SOLAR PANELS MADE

Making your own Solar Panels is not only fashionable, but also extremely practical. The
mounting power bills we have been seeing are only going to get worse; and that is what has got
scientists thinking. For a long time now, the easiest solutions seemed to be those which harness
the power of the sun, and solar power has been making steady inroads into our power grid
Though the total solar energy generated by the genre is under 0.5%, the future sure seems
bright. And that drive is being pushed through by individual home owners who are installing
small solar panels on their roofs to augment the power they use from the grid.

Here are a few simple steps by which you can make your own solar panels. For that you need a
few small things you need to buy from your local hardware store

A 16 Volt Solar Panel

A 12 Volt rechargeable battery of lead or acid

A battery box

Inverter

DC Meter

Equipment for installation including drills and screws.

Here is how you can install your own solar panel at home.

Attach the DC meter to the top end of the battery box. For this, you will need a handheld drill.

Connect the DC meter to the battery. For this, use insulated wire, and connect the wire to the
negative input first and then the positive.

Connect the DC inlet and the solar panel you purchased earlier to the battery.

Close the box and put out the whole apparatus in the sun

It would typically take about 8 hours of charging for the battery to be able to store enough
power to take care of some part of the electrical consumption at home.

Now, there are also options which allow you to make the solar panel using solar cells and a
sheet of metal; but we did not want to talk about that here, as it is not going to cost you a lot of
money to pick up a readymade solar panel from your local store. If you live by the sea, you
could also try and get a second hand panel from your local marina, as they are bound to have a
few leftover from the boat repairs they undertake. You could also do without the battery box; but
for safety’s sake, it is always recommended that you use a box and seal the whole thing in.
Especially if you have kids at home, you need to make sure you have the box fully sealed.
If you are wondering if it really is that easy, don’t! A solar panel can be installed by a school
going kid with a working knowledge of how wires are connected. All it needs is the right kind of
equipment and that is easily available out there. If you buy a readymade solar panel from
outside, it would cost you upwards of $ 1000. However, installing one at home can be done at a
fifth of the cost, and are as efficient as the ready made ones are. Try it!