Green Earths Energy: Build Amazing Solar Panels Yourself!

How To Reduce Your Electric Bill (For Almost No Money).

start making a difference today by:

• Buying the right products
• Disposing of your garbage properly
• Recycle to save our resources
• Helping the community
• Saving energy resources
• Performing a Home Energy Audit
• Composting kitchen and yard waste
• Protecting our water supply
• Creating Drought Tolerant landscapes
• Buying Energy Saving Appliances
• Buying Organic Products

Going Green In Your Home.

Having a house with proper orientation to the sun is probably the biggest concern for most homeowners. For solar power systems to operate at peak efficiencies, a home has to have a roof that faced south if they were located in the northern hemisphere. This ensures that the solar panels have a good amount of sun exposure throughout the day, as the sun travels across the sky. Older panels had a very specific need to constant sun exposure for most of the day. Even it positioning was just a little off, it could have a major impact on power output.

This problem is solved in modern solar panels by using more efficient solar cells. These newer solar cells are not only able to generate larger amounts of power from the same sunlight as older cells, but they can also tolerate the sun hitting them at a more severe angle as well. This wider tolerance means these newer solar cells can be used in many locations that were not good choices for the older cells. This makes them a perfect fit for installations that have a lees than perfect alignment for maximum solar power generation. These modern solar panels will produce more electricity when there is dimished sunlight, like on cloudy days, and also in these situations that are out of standard alignment with the sun.  These newer panels don’t have to be rotated during the data to point directly at the sun.  This makes them well suited to a homebuild solar panel installation.

This is a vast improvement over older cells that required a strong consistent amount of sunlight to produce power. Older panels were inactive early in the morning and late in the afternoon because of this. The amount of sun at these times doesn’t cross the electricity production threshold required by these older panels. Newer panels will produce power proportional to the amount of sun even during these periods of lower amounts of sunlight. They will produce maximum power during mid-day when the sun is at it’s peak, but will still generate electricity, though smaller amounts, as long as some sunlight is available. Having this ability to generate a variable amount of power from even weak sunlight allows these newer solar panels to produce more power each day and adds to their total power output for the year. The additional power this will provide can add significant savings and allow the homeowner to justify a solar power system for their home.

One of the best ways to increase the resale value of your home is with a solar power system.  No matter whether you supplement the electricity provided by the power company or supply all of the electricity needs of your house, a solar power system will definitely increase the value of your home.  A simple diy solar battery charger can be a great first solar project.

In the most basic terms, a battery charger may be nothing more than a power supply that transfers electricity of a given voltage to a battery. Just put the battery in, give it time to charge completely, and then disconnect it. If you want to charge a 12 volt battery, you can plug it into a 15-18 volt charger. The price of this system’s simplicity, though, is its risk of overcharging.

If you overcharge a battery, it’s likely that the battery’s functionality will be decreased, sometimes significantly. Overcharging a 12 volt battery too often can damage it to the point that it will no longer maintain a charge. However, you can use a charge controller, which will make sure that the correct voltage is used and prevent the battery from being overcharged. If you’re using a 12 volt solar charger, you’ll most likely want to have the option of leaving it connected all day while the sun is shining, and thus a charge controller is a necessity.

The most common type of charge controller for 12 volt batteries is a Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) charge controller. With a PWM charge controller, a switch is flipped on and off repeatedly depending on the flow of the electricity. Initially, the switch stays “on” more. As power is moved to the battery, the switch spends more time activated than deactivated, and once the battery is fully charged, it no longer flips back on. The charging process is controlled and monitored by a microprocessor chip. There is no danger of overcharging with a PWM charge controller, even if you leave it plugged into a battery indefinitely. This is called “trickle charging,” and it is handy when you have a battery that you don’t necessarily use all the time, but would like it to be charged when you do need to use it. This feature is obviously very appropriate for a 12 volt solar charger. This, in turn, will allow you to keep the 12 volt battery for your boat or RV charged at all times.

A 12 volt solar charger is no more complicated than that. The power source is the only thing that differentiates a 12 volt solar charger from an ordinary 12 volt battery charger. Solar battery chargers generate power with the use of a solar panel rather than from a wall outlet.  Many people are now building their own DIY solar panels.  To learn more, take a look at DIY Solar Panel.

Most of the solar panels used on houses have 1/2 volt and 3-4 amp solar cells. Since a 12 volt battery charger needs about 15-18 volts of electricity to use, it’s necessary to connect several of these cells to produce enough power. Small solar panels do come in a variety of different voltages. The charger will work properly when you match the voltage of the solar panel to your charge controller. The voltage rating on the charge controller tells you what voltage you’ll need. If you aren’t using a charge controller, it’s best to use a solar panel of 15-18 volts. If you are using a charge controller, the required voltage is just that – required.  GreenDIYEnergy is the best guide to building your own 12 volt solar charger.  To read my article about it, take a look at Green DIY Energy.

The method for wiring the solar panel to the charge controller is contingent upon certain factors within the controller. In most cases, it’s safe to solder the same kind of connector onto the solar panel that’s on your charge controller. If you can’t use a charge controller, you can use the same type of connector that’s on the battery. With respect to clamps, the spring loaded type are a good choice for larger 12 volt batteries. You do have the choice of using electrical tape instead of soldering, but soldering is a longer-lasting solution, and, in this case, it’s a very simple procedure. You won’t need any special tools other than a decent soldering iron and solder, which you can find easily at places like Radio Shack. All you have to do is twist the wires on either side together, use the soldering iron on the wires, and touch the solder to the wires until it melts. As long as you take care not to burn yourself, and remember to heat the wires and not the solder itself with the soldering iron, it’ll be no problem.  Another guide to building your own 12v solar charger that I recommend is Homemade Energy.  For more information, visit Homemade Energy Review.

It’s really that simple! Building a 12 volt solar charger is a quick procedure as well. A 12 volt battery is the first component. Making sure to get one with the appropriate voltage, you’ll also want a charge controller. Buy or build a solar panel that has the correct voltage for the charge controller. The last step is to connect all the parts – connect the solar panel to the charge controller, and the charge controller to the battery. Once you’ve done this, you’ll have permanent, free power! This will lower your energy bill, cut pollution, and let you do your part in reducing dependence on foreign oil.

Why should you make your own power at home?

Your power bill will be greatly reduced, if not completely eliminated.

Doing what you can for the environment is great, and your children will be proud of your action’s in helping to secure their future.

Its fun to do! Using step-by-step instructions with detailed illustrations and diagrams.

The system will pay for itself within a month or two.

Instead of paying for power, you will be able to use the money that you have saved to do more important things

Knowing that you are helping to solve the energy crisis and global warming is a great feeling!

The instructions are clear enough for a complete novice to complete this in a few hours…More>>

Renewable Energy Solutions! Solar And Wind Power.

However, many people are slightly baffled by the idea of having plenty of electrical power, without the large utility companies being involved.

• How does solar power work?
• How do the various components of the system hook up and interact with each other?
• Could I install it myself?
• Can I still use all my appliances?
• How will I know if it’s being installed correctly?
• What if I’m already tied into the regular power grid?

These and just about any other questions you may have are all answered…More>>

Alternative Energy Resources.

Unplug your house from the electrical grid, plus, instead of paying your power bill, electrical companies would actually pay you for creating a renewable energy…More>>

Self Made Solar Energy

One way to help offset the outlay on a solar power residential system is to claim local tax credits if these are available in your region. These vary depending upon where you live and may also be dependent upon the kind of system you choose but they can be very helpful to offset the cost of a solar power residential installation.

Another important factor for a solar home power system is your energy company and your existing power bill. It may have an effect on your costings and choice of solar power residential setup if you have an energy company that will buy back any surplus electricity generated.

Your power company should be able to provide you with extra helpful details about your utility bill. You can ask them for a comprehensive analysis of your current power usage. Then you will be able to determine, for example, when and what your power peaks are and what your energy baseline is. This is very useful information to have.

You will also need to evaluate the costs and potential savings for the various types of solar power residential installations. For example, a solar thermal solution will entail different initial costs and provide different savings than a home solar electricity solution.

Basically, a solar thermal system is used to heat up hot water via a heat pipe arrangement and it is usually the most efficient sort of solar home power system. As heating water is always a major power usage for all families, using solar power for heating water ought to certainly be an option you consider.

A home solar electricity system usually uses solar home panels to harness the sun’s energy. An inverter is then used to convert DC (direct current) to AC (alternating current) so that the power produced is usable for both your household and the energy grid. A solar home electricity setup may or may not use a Battery setup and there are other optional additions depending upon the particular system.

When making your choice, be aware that you are not limited to just one kind of solar power residential system. A possible setup to fulfill your requirements could be a combination of solar home power systems. For example, you may have rooftop solar home panels positioned on a rooftop heat exchanger that heats up water in your home.

Whichever sort of solar home power system you decide upon, it makes good financial sense to work on conserving energy by reducing your power use to a minimum. There are a lot of small changes we can make which will make a difference, no matter what sort of solar power residential system you decide upon.

A concluding very important factor to consider is the possibility of saving yourself a fortune by making and installing your solar power residential system yourself. This reduction in your initial outlay means that your return on investment time will be a lot shorter and you may even find that you can recoup your entire outlay on one month’s energy bill. This is a significant option these days and you don’t have to be a ‘super-DIYer’ to do this.

You’ll find that you can even make the solar home panels yourself very easily and incredibly cheaply. There are detailed guides available to take you through the entire process, step-by-step and lots of homeowners have built well-made, fully functioning, efficient solar home power installations for a fraction of what it would have cost them to buy. This DIY option is cheaper and simpler than you might imagine and as far as costs are concerned this is almost certainly your most important consideration when finally choosing a solar power residential solution for your own home.

Click Here To Learn How To Make Power At Home