Building Solar Panels

Building Solar Panels…A DIY PROJECT

The sun is shining, and the only cloud in the sky is the fact that you may be “Off The Grid” because of a disaster that just came about. Your answer to the problem may be that you need to examine how to build solar panels seriously, and here are a few tips that might help…

Check out the online specials for materials and save on the construction cost. In addition, many suppliers will offer everything required to complete the job, as well as plans and advice on assembly.

Here is a video that will walk you through the process:

The tools needed to build solar panels will probably already build in the workshop and include a hammer, saw, soldering iron, screwdrivers, and a knife.

The materials list is a little longer, but most people already have some timber to make the frame for mounting the panels on the roof and the screws and wood panels to house the cells.

Purchase pre-tabbed photo-voltaic cells and the tab wiring to connect them. Some Eva glue, solder and flux, plastic sheeting to cover the lid of the housing as well as blocking diodes to stop current reversal, and the project can be started.

The next step to building solar panels is to make a cup of coffee and decide where the solar panels will be sited. South-facing slope of 30?…. that is not shaded or in the path of natural pests is required, and if possible, one that will allow wiring to be easily conducted into the area you choose to house the storage batteries.

When starting out to build solar panels, allow a weekend and clear a space on the workshop floor that is clean and dust-free. The process is essentially an assembly project once the cells are fixed to a backing board in rows, usually of 6×6 size.

Join the cell tabs with the wire, add the blocking diodes and cable to connect to the storage battery, and cover it with the plastic lid. Seal the whole unit with the silicone grouting.

Mounting the solar panels on the roof should occur after some insulation has been applied to the rear of the housing, and to make the unit efficient, paint all the housing black – not the lid, though!

This may be a two-person job, not just because solar panels can be heavy, but because working at heights is awkward and more difficult.

If the whole thing seems too much for the DIY skills, you can purchase a kit set or a complete unit. Before you buy, check out someone who has already gone down the same track of building solar panels, or at least try to see a solar-powered unit in action.

The project should be fun, as learning how to build solar panels is survival technology that can give the homeowner some true independence in times when the supply of power can be unreliable or just plain unavailable.