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Wow…there comes the sun again. Every time you look out the window, are you thinking “I would really like to start going solar…but….I just can’t see how I can afford it?” There is a way. In fact, a huge benefit often overlooked by people considering solar is that it can be done…one small step at a time.
Most households need look no further than their hot water heater. Did you know that the average households needs four or five thousand kilowatts of power per year just to heat the water they use? Doesn’t this sound like a good starting point? A project like this can help you determine the costs and benefits of going solar, and once you’ve got this installed, building an enter solar system won’t seem so daunting.
You don’t have to break the bank with a solar hot water heater. You can look at a couple of different options…building your own hot water heater and installing it yourself…or having it done professionally.
Before you start, think about where you want your hot water tank to be. If you’re OK with the looks and live in a warm enough climate, you could put your hot water tank with the photovoltaic collector both mounted on the roof. Or, if you live in a little cooler area…or maybe just aren’t crazy about seeing a hot water tank on your roof…you could mount the collector on the roof and put the water tank in the attic. You could also build your own collector system and put your water tank beside your house and pump it in. This is called a hot water batch collector. There’s a great how-to article with pictures and instructions on how to build a hot water batch collector at www.byexample.com, where you can also find an illustration of the attic water heater attached to a solar collector on the roof.
Whether it’s a hot water heater, or some other solar energy provider, you can build your system slowly and economically. Maybe you just want to build one solar panel, and see how it works. You can build one in your spare time in your shop or garage without a lot of material or difficulty. First, you’ll need to collect the necessary parts…a shallow box to hold the necessary components…generally plywood or metal, solar cells, substrate such as masonite pegboard, wire, screws and hardware to hold the box together, a diode, a jones plug, a piece of plexiglass or glass to cover the box and protect the cells, and some silicone caulk to make sure your box is sealed against the elements.
A blocking diode is mounted inside the panel, and the solar cells are soldered together in a series. When you’re done, you’ll need the polarized two-pin jones plug to connect at the end of the wires. The glass or plexiglass cover that goes over the top protects the cells. Then, the silicone seal around the sides and edges prevents water and moisture from damaging the cells inside the panel. Once everything’s assembled, properly sealed, then all you need to do is to connect your panel to either a battery bank or inverter, and you’ve got a mini-solar energy system…or the first piece to your larger system.
All of the details of one particular solar panel construction using this recipe, with box size, cell size, photographs, and where all of the material can be obtained, can be found at http://www.mdpub.com.
With just a little research, and Google or some other search engine, you can find lots of information on how to build solar hot water heaters and other solar projects. There are also any number of books available on line or in your favorite bookstore.
If you liked building your own solar panel, or solar hot water heater, and really could see that it wasn’t that expensive, or time consuming, don’t quit. Keep building.
If you’d like to move on into living “off the grid”, you can start making your plans now. Design a system that will support your home, and start putting the system together slowly…as you can afford it. OKSolar.com is a great website that will help you determine your energy needs before you start putting together what it will take to build a system. They walk you through what your daily energy budget is, and then show you how to determine what that looks like in battery and inverter wattage. It’s also a good place to look if you decide to buy your solar panels premade rather than doing it yourself, but still build the system.
At http://www.byexample.com/homestead/energy/current_system, you can find an excellent example of how someone started small and then expanded their solar energy system. The author describes in good detail how they started their project with just several 12V PV panels of different wattages, and have continued to upgrade, with a plan to move soon to a 24 volt system.
Their tips on buying many “pre-owned” parts to build their system, and using as many “around the house” available resources for insulation and construction of their system, can help even the most budget-conscious builder become an “off the grid” solar power aficionado.
Learn more about home solar power by stopping by Timothy Peters’s site where you can check out his ebook “Home Solar Power Explained, where can find out how to benefit from home solar power.
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