How to Make Your Own Solar Panels DIY

As everyone knows, the sun is a universal source of power. It has been providing light and heat since the world’s inception. For centuries, the human race has used this power to its advantage–to get warm, and stay that way. The last few decades have seen an ever increasing effort to capture the sun’s power, not just for immediate comfort, but to find additional ways of utilizing that power, and to store it for future use. The cost of doing so is slowly coming down, while more efficient collectors are manufactured. You can lower the cost even more by turning solar panels into a DIY project.

Here’s a few tips for DIY solar panels.

Supplement Your Power System

Although there are some homes that are powered solely by the sun’s power, most solar power collectors are used as a supplemental power system. Normally these collectors, or solar panels, are expensive, but more and more people are finding ways of making their own solar panels. Some have proven to not only rival the production of commercial grade solar collectors, but they do it at a fraction of the cost.

What Is a Solar Panel?

Basically a solar panel is a box or series of boxes that hold solar collectors. These collectors, or solar cells, are what are used to absorb the power of the sun, which will then be converted into electricity and used to operate whatever electrical device you want it to. Because the individual cells are delicate, each cell should be kept small, within its own box, and combined into a larger box or panel.

Solar Cells

The solar cells themselves are made of purified silicon. They are usually coated with titanium dioxide or silicone dioxide to reduce the amount of reflection. Once it’s completed the cell is enclosed in a frame, backed by a polyester film and covered with glass or plastic. The individual cells are then ready to be included in a panel.

Building a Panel

Before beginning the process of building a solar panel it would be a good idea to determine exactly how much power you intend to produce. It is accepted that a solar panel works at peak efficiency with six hours of sunlight, so when you calculate how many panels you’ll need that should be taken into account. Once the math is done and you’ve determined how large to make your panels, and how many panels to construct, you can order your solar cells and figure out how much building material you’ll need.

Plan Ahead

In order to maximize the output you should make sure the cells are all the same size. The first step in the actual construction is to build a frame. The frame can be built using plywood and 2x4s. Make sure you measure carefully. Do all your calculations ahead of time, being careful with your measurements so you won’t waste material. Prior to installing the solar cells, it would be a good idea to paint the wood a flat black. After the paint dries it’s time to install the cells.

Installation

Once the frame has been constructed, it’s time to install the solar cells. Place the cells on the plywood according to the plans you’ve drawn up. Pay attention to the manufacturer’s specifications and installation instructions as you complete the wiring process. After the cells are where they need to be, it’s time to finish the frame by screwing the 2x4s into place, creating a frame that will keep the cells immobile. When the frame is completed, drill a hole in the bottom corner for the wires to go through. Once this process is finished, it’s time to cover the cells with a piece of transparent acrylic plastic, such as Plexiglas. Make sure it is secure by using screws to hold it in place. The final step is to weatherproof the panel by using a silicone weather sealer. Your solar panel is now ready to collect the sun’s power.

This is a guest post from Bailey Harris. Bailey writes for several sites online, including www.insurancequotes.org.

Tags: diy project, diy solar panel, solar cells, solar panel, solar power collector