Solar panels are the best investment one can make. But the real concern is the cost of solar panels. At some point of time you must have came across questions like how much do solar panels cost really? Manufacturing process for individual solar panels requires a great deal of specialized materials and engineering. As the production cost is expensive which leads to higher prices for customers.
The cost of solar panels depend on various factors. Some of these factors which determines the solar panels cost are listed below. Read them carefully as they will help you make a smart decision for life time.
1. The solar panels cost varies according to your home size, roof area available and the amount of energy required by your home. However the cost of solar panels are falling rapidly now days due to falling demand and increased inventories. It is the best time to reap the benefits of this valuable source.
2. The cost of solar panels were around 30,000$ for a complete system. But you can get the same panels now for just above 15,500$. The Federal Government and few state government provides 30% rebate on solar panels cost. This is due to the fact that you are taking pains to save the environment and non renewable resources.
3. The brand of the company and the amount of electrical power generated also determines the cost of solar panels. You might need to pay between 5$ to 15$ per watt and the full price could vary from 70$ to 1,000$. The panels are usually installed at roof and generate up to 200 watts of power per panel in the presence of sunlight. An array of solar panels are attached together to build a huge system. You can generate up to 1,000 watts of electrical power with a system of 5 panels which constitute 10% to 15% of energy consumption in a typical house per year.
4. Buying a new solar panel system could be a costly affair for you. Find used and cheap solar panels, they are good and works well too. But it takes quite a effort to find efficient used solar panels. Because the efficiency of a panel goes on falling over a period of time.
The good news about solar panels cost
The innovations in the field of alternative energy have lead to many DIY (DO IT YOURSELF) guides present in the market today. You can build your own solar panels by using these guides. The cost of solar panels will not get more than 200$.
The solar panels cost around 25,000$ - $40,000$, if you get them with the help of professionals. However the cost of solar panels could be brought down drastically to 200$ if you wish to do it applying your own DIY route.
To know about the best DIY guide available Click here...
Solar Panels Cost - The Actual Cost Of Solar Panels
Building Solar Panels in 5 Simple Steps
Frankly speaking, building solar panels for home is quite an easy job. You can build your own solar panels for home in just 5 simple steps. If you follow this guide closely, you could surely have great time building solar panels. More ever its get more fun as you progress with your work.
By using this information in this guide you can build a 12V solar panel. You can easily build a series of these panels to get a huge system to power your home. If you think, this s the kind of information you were looking, you can continue reading till the end.
These are the 5 steps involved in building solar panels for home.
1. Source for solar cells
You can get used or broken solar cells. You can also make solar cells at your place. I would prefer to buy new ones. If you want your panels to work efficiently for a longer period of time, then it would be better to get new cells from a shop.
But if you choose used or broken cells, they might worn out after a short period of time and you would have to replace them frequently.One of the ways to make solar cells is to heat copper plates to form cuprous oxide, a semiconductor. But the problem with them is, they are inefficient and only few microwatts of power is produced by each cell.
2. Solder the cells
The power generated by solar panels depend upon the number of cells connected together. If you need 12V energy supply, you have to join 24 solar cells in series as each of them produces nearly 0.5v. However few solar cells are not 0.5V rated, so check the specifications carefully before buying them.
3. Pasting the cells onto a substrate
Once you have joined the solar cells electrically, paste all of them on to a substrate. Many people tend to use silicon caulk. But you should know the correct technique to do so as caulk might get strained after using them for a short time.
4. Protective box
The next step in building solar panels is to make a protective box to hold the substrate. You can use plastic, wood or metal to build the box. Each of them have their own characteristics.
5. Cover the Solar Panel Box
Lastly, use a transparent plastic or glass to cover the box. This box prevent the cells from getting damaged due to due and precipitation. Maintenance is required for the box. Wipe out the surface of the box with a soft and damp cloth regular basis.
Your solar panels is ready to generate power for you. Do all the steps listed above completely to get better results. You can start building solar panels on your own from this very minute.
If you want the full detailed instructions on building solar panels of your own, click here...