bring your house value up. By adding solar panels to your home you are reducing the operating cost and adding capital asset to your property automatically. In the real estate world, being able to reduce your annual utility bill can raise your home value by up to $20,000.Another benefit is that you can claim incentives and tax credits when investing in a house solar power system. Once it is time to sell, the increased appraised value of your home will leave you some extra cash at time of closing.

Lastly, going green with your house by placing up solar energy panels will contribute immensely on conserving our planet’s health. The majority of household in the United States acquire electricity from their utility company. Energy coming from utility companies is supplied by power plants where fossil fuel like coal, gas and oil is burnt.The reason why so much pollution is being created is because the majority of people get electricity from utility companies. This is in turn is what promotes air pollution and global climate change. Earth is our most valuable piece of land and it’s time to start conserving it my making changes.

 Mail this post

Technorati Tags: , ,

Produce Your Own Electricity By Building Solar Panels

Solar power is undoubtedly an outstanding way to lower electrical bills by making use of an ever-constant energy source, the sun. Solar panels are usually costly to purchase, so often it’s less difficult to make them at your home. Building solar panels isn’t easy, so you must be sure to get the proper equipment and tools essential for the task.

Solar cells are generally manufactured from silicon, but it is possible to also create them from cuprous oxide. This particular substance is one of the first substances that was found to have a photoelectric effect, causing electricity to flow through a material. When building solar panels, you are going to require several distinct ingredients for this job, including copper, clip leads, a micro-ammeter, and metal snips. These things are usually found at most hardware stores. A few household items are required as well when building solar panels, including tap water, an electric stove, table salt, and sandpaper.

Start out by cutting the sheet of copper employing the metal snips. Wash your hands to begin with to eliminate any oil or grease. You should additionally clean the copper with a cleanser to eliminate any dirt. Utilizing the sandpaper, thoroughly rub down the sheeting to eliminate any kind of corrosion or sulphide build up.

Position the dried and clean copper onto your electric stove and put it on its highest heat. As the metal begins to heat, you’ll notice beautiful shades and rainbow colors beginning to show up on the metal. Purple, orange, and red patterns will begin to cover the surface.

As soon as the copper starts to get hotter, the colors disappear and then a black cupric oxide coating replaces them. This burnt layer will eventually flake off however, exposing the colors beneath. Once the burner starts to become red hot, the entire sheet of copper should be coated with a thick black layer. Let your metal cook for half an hour, because a thick coating will be able to flake off easily.

Take off the copper sheet and cool it to room temperature prior to trying to rub off the black layer. Gently scrub the metal until eventually the entire black color is removed. Cut a different sheet of copper and bend both items into a plastic container, but keep them from coming in contact with each other. The cooked copper will need to be attached using the negative alligator terminal, even while the new one needs to have the positive terminal.

Combine hot water and table salt into the plastic container. Place this mixture into the sun, and you should notice a moderate range of micro-amps in your current reader. Copper is actually a semiconductor, so you essentially have a functioning solar panel built from scratch.

Are you looking for the best way to generate your own power? Be sure to visit my site for more information on converting to solar power and diy solar power projects.

 Mail this post

Technorati Tags: , , , , , , ,

Save Energy and Money with These 5 Tips and Wind Power

In today’s economy, making ends meet is tough. Many are unemployed and those who still have a job are worried about becoming unemployed. So, many are trying to cut costs to try to make ends meet, one place to cut those costs, is on our electric bill, these cuts can last year round. Here are 5 tips you can use to save on your power bill year round with or without the use of wind power.

1. Whether you live in a mild climate and use your furnace more than the a/c or in a hot climate and use the a/c more than the furnace, it is important to have your a/c and furnace serviced once a year. Having the units serviced yearly can keep them running efficiently, saving money, and can keep them in good running condition prolonging their life, again, saving you money on a repair bill. On top of having your units serviced regularly, change the filter once a month, more frequently in dusty environments. A dirty filter, even if it is only partially dirty will make both the a/c and furnace work hard, wasting energy and money.

2. Consider replacing your manual thermostat with a programmable one. There are many who try to save energy and money by turning the thermostat way down in the winter when they leave the house, or way up in the summer, and this fine as long you do not go to extremes. Turning the temperature way up or way down will cause the furnace or a/c to run excessively to bring the temperature back to a comfortable level. Changing the thermostat manually works good if you don’t forget to do it, which is why I suggested replacing the old manual one with a programmable one, set it and forget it until the seasons change, this way you gain maximum benefits and savings.

3. The following can be done in a matter of hours with a few inexpensive things you will need to pick up at your local hardware store. You will need a few tubes of caulking (how many will depend on how many exterior doors and windows you have) and some foam gaskets that are used to seal outdoor outlets and switches. (again how many will depend on how many outlets and switches you have located on exterior walls) Once you have these items start by caulking around all exterior doors and windows to seal air leaks then, remove all the covers on switches and outlets that are located on exterior walls, place a gasket over the switch or outlet, replace the cover, and trim the excess off with a utility knife. The more air leaks you seal the more you will save.

4. If you have a wood burning fireplace and use it frequently in the winter to cut down on the power bill that is a great way to save. However, and this is more of a precautionary tip than savings tip, there are dangers you should know about, like the fact that if you use the fireplace a lot, you will get a creosote build up that is very flammable. If you do not have the chimney cleaned yearly, you run the risk of chimney fires. Another thing to watch for, is the screen and cap on the top of the chimney, if either is damaged or missing get it fixed as soon as possible. Birds sit on chimneys for warmth and it is not uncommon for them to become overcome by the fumes causing them to fall into the chimney, and that can cause smoke and fumes to back up into the house.

5. This one will save you the most money. A windmill to produce your own power can cut your utility bill by at least 60%. That right 60% or more and with today’s technology they can be constructed to fit on the roof and built for three hundred dollars or less. All that is required is a minimum of eleven mph winds, which can be found in just about any state you live in. Plus the windier it is, the more power the windmill will produce, the more you will save.

With power costs rising every day and threat of losing your job, it becomes more important to use wind power to reduce your utility bill. Click here to discover affordable ways to use renewable energy sources.

 Mail this post

Technorati Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

5 Questions to Ask When Building Do-It-Yourself Solar Panels

Building do-it-yourself panels can be a great and rewarding experience. However, without the right knowledge upfront, it can literally turn your project into a nightmare.

A good plan is key to everything in a do-it-yourself project, such as this one. In order to build your own solar panel array, you need to be able to see how you can get to your end goal.

Before starting on your solar project, you need to answer a few questions, such as which direction your roof is pointed, how much electricity you will need to generate, or even if your neighborhood even allows you to build solar panels.

The following are a few questions you should ask yourself, before beginning:

1. How much electricity do you currently produce? In order to understand how many panels you will need to start building, you need to know how much power you currently consume. Building do-it-yourself panels with the right power requirements upfront, can save headaches down the line.

2. What direction does your roof point? One of the most common items that people miss is the direction that their panel is facing to the sun. You should check which portions of your roof get the most sunlight in the morning, middle, and afternoon. Also as the seasons pass, you should note which areas seem to get the most exposure all year long.

3. Is your roof strong enough for solar panels? Face it, building do-it-yourself solar panels and mounting them on your roof is going to put it through tremendous loads. If it is not structurally sound to support them, you should check into other options such as installing them on the ground or on an external structure.

4. Do you have all tools and parts you need? Probably, the first thing you need when building do-it-yourself solar panels is a good solar panel guidebook. Although it is possible to research the information on your own, it is always nice to refer back to a reference guide, when you have questions. Also, to keep your price tag low, look for recycled parts for everything, including your panel.

5. Are there local laws & regulations governing solar panel construction? Although federal and state laws may protect you from local harassment when building your panel project, it is best to check first. Depending on the city you live in, you may need a permit to begin, since you are working with electricity. Or, you may need to work with your local association, to ensure neighborhood compliance.

Once you have discovered the answers to all these questions, you will be ready to ask some more. When building do-it-yourself solar panels, it is important to remove all your doubts about fears about building solar panels.

Building do-it-yourself solar panels can be a fun and rewarding project. To learn more how you can start building your own solar panels, just check out Learn How to Build Solar Panels.com.

 Mail this post

Technorati Tags: , , , , , , ,