DIY Solar panel plans, materials and tools

If you are ready to join the growing number of people who are learning about solar energy by building their own solar panels, you will need to cover three basic areas.  You’ll need a good set of solar panel plans, instructions or tutorials; basic materials to build the enclosure and solar cells to generate the electricity; and the basic tools to build and assemble your photovoltaic panel.

Solar panel plans

Although you can find books at your local library or bookstore that explain how solar panels are constructed, some of the best guides for building your own solar panels can be found online.  They contain step by step written instructions that you can print out for reference.  And they also include video tutorials that pair the technical terms with the components, and demonstrate how the various parts need to be assembled in order to generate electricity.  By following the instructions, anyone who is reasonably handy and comfortable working with basic electrical components can build a solar panel within a couple of days.

Basic materials for building small solar panels

Since solar panels are a passive way to create electricity, there are no moving parts.  Each panel is made using a simple frame that holds a substrate on which the solar cells are mounted, and a clear cover that allows the sunlight to reach the solar cells, creating the photovoltaic reaction that generates electricity.  You can get the wood for the frame and substrate, and the Plexiglas for the cover from your local lumberyard.  And the solar cells and wiring are now easy to find online, either through solar panel dealers or on Ebay.

Basic tools for building small solar panels

If you get the substrate and the frame cut to size at the lumber yard, you won’t even need a saw in your solar panel tool kit.  But you will need a screwdriver and some screws to assemble the frame.  You will then need to assemble and connect the solar cells to create the electrical circuit that will generate and deliver the electricity, so you will need a soldering iron and lead flux. Use a multimeter to test the circuit in full, direct sunlight.  If the solar cells are generating electricity to their full capacity, you can seal the Plexiglas onto the frame using a caulking gun and silicone caulk to and keep rain and snow from getting inside of the solar panel.  At that point, your DIY solar panel is ready to go to work for you.

Basic solar panel parts

One of the reasons that building your own solar panels has become so popular is that there are really very few components involved.  A simple solar panel consists of just a few basic parts, namely an enclosure, solar cells, a substrate and wiring.   Here’s an overview of what’s involved.

Solar panel case or enclosure

This is what most people see when they think of a solar panel.  It’s the clear glass top, the frame and the backing that the solar cells are mounted on.  The case can be large enough to need a custom built metal rack for mounting on a rooftop, or small enough to be a plastic box that can be placed almost invisibly near an outdoor floodlight.  It needs to be resistant to ultra violet (UV) rays so that it doesn’t deteriorate with constant exposure to sunlight.  And the glass (usually Plexiglas) needs to be durable enough to withstand harsh weather, including hail and wind storms that could crash tree branches and other debris into it.

Substrate

This is the piece of wood, peg board or other material that the solar cells are mounted on inside of the enclosure.  It also needs to be UV-resistant to withstand prolonged exposure to direct sunlight.

Solar cells

The photovoltaic cells are similar to the silicon chips that power most computers.  They combine the silicon, metals and other materials in a way that captures direct sunlight and converts it into electricity.  The electricity can either be immediately used by direct current devices (DC) like LED lights, or stored in DC batteries and converted into alternating current (AC) to power conventional appliances like refrigerators, TVs and other electrical equipment in homes and businesses.

Tabbed and untabbed solar cells

When building your own solar panels, you can save money by buying untabbed solar cells and soldering the tabs onto the cells yourself.  This can be a good choice if you have more time than money, but it’s a tedious job.  You can save time by buying tabbed solar cells which will cut your soldering time by one-half to two-thirds.

Solar cell wiring

Once the solar cells are mounted on the substrate, they are wired to each other in a series so that they can generate electricity.  Copper wire is added to connect the solar cells to storage batteries for using the electricity later, or to connect directly to the device that the solar panel is powering like an attic fan or a solar powered toy.

Blocking diode

The blocking diode is a small component that prevents electricity that is stored in a battery from draining backward into the solar panel.  Larger photovoltaic systems use a charge controller for the same effect.

Solar Attic Fans Are Easy Do It Yourself Projects

Are you looking for a quick and easy solar energy project for your home that you can do by yourself?  Installing a solar attic fan may be just the ticket.  Not only is it relatively easy to do, but it will keep your house cooler during hot summer days and nights.

You may not have even realized how much a hot attic contributes to your air conditioning bills.  Attics trap and hold all of the hot air that rises in your house.  This is great in the winter, but it can prevent your house fm cooling off during the summer.

Attic temperatures can easily soar above 120 degrees Fahrenheit even when outside temperatures are only in the eighties or nineties.  Most building codes require attics to be vented, but these vents are simply not designed to cool off the entire attic.  And a roof that has no shade receives sun for most of the day.

Installing a traditional attic fan would require a licensed electrician because it would need to be connected to a power source in order to operate.  But solar attic fans are constructed with built-in photovoltaic modules powerful enough to run the fans.  Not only are they quieter than electric attic fans, but they require no electricity to run since they are installed on the roof and receive direct sunlight.

If you are handy with a saw, drill and screwdriver, and confident enough to cut a hole in your roof, you can install a solar attic fan in a couple of hours.  You will need to locate a place on your roof that receives sunlight all day, is near the peak and also near the middle of the attic space.  You will be cutting a hole through the composition shingles and roof decking that will accommodate the size or your solar fan.

The trickiest and most important part will be finding the optimal location and cutting the hole the proper size for the fan.  A location that faces south will receive the most sunlight.  If that is not possible, you can consider buying a model that has a solar module that can be tilted and positioned to face south.

Once the hole has been cut, it is only a matter of securing the solar attic fan to the roof, and caulking around the fan to waterproof your installation.  You will be able to immediately feel the cooling effects in your attic.  And you will be able to enjoy a more comfortable house and lower cooling bills throughout the summer.

Do You Require A Solar powered Pool Warmer?

Solar pool heaters are one of the simplest solar heating applications to set up.  And they are also one of the least costly.  So if you are taking into consideration installing a solar heater for your pool, here are some facts about how they work to help you decide if they make sense for your pool.

Solar pool heaters are ordinarily less complicated than solar water heating systems for your house.  They more often than not use the pool’s pump and filter, so you will only have the cost of buying and installing the solar collector, piping, a diverter valve and an automatic control.

The control lets you adjust the warmth at the high end of the range to your liking so the pool doesn’t get too warm.  The diverter valve works with the control, either sending water into the solar collector to be heated, or back into the pool if not heating is required.

Solar pool heaters use a simple open loop design.  That means that the water flows back and forth between the solar collectors and the pool.  When the pool’s pump is on, cold water from the pool flows into the solar collectors, is warmed up by the sun’s heat and the heated water flows back into the pool.  There are no other moving parts involved.

The least expensive solar collectors can be used year round in warm climates, and are also good for average climates where pools are used during the spring, summer and early fall, when air temperatures are above about 55 degrees Fahrenheit. These solar collectors are not insulated and are constructed from UV-resistant black plastic.  They heat the water to comfortable temperature, but are not useful for heating pools in colder climates.

For heating pools in cold wintry weather climates, a more expensive solar collector with a glass cover and insulated box is used.  Copper absorbers are used as a substitute of plastic, since it does a better job of conducting heat.  These solar collectors are capable of heating water to the much higher temperatures needed in cold climates.  They are more expensive and more difficult to build and install than the lower temperature designs.

But no matter whether your pool is located in a warm, moderate or cold climate, a solar pool heater will save you funds.  Since there are so few components to buy and install, they usually pay for themselves in energy savings in about 2 years.  And they are very low maintenance, since there are no moving parts.  They are one of the most cost-effective solar applications that can be installed in a home.

How Effective Are Solar Hot Water Systems?

Solar hot water heating systems are relatively simple to install, easy to maintain and the most cost effective way to introduce your home to solar energy.  They can save considerable energy and cost when they replace an electric hot water heater.  And they can be successfully used even if you live in a climate where freezing temperatures are common during the winter.

If you live in a climate that does not have freezing temperatures, and your household consists of fewer than five people, you can install a batch heater.  This is the least expensive solar water heating option, and it is relatively easy to build if you have the inclination to do-it-yourself. It is simply a water storage tank that also serves as the solar collector.

The tank is enclosed in a glass-covered box that is positioned to allow maximum exposure to the sun.  The water in the tank heats up and hot water is available for use.   However, it is not the most efficient system, since it takes longer to heat an entire tank of water than to heat a flat panel solar collector.  And as the tank cools at night, there is less hot water available for use.

There are two better systems that can be used even in freezing climates.  The direct pump system circulates water between a solar collector and a storage tank.  With this design, water in the solar collector can heat up faster, and the tank can be insulated for better temperature holding capacity. The pump can be designed to run on electricity from a photovoltaic cell if you want to keep your system completely solar powered.

A thermosiphon system also uses a separate solar collector, along with the pull of gravity.  And it allows for the use of an insulated storage tank for more consistent hot water delivery.  When using either of these systems in cold climates where freezing is an issue, both the piping and the storage tank should be located indoors and properly insulated to provide hot water even on the coldest days.