Building your own system might seem difficult at first but if you have basic do it yourself skills you can accomplish it.
Here is a list of items you will need to get started.
- Solar cells-can is purchased on e-bay at some very reasonable prices.
Most cells include tab wire, buss wire, and soldering flux. - Material to build solar panel-you will need a backing board, UV paint, Plexiglas, aluminum frame, silicone caulk, and miscellaneous hardware.
- Battery bank-depending on how many cells you build and the total output of your system will determine how many batteries you will need.
- Inverter to change 12 volts to usable house voltage-again size of you inverter will be determined by what you are going to add in your house such as appliances, lights, or other electrical items.
- Charge controller-probably the most important part of your system.
The charge controller regulates the amount of voltage to your batteries and will disconnect when they are fully charged, not allowing for over and under charging of your system, this prolong the life of your batteries.
You need to solder your solar cells together in what is called strings and then assemble them on a piece of plywood which as been treated with UV paint to preserve the wood.
You use the Plexiglas to cover your cells once arranged on your backing board and soldered together forming a complete circuit.
What I encountered while building my solar system was the fact that the solar cells are so fragile, thin as a credit card, and at first they were difficult to solder until I got the hang of it.
Once I learned the proper heat and proper solder to use it became easy.
Time wise it took me about a week to assemble my entire system.
I hope this information shows you how to build your own solar power system at home.
If you are new to making your own solar panels I would suggest purchasing a guide-book available at my website.