Over 500,000 people a month look up the term solar panel in Google each month. This is recent data, demonstrating the continuing interest in converting the sun’s energy for use as an alternative fuel source. Over 30,000 of those searches every month have to do with learning to make your own solar panel.
Commercial solar panels can be very expensive. This is because of the cost involved in the mass production of the photovoltaic cells that make up a solar panel. As with many new trends, the initial costs of mass production, while cheaper than manual production, are still too high to allow many consumers to benefit from the technology. Think back to when IBM had large computers the sizes of warehouses and no single individual could afford the technology. A lot has changed but the solar energy industry has some catching up to do.
You CAN make your own solar panel and many consumers are doing that today. Done correctly, it is cheaper to buy the individual parts and tackle the job yourself than it is to buy a ready made panel.
Ways to Save on Solar Panel Parts:
- Shop eBay
- Pair up with a few friends and buy parts in bulk for a discount
- Shop for used parts online
- Find free or low cost parts from local businesses discarding parts that can be used in solar panels
- Use materials already in your own garage or storage area to make the casing
Parts Needed for a Solar Panel
- Casing to hold the required solar cells
- Solar Cells
- Framework within the casing to hold the cells in place
- Glass or transparent covering panel over the top of the cells
The less you spend, the shorter the payback period in which you can recover your investment.
If you need complete instructions on how to make your own solar panel, see my review on Earth4Energy.
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