How to build a homemade solar panel – The battery

How to build a homemade solar panel – The battery

The battery “hosts” a certain reversible chemical reaction that stores electrical

energy that can later be retrieved when needed. Electrical energy is

transformed into chemical energy when the battery is being charged, and the

reverse happens when the battery is discharged.

 

A battery is formed by a set of elements or cells arranged in series. Leadacid

batteries consist of two submerged lead electrodes in an electrolytic solution

of water and sulfuric acid.

 

A potential difference of about 2 volts takes

place between the electrodes, depending on the instantaneous value of the

charge state of the battery.

 

The most common batteries in photovoltaic solar

applications have a nominal voltage of 12 or 24 volts. A 12 V battery therefore

contains 6 cells in series.

 

The battery serves two important purposes in a photovoltaic system: to provide

electrical energy to the system when energy is not supplied by the array

of solar panels, and to store excess energy generated by the panels whenever

that energy exceeds the load.

 

The battery experiences a cyclical process

of charging and discharging, depending on the presence or absence of

sunlight. During the hours that there is sun, the array of panels produces

electrical energy. The energy that is not consumed immediately it is used to

charge the battery. During the hours of absence of sun, any demand of electrical

energy is supplied by the battery, thereby discharging it.

 

These cycles of charge and discharge occur whenever the energy produced

by the panels does not match the energy required to support the load. When

there is sufficient sun and the load is light, the batteries will charge. Obviously,

the batteries will discharge at night whenever any amount of power is

required. The batteries will also discharge when the irradiance is insufficient

to cover the requirements of the load (due to the natural variation of climatological

conditions, clouds, dust, etc.)

If the battery does not store enough energy to meet the demand during periods

without sun, the system will be exhausted and will be unavailable for

consumption. On the other hand, the oversizing the system (by adding far too

many panels and batteries) is expensive and inefficient. When designing a

stand-alone system we need to reach a compromise between the cost of

components and the availability of power from the system. One way to do

this is to estimate the required number of days of autonomy.

 

In the case of a telecommunications system, the number of days of autonomy depends on

its critical function within your network design. If the equipment is going to

serve as repeater and is part of the backbone of your network, you will likely

want to design your photovoltaic system with an autonomy of up to 5-7 days.

 

On the other hand, if the solar system is responsible for a providing energy to

client equipment you can probably reduce number of days of autonomy to

two or three. In areas with low irradiance, this value may need to be increased

even more. In any case, you will always have to find the proper balance

between cost and reliability.

 

Types of batteries

 

Many different battery technologies exist, and are intended for use in a variety

of different applications. The most suitable type for photovoltaic applications

is the stationary battery, designed to have a fixed location and for

scenarios where the power consumption is more or less irregular. “Stationary”

batteries can accommodate deep discharge cycles, but they are not designed

to produce high currents in brief periods of time.

 

Stationary batteries can use an electrolyte that is alkaline (such as Nickel-

Cadmium) or acidic (such as Lead-Acid). Stationary batteries based on

Nickel-Cadmium are recommended for their high reliability and resistance

whenever possible. Unfortunately, they tend to be much more expensive and

difficult to obtain than sealed lead-acid batteries.

In many cases when it is difficult to find local, good and cheap stationary batteries

(importing batteries is not cheap), you will be forced to use batteries

targeted to the automobile market.

 

Using car batteries

 

Automobile batteries are not well suited for photovoltaic applications as they

are designed to provide a substantial current for just few seconds (when

starting then engine) rather than sustaining a low current for long period of

time. This design characteristic of car batteries (also called traction batteries)

results in an shortened effective life when used in photovoltaic systems.

Traction batteries can be used in small applications where low cost is the

most important consideration, or when other batteries are not available.

Traction batteries are designed for vehicles and electric wheelbarrows. They

are cheaper than stationary batteries and can serve in a photovoltaic installation,

although they require very frequent maintenance. These batteries

should never be deeply discharged, because doing so will greatly reduce

their ability to hold a charge. A truck battery should not discharged by more

than 70% of its total capacity. This means that you can only use a maximum

of 30% of a lead-acid battery’s nominal capacity before it must be recharged.

You can extend the life of a lead-acid battery by using distilled water. By using

a densimeter or hydrometer, you can measure the density of the battery’s

electrolyte.

 

A typical battery has specific gravity of 1.28. Adding distilled water

and lowering the density to 1.2 can help reduce the anode’s corrosion, at a

cost of reducing the overall capacity of the battery. If you adjust the density of

battery electrolyte, you must use distilled water, as tap water or well water

will permanently damage the battery.

What is Holding Back the Adoption of Solar Generated Electricity in the United States?

The US currently has about 700 megawatts of installed solar panel electricity generation connected to the grid, according to research by the consulting firm, Navigant. This represents less than 1% of all the electricity generated in the US.

Each state controls the speed of solar adoption by heir independent policies. If these policies remain nchanged, generation from solar panels in the US, both commercial and residential generators are expected to grow to 6,000 megawatts by the year 2015.

Three thousand of the 6,000 megawatts will be generated in California. The incentive programs of California are the gold standard among supporters of solar power. Growth in the home solar-power market will not take off until more states adopt favorable net metering rules. The relaxed solar implementation can offset the cost of installing renewable power system and capture electricity that is being loss from the potential solar generation. The Navigant report estimates that an additional 3,000 megawatts of solar panel electricity could be available in the next eight years if the states with solar implementation limitations lifted their caps.

There are eight states that have no net-metering rules. These states are South Dakota, Kansas, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Florida, Arizona and my own state, South Carolina. A list compiled by New Energy Source lists California, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Maryland receiving the highest scores for solar adaptation with the remaining states of lower scores because of restrictive laws.

As of September 2007, 39 states had adopted some measures of rules to compensate consumers for sending self-generated renewable power to the grid. There is a lot behind the scenes that the states and power generation companies are willing to wage a serious fight to preclude Federal mandates to push solar renewable energy.

In my state of South Carolina, the Santee Electrical Cooperative, which is owned by the state of South Carolina, is proposing a $998 million dollar coal burning generators. The site has been put on hold by the federal government for a deeper study of the environmental impact. Meanwhile, Santee continues the fight with their commissioned study. Their study concludes “$900 million in economic output, $500 million in earnings and 9,300 jobs for South Carolinians” Unfortunately; Santee made no attempt to study the environmental impact or what a combination of renewable/nonrenewable future actions would mean to the state.

The federal renewable fuels bill has been stopped in the US Senate. Southern Co., American Electric Power Co. and other coal fired producers hired top Washington lobbyists, including Rudy Giuliani’s firm, to help defeat a measure that would force them to boost electricity generated by wind, solar and other forms of renewable energy to 15 percent of the U.S. total by 2020. That’s up from less than 2 percent today, and is a move the industry says would cost at least $67 billion. Southern Co. has spent $7.26 million this year lobbying Congress, more than Exxon Mobil Corp. or General Motors Corp., according to the Washington-based Center for Responsive Politics. It hired such firms as Bracewell & Giuliani LLP, where Republican presidential front-runner Giuliani is a partner. The bill would require utilities to obtain 2.75 percent of their power from renewable sources starting in 2010, ramping that up to 15 percent by 2020. Almost one-quarter of the mandate could be met by improving efficiency. Companies that fail to meet the standard would have to pay a penalty to the federal government. The cooperative of Southern Co and other generating companies consider this too high of a barrier and appear to have succeeded to remove the renewable fuel section from the bill going to President Bush.

The average homeowner does not have a vote in adopting renewable fuels electrical generation standards. The battle is being conducted by the state and federal government and powerful electrical generating companies. The problem is that the average homeowner will be the big loser in this struggle. Our major recourse is to write our state and federal representative to adopt measure that we can utilize the potential cost savings and reduces pollution of solar generated electricity.

Our letters to our government representatives should ask for means to:

* Encourage greater renewable-energy generation

* Promote customer-sited distributed generation (wind and solar fuels)

* Reduce demand on an ever increasingly strained grid

* Reward investment in renewable technologies

* Facilitate energy independence

* Improve air quality and public health

* Promote in-state economic development.

Most states that have revised their interconnection and net-metering policies have done so in pursuit of these same goals.

Homemade Solar Light in a Jar

Using a homemade solar light is a convenient way to illuminate a part of your home without adding to your monthly energy bill. This is ideal for spaces which have enough sunlight during the day. At night the light will automatically turn on, to illuminate that part of your home.

However, while this might seem like a good idea at first, it does have its disadvantages. When it is used indoors, the charge doesn’t seem to be enough to keep the LED on, once darkness falls. And one LED is not enough to provide sufficient light. It is more practical to stick to commercial solar lights.

But making a homemade solar light is a good way of teaching your kids about how solar energy works. This is a perfect family project to do with them. This simple project can give them an understanding of the value of solar energy.

What you need for a homemade solar light is the following:

* One glass jar

* A solar garden light

* Rechargeable battery

* Tracing paper

The glass jar must be made of clear glass because this is where you’ll be placing the solar panels. You won’t require special tools for this project – just a screwdriver and a utility knife. When working with kids, be sure it keep the knife away from them.

Now here’s the fun part that I’m sure most kids will love.

1. The first step is to get the solar garden light and carefully take it apart. What we need from it are the solar panels, the charge controller, and the LED light. But if you don’t the idea of ripping apart a perfectly working device to salvage its parts, you can purchase a small solar panel, a light sensor, and an LED from specialty electronic shops. You might need to have a little knowledge of electronics in order to assemble it.

2. Now open your glass jar and place the components in it, with the solar panels on the cover facing outwards. You can secure the parts by using hot glue. Then cut a strip of tracing paper and place it at the sides of the glass jar. The kids can draw on the tracing paper. An alternative to this is to use glass frosting spray. Once you’re done, gently place the jar cover with care.

3. Now place your homemade solar light near a window (or, if possible, outdoors) so as to achieve maximum exposure to the sun. This could be perfect for camping as well.

Using Home Solar Panels to Your Advantage

On one hand there is the increasing costs of energy bills and on the other hand there is the issue of saving the environment. Both these issues are interlinked to each other and play a huge part in our lives. It is due to these two facts that most owners of homes are looking for alternative means to power their homes. Their problems are resolved by using home solar panels that permit them to harness the free power of sunlight and convert the same into free electricity. Not free exactly since you have to pay the initial price for the solar panels, but after that you do not have to pay anything as long as there are no special bills that will charge you for using sunlight.

Users of electricity all over the world know that the costs of power are increasing every year and a time will come when they shall no longer be able to afford electricity current for their day-to-day uses. Think of your kitchen and the gas or oil powered ovens you are using. The costs of gas and oil too will increase, since there are limited reserves of these natural fuels left. The only way to avoid monetary crunch is by employing solar cells that will permit you to use as much electricity that you want without spending any money for the same. No doubt, the batteries that are used to store the power generated by these cells have a limited life, but if you consider the savings on your power bill, it is peanuts.

Just visit any store that deals in these photovoltaic panels or check out any site on the Internet that sells them and you will find that they are extremely cheap. Make a small calculation and you will find that these cells pay of for themselves in just a few months of use. The government too is encouraging usage of photovoltaic cells and is providing tax relief and other sops to those who are planning to install and use these environment friendly sources of power. Most such panels are also available in kit form and installing them is quite easy. If you have a basic knowledge of soldering then you can easily set up one such panel. However, if you are not familiar with soldering irons, you can purchase a pre-configured panel that should not cost you more than $3000 and that will take care of your domestic electric requirements.

Check out your recent power bills and you will realize that the home solar panels will pay off for themselves in a short period of time. It is high time you prepared yourself for the power source of the future and ensured that you are not left in the lurch. The days are not far away when using alternative sources of power shall remain the only alternative. It does not cost too much to assemble such a power plant and you will be proud of the fact that you have set up your own power plant.

Homemade Solar Panels- How To Build Your Very Own Solar Panels

Since the increase of energy cost several individuals have turned to putting in homemade solar panels for their homes. I noticed that professionally installed solar panels were very expensive and wasn’t one thing I could afford. I found a fun and straightforward alternative to the high priced professional units, and that was to create my own homemade solar panels.

I found that any DIY person can easily find out how to create solar panels for their home or business.  When I was comparing the cost of a purchasing and putting in a pre-built solar panel unit, I revealed that it is a lot of cheaper to shop for the materials and do it yourself. By learning how to make solar panels for yourself, you’ve got control over the dimensions, shape, and style of your solar panels as well.

Once I found a top quality step by step instructional manual the next step was to purchase all the equipment required to make your very own homemade solar panels.  Most of the supplies like wire, plywood, and glass etc.. are found all hardware stores or you can pick up a number of the equipment on the Internet. Of course you need to get the foremost significant item that is that the photovoltaic cells, those are simply available on the Internet.  It can take on average about 1-2 days to assemble a one hundred watt solar panel once you have got learned the simple assembly process. This can be the ideal sum of electricity to operate tiny appliances at intervals your home.  

I found that building solar panels was painless due to the fact I had a good quality set of instructions. I did pay a few dollars on a good quality guide, trust me their could be a heap of junk out there. The fact is its so much cheaper and value effective to build your own homemade panels than to have a professional do it.

Wouldn’t you like to know the secret to making homemade solar panels from home therefore you can slash your electrical bills?  I can be honest with you the step by step guide is good if you wish reading. I’ve got to mention that the greatest half of this instructional manual is that the very straightforward to follow video that essentially holds your hand all the way through the process. Trust me it cannot get any easier than that. If I could build solar panels, anyone could do it. Please visit me Homemade Solar Panels and you will find out how easy it really is to build your very own solar panels.

Make Homemade Solar Panels – The Simple Guide

Do you want to make your own homemade solar panels? It is a good thing that more and more persons are putting interest in discovering ways to create solar panel at home. The sun is always generating enough energy more than our world needs. It is always there for you to exploit. The prices of energy have been increasing at an incredible manner for some years now and it is tough for some people to settle their utility bills, most things are increasing but your salary isn’t. Majority of persons experiencing these increase in prices of energy are searching for other ways to save money on energy.

Solar energy is few of the inexpensive means to get renewable energy. Once you install solar panels in your home, it will fully change the need to buy power from the utility firms. This is the way to stay off the grid and you will be able to power majority of the appliances in your home utilizing solar energy. In contrast to other sources of power, solar power is 100% green energy and it can be renewed. The major setback to this is the cost of installing, it is very costly.

It can cost up to $20,000 to $30,000, including the panels, batteries, converters and other equipments used for it. These huge numbers may make people intending to install this kind of energy to change their mind but the good news is that there are ways to go around this in order to spend less than $500 for what you would have paid over $20,000 for. Luckily for you, it is possible for you to use your own hand to create your solar panel for a small proportion of the cost. The equipment you require to make yours will cost below $200, together with an easy to follow step by step manual which you will use to build yours.

It is very essential to find a helpful DIY solar panel manual.

Qualities of a good solar panel guide

–   Adequate colorful pictures, illustration and diagrams which you can easily grasp.

–   Step by step videos and instructions

–    The manual should be made clear using a simple language which you can easily understand

You can find some varieties of DIY solar guides which you can make use of on the internet and they are not too costly. Again, you can easily find free info all over the internet but the problem I had with them is that it is difficult to gather them together and also some of them skip important steps. The manual I used to build my own solar panel cost just $50 and it did guide me well towards creating my own panel. It steps come in 2 guides, it’s written in text form with colorful pictures and illustrations and its second guides is a DVD format.

Earth 4 Enery is a DIY manual which consists of videos and guides which you can easily use to build your own solar panel from home for under $200. If you want to live off the grid, now is your opportunity to build yours to less than the price of one.

Check it out at http://modospot.com/review/earth4energy.html

Home Solar Power Explained

Home Solar Power Explained Breaks Down The World Of Home Solar Power Into Easy, Understandable Language To Equip The Everyday Person In Powering Their Home With Sun. Home Solar Power Explained

Build Homemade Solar Panels

Build Your Own Solar Panels

Many people have already seen a 65-80% decrease in their electrical bill’s.

Building your own , homemade solar panel’s is not hard. You can get everything you need with any hassle. usually you can find the materials locally. What I usually tell people is that building homemade solar panel’s is similar to a science fair project. And similar to any project, it’s alway’s funner to build one withj your kid’s and family.

And you will never feel like you do when you are finished. You made it, by yourself , with your own 2 hands. Awesome!

Personally , me and my wife used a homemade Solar Panel kit. It had picture’s and video’s that made it very easy to understand.  You know you are doing exactly what you are supposed to be doing at ALL time’s. And the solar panel’s looked great when finished as well.

Build Your Own , Homemade Solar Panels

There are a few benefit’s to building your own homemade solar panels for your home. I figured that listing them would give you the best opportunity to see what they are and get a good idea of why we should ALL think about building our own solar panels:

Easy to follow building kit – Video’s and Pictures keep you completely aware Learn how to build the actual Solar Powered Generator Build complete solar power cells – Work just like a huge battery for KEEPING the energy created by the Solar Panels Bonus Plans for building a Wind Turbine The perfect Solar Panel Kit for building the most cost effective Solar Panels Great for learning how to build portable, smaller solar panels Also -You will even learn how to conserve your oil and gas for your vehicles And plenty more great benefit’s that will leave you very excited about your choice to build Homemade Solar Panels

Using the particular DIY Solar Panel building Kit we used will even provide you with a way to build the solar panels for free. You wont get the materials for free right away. As we all know, you get paid by the government AFTER you complete your solar panels. But, instead of having to search for the exact IRS Rebate form’s needed to get your government reimbursement, you can get those same form’s as soon as you grab the Solar panel building kit. Trust me, it’s alway’s better to be provided with form’s like that without having to hunt them down. Hey, before I give out the link to this homemade solar panel kit, I just want to say that we should feel proud of all the people that are making it a point to use green energy. We CAN do something that make’s a difference. Even if you dont decide to use solar panel’s, dont be afraid to keep on looking. There are other energy source’s out there. As long as we all decide to use one of them, we are doing  our part.

You can find link’s to 3 different green energy source’s and the Homemade Solar Panel Building Kit Here:

The Truth About Homemade Solar Panel Prices

Would you like to learn more about solar panel prices?   Are you ready to install a solar panel system to your home but don’t know if you can really afford to do it?  Let me ask you this, can you even remember a day when you didn’t have to worry about your energy bill, rising costs, and deregulation? With today’s technology you can reduce your energy bills with homemade solar panels and you can do it easily and inexpensively.

There is a huge misconception concerning solar panel prices. Yes it is true that residential solar power systems that are installed by the big companies can cost you upwards of $8,000 to $20,000. And yes, these systems can actually save you your entire energy bill. The problem with these systems is that the return on your initial investment may take years and years to recover. This is just not a reasonable solution for the average citizen who wants to save on their energy bills.

Homemade solar panels are proven to save you money, are easy to assemble and install, and can even be completed over the course of a weekend if you’re well prepared. You don’t have to be an experienced carpenter because even the most novice handyman can realistically do the job.

Solar panel prices, when you build the panels yourself, will cost you less than $200 in materials. Just ask the thousands of people who have already successfully built a residential solar power system and are already saving 50% – 80% of their energy bills.

This savings can easily add up to at least $1000 over the course of a year. This will be substantially more if you actually heat your home with electricity. The best part of all of this is that you will realize a return on your initial investment in as little as three months. If you’re like me, you realize that this is a much more reasonable return than having a system installed by professionals.

You may be asking what you need to do to get started on this exciting project. Well, the first and most important thing to do is to buy the best step by step guide that you can get your hands on. I recommend that you find a guide that has very clear, detailed instructions and drawings. Videos are also a necessity because most of us are visual learners.

You’ll find that solar panel prices are inexpensive if your guide has a detailed materials list that tells you how to get the best priced material for your panels. Once you’ve got the materials in hand you can have your system built over the course of weekend.  So don’t waste any time.  Get started today with the best step by step guide available that will let you build a solar panel system to rival those from the professionals.

Do It Yourself Solar Panels for Home-Cheapest Do It Yourself Solar Panels for Home

Solar power is the energy of the future. Learn how to build the cheapest do it yourself solar panels for home. A few of the numerous advantages of solar energy are first and foremost its free, easy to harness and is capable to provide more energy than what is needed by most households.

You might be aware that commercially sold solar power panels for home have their worth in thousands of dollars. But, did you know you can actually go solar for a fraction of that cost?

Why Go Solar?

Solar panels are made up of tiny PV cells, also known as photovoltaic cells. The PV cells capture sun light and store it in a battery. The energy stored in the battery is then transformed into exploitable electricity using an inverter. Solar power is a renewable resource of energy and free to harness once you have installed solar panels.

Installing ready made solar panels can be quite expensive and can cost you anywhere from $10,000 – $18,000 to solar power you entire home. You can solar power your entire home for a fraction of this amount if you learn to build do it yourself solar panels for home. Making your own solar panels is cheap and easy, all the required raw materials can be easily picked up from the local hardware or electrical store. This also cuts down on any further impact on the environment as the solar power panels do not go through any manufacturing processes.

Going Solar Is Easy!

Various kits are offered to download from different vendors that will teach you how to build do it yourself solar panels for home. The downloaded kits include steps for calculating the actual electricity that you require from solar panels based upon your utility bills. Once you have that information you can start building your own solar panels, typically you can easily build a 100 watt solar panel in a day very easily.

Now, that’s not something substantial, but when you can easily redo the whole process over and over again, you can completely go off-grid with a few days of work and perhaps sell back the extra power back to the utility company. Now, how is that for a change? You’ll get a check from the utility provider!

Save Heaps!

Once you install do it yourself solar panels for home, they will pay for themselves many times over the course of their life. Generally, solar panels have an average lifetime for 25-30 years requiring little to no maintenance. So, you do the math here and calculate how much you are set to save!

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