When considering ways of saving money and also helping the environment, Homemade Solar Cells may be the answer. Using solar power to supply your home or business is one of the most cost effective and environmentally friendly ways of generating power. Although the idea of carrying out a DIY Solar Energy project may seem daunting, it can save you $1000's, and there is plenty of help out there to assist you.
One question that many people ask before starting their Homemade Solar Cells project is: "What do I need to complete the conversion?". Let’s cover the basics of what you’ll need.
There are 7 main components that you will require for converting your home, less if you are only building a portable power system:
1: SOLAR PANELS; In a DIY application these will be built by yourselves. You’ll need photovoltaic cells (PV’s) which can be assembled into 50W, 75W or 100W panels. Don’t be put off by the long words. Solar Photovoltaics are simply an array of individual cells which contain a material that converts solar radiation into DC electricity. You should have little problem in sourcing these as due to the mounting demand for renewable energy the production of cells has increased substantially over recent years.
2: ARRAY DC DISCONNECT; This is basically a switch which allows you to cut the DC power from your solar panels should maintenance be required. In the majority of systems the power would revert back to your main energy supplier.
3: CHARGE CONTROLLER; Most home systems will have a battery backup. This item ensures that a consistent amount of power is sent to the batteries, and that they don’t discharge at nights.
4: DEEP CYCLE BATTERIES; These store the power from your solar cells. A deep cycle battery is designed to deliver a consistent voltage as the battery discharges. The number of batteries that you would require in your system is dependent on the level of power that you are using in your home.
5: SYSTEM METER; This component is optional but will let you know how much power is being fed into your home from the solar panels. It will enable you to monitor the incoming power and ensure that you have built sufficient homemade solar cells to cover your energy needs.
6: CONVERTER; Your solar panels will be producing DC power, while your home will be using AC power. The converter enables the solar energy to be used by your home.
7: BACKUP POWER; Most systems will require some form of backup power, in most instances this will be provided by your current power supply. If you reside in an ‘off-grid’ location, or if you are planning a system to supply your total energy needs, you should have a generator to hand should your main supply fail for whatever reason.
You now have an idea of what elements are required to get your home running on renewable energy using homemade solar cells.
If you haven’t done so yet, you should seriously consider downloading a reputable guide to installing solar power. This will ensure that you have all the information you need to complete a successful conversion.
If you are seriously interested in saving yourself a great deal of money whilst helping the environment, Homemade Solar Cells are well worth considering. To find out how easy it is to get started checkout http://homemade-solar-cells.com/
