Build A Solar Panel

Many modern homes today have solar panels as a standard feature. If you have an old house or bought a house that did not include solar panels then it is not too late to build a solar panel! You can always add them later!

As we all know, a solar panel is a device which you can use to collect solar energy from the sun that can then be converted into electricity using inverters. This electricity can be used to generate power for your home. The size of the solar panels depend on how much or the percentage of your home that you want to power using solar electricity. If you what to build a solar panel for your home, you must take into consideration the factors that might affect the efficiency of your device.

In a climate where you get a lot of steady sunlight, it is a good idea to build solar hot water heater to use that sunlight into your advantage. There are different types of thermal solar panels or solar water heaters and they may differ in degrees of difficulty to build. The batch water heater is the most common type of solar water heater and is definitely the easiest to build. Basic mechanics of a batch hot water heater includes a water tank that is placed outside or in a glass container for the sunlight to be able to heat the water inside.

The best way to build a batch water heater is to paint the water tank with matte black paint for it to absorb as much sunlight as possible and then stick that water tank inside a glass box. This glass box will trap the heat of the sunlight that is not immediately absorbed by the water tank. The disadvantage in using a batch water heater is that you will need to empty the tank during the time when the weather drops below freezing point as pipes that are frozen might burst.

There are also different types of solar panel array mountings, the fixed, adjustable, and the tracking type. Fixed solar panel mounts are the simplest and least expensive. Adjustable solar panel mounts has an adjustable angle of inclination which can be moved at a lower angle of the sun during winter. Tracking solar panel mounts follow the path of the sun during the day in order to maximize the solar radiation that the solar panel receives. The tracking solar panel mount is the most efficient among all types.

These are not the only things that you should consider when you are adding solar panels to your home. You should also consider several other factors when building solar panels for your home. This include the shading and shadows on solar panels, temperature and wind loading, cost and expected life span of your solar panels, and the amount of sunshine you will be getting from where you are located and where your control panel will be placed.

Remember that when you decide to make a green decision like building solar panels for your home, you are paving the wave for a greener earth!

DIY Solar Panels and Windmills Building Guides

Earth 4 Energy
Make your own solar panels or wind turbine.
More info here

Home Made Power Plant
There are some other guides for DIY wind and solar generators, but all of those that I've read don't get into the same details.
More info here

About the Author
Whether you have recently purchased a new home or are making new arrangements to your home solar panels are a great thing to consider. Not only do solar panels add value to your home but they also give other great features to your home and building them is not as hard as it may seem! Remember that when you decide to make a green decision like when you want to build a solar panel for your home, you are paving the wave for a greener earth!

Article Source: Build A Solar Panel