| With the increasing cost of electricity bills, it makes | | | | energy system is used to run small Direct Current (DC) |
| great sense to look out for alternative form of energy. | | | | appliances. But with the inclusion of a power inverter, |
| Among the many options available in the market, solar | | | | the DC can now be converted to Alternate Current |
| powered homes work great. Most people do not use | | | | (AC). Most modern electric equipment nowadays runs |
| Photovoltaic (PV) power at home because of their | | | | on AC. |
| high initial cost. But many are not aware that a Do It | | | | Here's a simple rule. If you need a lot of power, you will |
| Yourself (DIY) solar installation project can drastically | | | | need a large solar array to generate sufficient energy. |
| bring down the cost. | | | | The key components of the entire system, the |
| All the components required for a residential solar | | | | Photovoltaic cells, can be quite expensive. If you are |
| energy system are easily available at the local | | | | planning to buy new PV cells, be sure to allocate a big |
| hardware store or more option can be available from | | | | budget. |
| the internet. The follow are some suggestion on | | | | To save cost, what you can do is source for used |
| building your homemade solar power system. | | | | solar panels and recondition them. One of the best |
| Firstly, a DIY solar powered home will cost from $500 | | | | place to source of used PV panels is eBay. These |
| to $1200 depending on the amount of power required | | | | panels may have scratches and blemishes but they |
| and the types of components used. But before you | | | | will cost less. |
| begin the project, it is best to prepare a plan | | | | If you are planning to make your own solar panel, you |
| beforehand. | | | | will need 36 pieces of solar cells measuring 3 x 6 |
| How much power do you need the solar system to | | | | inches. Each cell produces about 0.5 volts. So 36 |
| generate? How many electrical appliances do you | | | | pieces of solar cells linked together will generate |
| want to connect to the solar system? Generally, solar | | | | approximately 18 volts of electricity. |