| A homemade solar panel is not as expensive or | | | | for about five dollars a square foot. But for your |
| difficult as you may think, or to build. That is great | | | | needs, half of a square foot will do. |
| news in these hard economical times. More and more | | | | Metal cutting shears for cutting the copper sheeting. |
| people are turning to this renewable energy source | | | | A couple of alligator clip leads |
| mainly because it is able to save them hundreds of | | | | A micro-ammeter able to read currents from ten to |
| dollars on their energy bill each month. Especially if | | | | fifty micro-amperes. |
| you build the solar panel yourself instead of a | | | | A 1100-watt electric single burner hotplate. |
| professional, which can run into thousands of dollars. | | | | A clear two-liter plastic bottle with the top cut off. |
| Solar panels are used to convert the suns energy | | | | Or a wide mouth glass jar works just as well. |
| into electricity. Each panel consists of a certain | | | | Table salt, at least a couple tablespoons. |
| number of cells, which determines the amount of | | | | Water |
| voltage you are going for. Each cell produces slightly | | | | Either a wire brush attached to an electric drill or |
| better than .5 volts DC regardless of the size. Only | | | | sandpaper |
| the amperage increases in size. | | | | The above are the materials needed to make the |
| Example: If you break a .5 volt at 3 amp solar cell in | | | | cell. The materials below are for the rest of the solar |
| half, that will create two .5 volt at 1.5 amp cells. Each | | | | panel. |
| cell has a positive lead on the bottom and a negative | | | | Strips of mat board |
| on top. When wired right this is what makes a panel. | | | | A sheet of plywood 1/4 inch thick |
| That is why do-it-yourself guides are so popular | | | | A soldering iron but a 30-watt iron on low setting |
| these days. However, that does pose a difficult | | | | works too. This is for soldering tabs to the cells. |
| problem for most people. If you inexperience with | | | | Silicone caulk for the soldered tabs. |
| do-it-yourself guides, you may run into the problem | | | | A sheet of 1/2 inch plywood for the backing. |
| of buying one that doesn't suit your needs. In the | | | | Two c-clamps to help flip the whole rigging over. |
| case of inexperience of working with your hands, it | | | | Bolts |
| would be best to buy a guide that comes with either | | | | Foam tape pipe insulation, use a double layer |
| a video or very detailed drawings. The best plans will | | | | A sheet of Plexiglas |
| also include money back guarantee and an after sales | | | | Rubber washers |
| service just in case there is trouble while you are | | | | One-inch metal roofing screws |
| working on your project. | | | | Vinyl electrical tape |
| The materials you can find either laying around your | | | | An interesting side note is that if you use fiberglass |
| house, picked up relatively cheap at the nearest | | | | resin be forewarned, this resin is a polyester resin |
| home improvement store or on online auction sites. | | | | and does not hold up to weather very well (doesn't |
| To start out with, you would need these materials; | | | | keep out the moisture). The best thing to use for |
| that is if you plan to build the cells yourself. These | | | | this purpose is an aluminum epoxy type sealer. Keep |
| cells can also be picked up on the online auction sites. | | | | in mind that this is just a brief look into a homemade |
| One sheet of .015 copper flashing. This normally goes | | | | solar panel. |