Archive for December 16th, 2009
One of the biggest issues facing homeowners wishing to have solar panels installed is the cost.
Making your own solar and wind power for less than $200
A February 2009 study by the Lawrence Berkley National Laboratory of over 37,000 installs showed that although the costs have decreased dramatically over the past 10 years, the average cost works out to between $8 and $10 a watt installed. This means that a 3kw system for an average home will still cost you around $25,000. Granted the new solar tax credits and state incentives will take a good bite out of that but I am still at a loss as to why these systems are so expensive to begin with which puts them out of reach for a large part of the general public.
I decided to try and break down the costs involved from pricing I found easily online
Making your own solar and wind power for less than $200
Materials:
3kw worth of new untabbed solar cells at $1 per watt – $3000 3000 watt inverter – $1500 Materials to build 15 200 watt panel enclosures ( estimate) - $750 Miscellaneous tabbing wire,bus wire, flux etc – $100 Miscellaneous electrical components( disconnects, wiring – $500 Batteries for back up power - $100 Total - $5950 I may have a few numbers wrong here and there but it looks to me like you could theoretically build your own solar panel system for about 25% of the cost so yes it would almost certainly be cost effective to build your own.
Basically a solar panel is a series of solar cells joined together with wire conductors, attached to a backboard and installed in a weatherproof enclosure.
These can be wired together and stored as DC power in batteries or run through an inverter to produce AC power which can be used directly in the home.
Obviously if you build your own solar panel it may not be as pretty as the store bought units but that is just aesthetics. You can go online and buy the same solar cells as the manufacturers use. That is where all the technology is. The rest of it is just wiring and controls. The electrical work to be done is nothing too far outside the range of most do it yourselfers but this portion of the work could be subcontracted.
We have been conditioned into believing that solar technology is so complex and difficult to understand that we have left it to the experts and either paid their high prices or been unable to afford it . Do a little research and you will see that it is a very straightforward process. It has been said many time that if you can assemble an IKEA book case then you can build your own solar panel!
If you are thinking about building your own solar panels this website will walk you through it with baby steps.
Making your own solar and wind power for less than $200
Best Residential Solar Energy Systems and other Related Resources:
Magniwork Magnetic Energy Generator – How would you like to create a generator which creates free electric energy? Using our easy-to-follow guide, you will be able create a Magnetic Power Generator which creates absolutely free energy, and doesn?t require any resource like wind or solar energy to function, the magniwork generator creates energy by itself and powers your home for free. The generator works fully off the grid.
GreenDIYEnergy is a guide on how to start generating your own green energy at home. Developed by Ultimate Results, LLC, GreenDIYEnergy’s page promises to give users a step-by-step video and manual on building and installing their own personal solar panels. GreenDIYEnergy’s site also gives users a snek peek at the video that shows them how to buld and install their own solar panels.
Homemade Energy is fast becoming the buzz word in environmental circles. Consumers are becoming fed up with the problems associated with using conventional energy resources. Tired of rising costs, changing our lifestyle and in some cases being subjected to rationing, many home owners are turning to the newest trend in energy conservation DIY Solar Power Kits. A number of companies are now producing homemade energy guides, available for instant download on the internet, which give you step by step instructions on how to assemble the materials for your own DIY solar power kits.