DIY Solar Panels Now

Science Behind DIY Solar Panels

Nov.27, 2009 in About Solar Power Comments Off

NASA estimated that the Sun gives or irradiates the earth 174 Petawatts (Pw) of solar energy every day. Out of this approximately 30% of energy is reflected back to space, and another major share is absorbed by our atmosphere. Even if we get only 10% of this energy which is about 17.4 Pw per day, it is still more than the whole daily energy requirement worldwide.

If this much energy is freely available then why there are energy crisis. The answer is that we are not able to canalize fully all this energy to meet our requirements. Most Solar Cells which are available in the market are quite expensive to be accessible to our purchase power. But now we have an option of DIY Solar Panels. You need some good instructions and simple materials. By building your own DIY Solar Panels with patience and dedication you will start saving in energy bills and generates your own electricity.

Science behind the Working of your DIY Solar Panels:

Our DIY Solar Panels have photovoltaic cells or Solar Cells which are arranged in a grid-like pattern on its surface. Solar cells are made of special materials such as silicon. When the solar energy falls on our DIY Solar Panels, this energy knocks electrons loose and allows them to flow freely. The solar cells have the electric field that makes the loose electrons to flow in certain direction, which is a current. To draw this current off for external use we place metal contacts on the top and bottom of our solar cell.

This is the basic process. But to understand it better let’s consider one example of solar cell: the single-crystal silicon cell.

Silicon in its crystalline form has some special chemical properties. One single atom of silicon has 14 electrons which are arranged in three different shells. The first two inner shells which are closest to the center or nucleus are completely full. The outer shell has only four electrons. The outer shell is short of four electrons; therefore a silicon atom will always look for ways to fill up its last shell. For completing its outer shell, it will share the four electrons with its adjacent silicon atoms. This forms the crystalline structure. This was the description of pure crystalline silicon, which is a poor conductor of electricity. It means all the electrons are completely locked.

Solar cells have the silicon but with impurities and these impurities are actually put there for making it more conducting. Let’s think about an atom of silicon with that of phosphorous which has five electrons in its outer shell. When it bonds with its neighboring silicon atoms, there is one electron in phosphorous which is free. When energy or heat is added to it, most of these electrons go free, and hence we have a lot of free carriers. The process of adding impurities is called doping. When silicon atom is doped with phosphorous, then the resulting silicon which we get is called N-type (”n” for negative) because of the dominance of free electrons.

In fact, by this we got an N-type part of our solar cell. To get the other part silicon atom is doped with boron, which has three electrons instead of four in its outer shell, to turn into P-type silicon. In this P-type silicon (”p” for positive) we have free holes.

When we put N-type silicon together with P-type silicon, the free electrons from the N side, which requires holes to fall into, found the free holes on the P side, and they rush to fill them in. This completes the electric field, which makes our solar cell work.

Ralph Somers, Editor
DIY Solar Panels Information Portal

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Solar Panel Kits – 5 Reasons to Build Your Own Solar Panel Kit

Nov.25, 2009 in Benefits, Costs Comments Off

photo credit: Jesse Wagstaff

Solar panels have become extremely popular just in the past year due to rising energy prices and renewed concern for the earth and its atmosphere. You can buy solar panel kits that provide the materials you need for setting up your home with solar panels. While many home solar kits won’t put you “off the grid,” they can definitely put a huge dent in your home energy costs. Here are 5 reasons to build your own solar panels from kits.

1. Substantial Energy Savings. By supplementing home energy consumption with energy produced by solar panels from solar panel kits, you can cut your energy bills in half. While solar home kits are not usually able to fully power a conventional home, they can make an enormous difference. Make your own home solar power using solar power kits, and you save up front as well.

2. Use of Renewable Energy. Once all the oil and gas are gone, they’re gone for good. But solar power is renewable.

Unless you plan to stick around for another five billion years when the sun’s lifetime will be over, you’ll have enough solar power for the rest of your life. Depending on your climate, solar energy from solar power kits can be very abundant and go a long way toward reducing the use of fossil fuels for generation of electricity. The more of the process you are able to undertake yourself, such as by building panels from solar panel kits, the smaller you make your own environmental footprint.

3. Lack of Pollution. Other than whatever fossil fuels were used in the creation of the solar panels themselves, solar panels do not cause air pollution. Emissions data from 13 manufacturers of solar cells in Europe and the United States from 2004 through 2006 showed that solar power is 90% less polluting than power produced by fossil fuels, and the pollution that does come from manufacture and transport of solar cells ends after it is shipped and installed. If you make your own panels from kits you’re doing your part to minimize the impact of solar cell technology on the environment.

4. Ability to Customize Applications. There’s almost no limit to the number of common devices that can be powered by solar power from solar power kits: water heaters, satellites, landscaping lights, and even cars can be powered by solar energy. When people supplement their home’s power by building panels from solar panel kits, they can customize how that home solar power is used.

5. Availability Remotely. Running electric power lines to remote areas is not always the best way to provide electricity to those areas. But there are many remote areas, particularly in the desert, that can benefit greatly from using solar panels from solar panel kits. A new home built to be powered by solar panels can be self sufficient in terms of energy production and consumption. Even in areas with power lines nearby, solar may provide a viable alternative to connecting to the electric grid.

Home solar power is getting a tremendous boost in popularity with government tax breaks in the United States, and also around the world as people realize that alternatives to the use of fossil fuels are necessary for the health and future of the planet. Building solar panels from solar panel kits is one way people are taking environmental and energy concerns into their own hands.

Derrek Buttron is an Internet Marketer and IT Consultant who’s passions include helping people, spending time with family, good food, the mountains and recently solar panel kits and saving on energy bills.

http://www.solarpanel-kits.com

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Is it Worth Buying a Used Solar Panel?

Nov.23, 2009 in Tips Comments Off

photo credit: montereypubliclibrary

Most people opt to go solar for two reasons – one to save money and second to save the environment. As such they want the best possible deal for their money, while still helping to keep the environment green. As all environmentalists know, it is best to reuse products to derive the maximum possible mileage from them. So there is no harm in buying a used solar panel.

Another reason why it makes sense to buy used solar panels is that they retain 90 per cent of their ability to convert light energy into electricity even after 20 years. This means that used and old solar panels are as good as the new ones when it comes to output power. The only possible difference is that the older panels are not as sleek as the new ones. Older panels also occupy more space for the same amount of electricity to be produced.

When comparing solar panels, compare like with like. Calculate the wattage given per dollar invested and find out which unit on offer is cheaper.

Used solar arrays or single panels come to the market when corporations and industrial houses upgrade their facilities. This is done quite frequently by them. They then sell the old panels to resellers who market the used solar panels.

You can get quite inexpensive solar panels on eBay or other used products markets. You have to check a few things before you purchase used solar panels. Compare the wattage delivered or generated per dollar of your unit. The used ones should be at least 25 per cent cheaper per wattage than the new ones.

Also, older solar panels occupy more space than the compact new ones. Check your roof and ensure that you have adequate space for a set of old panels on your roof.

Also, ensure that there is no damage to the old solar panel you are buying. Check for any defects before you pay up. Check the bypass diode and ensure that it is not burnt. If it is ask for a discount and buy a new diode to replace it with.

Older panels have a plastic substrate that turns brown after use. This, however, does not reduce the electricity output. So, you should not worry too much about this when you are buying a used one.

Another reason why used solar panels are sold is a loose connection between the PV cells. You can fix this easily by soldering. So, it too does not pose a great problem and should not deter you from buying the panel.

Next time you hear about a sale, go ahead and check it out. You will save yourself a lot of money while at the same time going solar. This way you will help the ecology and environment in two ways – by reusing an old product and by using a renewable resource to produce electricity. Going solar is a wise option for those who want to save money and using used solar panels is the wiser option.

A. Jollands is a renewable energy advocate and a supporter of sustainable development. If you’d like more information on renewable energy, including how you can reduce your power bills using solar power at a fraction of the normal cost, be sure to check out Free Electricity Answers.

Or, if you want to jump straight to the Solar Energy Advantages page, just click the magic words!

Have a good day, all the best, A. Jollands

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