DIY Solar Power House

The same solar power used since the beginning of space exploration is increasingly being used for powering the average home. Although complex in nature, the technology can be simplified to build homemade solar panels.

Building homemade solar panels requires nothing more than several typical household tools plus a few additional items, such as solar cells, that can easily be sourced in your neighborhood DIY store or online. In fact if you think of this more as an assembling project, then you have already fought half the battle.

Like all such projects, make sure you get all of your required materials together before starting and the process will go much smoother. Here’s what you’ll need:

• a wooden frame
• black paint
• glaze
• waterproof sealant
• solder
• glue
• wires
• plastic panels
• solar cells (Note that cells to build homemade solar panels come either tabbed or untabbed. Always opt for tabs. They cost just a few cents more, but they are easier in the long run and will save you valuable time.)

When joining the cells, the most important thing is to make sure that they all conduct the current into the same direction. Similar to how a series of two or more batteries in any household electronic device will all point in the same direction. Other than that, it is just a matter of gluing them to one another. This string of cells (usually 6 rows of 6) should be placed on you plastic backing and then inserted into the wooden frame. Use the plastic paneling to cover the wood, protecting it from the elements. Then glue it down and using a caulk gun to apply the sealant. The back and wires should also be protected to prevent erosion and heat loss respectively.

At this stage, attach your panels to a battery back up so that any excess energy you don’t use can be stored for nighttime use and use on cloudy days.

Solar panel installation is always best in full sun. That means you should choose a location where the panels will not be obstructed by trees or other buildings as much as possible. This also means that if you are in the northern hemisphere, your panels should face south. In the southern hemisphere, they should face north. And if you live near the equator, flat is generally the best direction to point them.

Even though it only takes a weekend, don’t be fooled. Making solar energy makes a world of difference in your home’s energy efficiency. It is a welcomed addition to a world continually under threat from over mining as well as air and water pollution.

The desire to build homemade solar panels is not just about saving money, it’s about making the world more livable for generations to come. Like other forms of green energy, its carbon footprint is little to none.

Teaching children to build homemade solar panels is an important tool in their education about the world they live in and their relationship to it. The sun has been in existence for 4.5 billion years and will likely be here for at least that much longer, so it is surely the easiest way of generating energy throughout their lifetime and beyond.