DIY Solar Energy Facts

Free Renewable Energy

Home owners have been watching the cost of electricity from their suppliers rise many times higher than the rate of inflation. The unfortunate fact however is that this trend is likely to continue and we therefore have to accept that the days of cheap energy are gone. Or do we?

There has never been a better opportunity for home owners to take full advantage of free renewable energy. Obviously some sources of renewable energy, such as wave or tidal energy, are not directly available to the avaerage person. Wind energy and solar energy however have never been so accessible.

The unfortunate problem with wind energy is that you need to live in the right location and, have a very large turbine to make a sizeable dent in the average domestic electric bill. So, this leaves us with solar energy.

What Is Solar Electricity

Most people have heard of solar energy and are aware that it has something to do with producing electricity from the sun. But they still wonder what exactly solar electricity is. It is really simple and yet fascinatingly complicated. Solar energy panels are also known as photovoltaic panels; photovoltaic meaning electricity from the sun. Solar energy panels work by collecting protons from the sun, which displace neutrons and create a flow of electrons or electricity. An inverter converts the power generated by the solar energy panels from an AC current to a DC current, making it usable in homes as a direct electricity supply. You can use a solar panel system to heat your pool, workshop tools, greenhouse lights and fans or depending on your personal electric usage, your entire home or business. Most solar energy panels will last 30-40 years and require little to no maintenance.

Why Consider Solar Electricity

The increasing effects of global warming on the environment, and the inescapable fact that energy resources across the world are reducing at an alarming rate has lead to more and more people considering renewable energies, for reducing both their carbon footprint and their energy costs. To this end, solar power is one of the best and most reliable renewable energy sources available. To date however, the problem for anyone considering this source of energy was having the financial resources to fund the initial installation. With the cost of a professional installation for a solar energy system running into thousands, a large number of individuals have now taken the decision to build their own system.

Many people wrongly consider that this is not for them because they are not practically minded or don’t have the skills or knowledge to undertake such a project. They believe that the whole process would be too difficult. The truth is that it is easy to build solar panels with the proper instructions. By learning how to make solar panels for yourself, you have complete control over the size and design of your system. With a little effort you can be on your way to learning how to make a solar panel system that fully meets your energy needs.

Options

Obviously if you are going to build your own solar panel system you are going to either have a comprehensive knowledge of the subject or, source a complete step by step guide on just how to do it. Fortunately, there are many such guides available. Some of these are very good and, they simplify the whole process and don’t over complicate what is essentially a very straightforward task. On the other hand there are guides that, whilst complete in their coverage, overcomplicate the process by causing confusion with over usage of unnecessary technical terms.

Two of the best, easiest to understand and inexpensive guides available are, Home Made Energy by Ben Ford and Green DIY energy.

Ben Ford is someone who acquired the knowledge to build his own solar energy system, thereby setting himself free from the ever increasing demands of the electric companies. To this end, he produced an excellent guide called Home Made Energy. This guide gives specific details on where to get all the materials, together with step by step instructions (including videos) on how to put everything together.

Green DIY energy also provides step by step instructions, including photos and illustrations and over one hour of videos.

There are other good guides on this subject, but these two have received some of the highest approvals from those who have used them. They also both come with a no-quibble 60-day money-back guarantee.

Note: If you are interested in DIY wind energy, this is also covered in detail within these guides.

Connecting Your Supply

One important factor that you will have to take into consideration is what kind of system you would like to use to supply your home solar electricity, of which there are basically three types. The first type is a grid-tied system in which your solar panels are tied into your current power meter. You are using both electricity supplied by your panels and your supply is then backed by electricity from your electric company. The second available solar panel system for supplying home solar electricity is a grid-tie with battery backup. With this system you are collecting electricity from the panels to top up your batteries, and the excess power is put back on the grid through your meter as a credit to your usage.  The final system is a stand-alone system. Very similar to the grid-tied system with battery backup except that you are completely disconnected or maybe never connected to a major utility provider for your area.

Conclusion

The benefits that come from being energy independent have never been more obvious. Having control over your own energy needs has always been appealing, but many people have been put off by the very high set-up and installation costs. With a little application and guidance however, building your own solar energy system can now become an inexpensive reality.

The important thing to note here is NOT to think that you CAN'T do this, because it's too complicated or you are just not practical enough. The fact is that with the right guidance it really is not very difficult.