Firstly, let's look at what a solar panel is.
Solar panels are also known as PV panels and they are a solar-electric system’s
defining component. PV panels capture sunlight and create direct current (DC) electricity.
PV panels are rated in watts based on the maximum power then can produce when performing under ideal sun and temperature conditions. You will need to use the rated output of your PV panels to determine how many panels you will need to meet your electrical needs. You can then combine the PV panels in a series, which is called an array.
Secondly, you cannot actually make your own PV panels. They required specialist materials and chemicals and are produced under laboratory conditions.
However, you CAN obtain solar panels at very low cost with a little initiative.
Ebay is a good option for cheap panels and you can often find boxes of slightly broken panels, which for our purposes can be repaired and re-used to make your solar array. This is explained in the Earth4Energy guide.
FREE solar panels can even be obtained if you don't mind making a few phone calls or sending emails. One option is to contact solar equipment manufacturers as they often have old panels which they will simply throw out! What a waste! You can usually find some local companies with a bit of searching on Google, and you'll be surprised that most will give you a positive response - even glad that someone wants to take away what they consider rubbish.
Once you have sourced your solar panels, you need to obtain the solar cells. Again, these can be obtained either for free or at very low cost if you know where to look. I'll cover that in my next post, or you can get stuck in by downloading the Earth4Energy guide straight away.
