solar cell prices per watt
There is a large push on for adding renewable energy types to household energy requirements in this country. This is, in part, due to fears over the cap and trade regulation raising the costs of power. It is also driven incentives by the Federal and several state budgets, and the general appeal of self sufficiency in the current economic climate.
Buying a solar panel array from a commercial vendor can be expensive, with costs per watt of power of about $4.50. When you calculate this by the typical kilowatt or two that a modern American household uses, that $4.50 runs to a nearly $5,000 to $12,000 investment. However, commercial solar panel arrays are built from “perfect parts”, and it is possible to cut out several of the items of expense by learning to build solar panels for your own use.
When you are looking to build solar panels, you need to focus on realistic assessments of both your energy needs, and your time commitment. This is a great do it yourself project if you are comfortable with light carpentry work, and know how to read a circuit diagram. If you do not know how to do either of these things, then you are probably best off buying a commercial one.
If you are going to build solar panels, you should start by looking at where your energy is actually used; it is often much more cost efficient to buy energy saving appliances or solar reflective window shades than it is to buy solar panels, or make them yourself. Look at your monthly and annual energy usage. Look for peaks based on climate control, and then look up your household appliances (refrigerators are the big culprit here) for what consumes power. If you use a dryer, consider hanging out your wash to dry on its own.
Solar cell arrays and solar power solutions start with more than building solar panels. Your solar panel collects energy, but you will also need a system to both store it, and to “invert it”. Most solar panels and solar power systems start with a battery array; good tips on building solar panels cover things like what types of batteries to buy (usually marine or deep cycle batteries) and how to wire the batteries into arrays.
Your solar panel will go from your roof top to this battery array. Good construction advice will tell you how to wire up a series of solar panels when you build them to overcome the voltage requirement needed to power the batteries. It may also include plans for a photo-tracking sun sensor that will pivot your solar panels to follow the sun across the sky as the Earth rotates.
Once the power is in your batteries, the next step on a solar power system will cover the wiring and use of something called an “inverter”; inverters convert the DC power stored in your batteries into AC power for running your appliances. You will want the inverter to be the last step in the process, because it gets warm. (This is the same reason why the power brick for your laptop or cell phone gets warm.)
Learning to build your own solar panels can save you a fair bit of money, but solar panels, as we have made clear, are only one part of the total solar power solution. Read all the advice you get carefully and make sure it touches on all three points.
There are a number of resources available for teaching you to build your own solar panels that are available online. Discover the most recommended guides.
