As solar energy becomes a more familiar topic in the news, and as energy costs increase, it’s only natural that people are wondering if they can break free from the local electric company and save money doing it by making their own solar panels. And if you are good with your hands and enjoy building and repairing things around your home, homemade solar panels may sound like a worthy project to take on. But building a few solar panels to power your computer is a much smaller project than building a larger solar electric system that would make you energy independent.

First of all, consider how many solar panels you would need in order to provide power for your entire household. It is not unusual for a residential solar electric system to require 20, 30 or more solar panels for complete energy independence. While it’s possible to build a system of that size using homemade solar panels, consider the time, tools, materials and skills that you would need in order to do it. Do you really have the resources for a project of that size?

Next, your homemade solar panels will not be approved by any Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratories (or NRTLs in the United States) . For people who don’t care about traditional safety resources and who want to get as far away as possible from anything that has to do with government, this will not be an issue. But for anyone who wants to have homeowner’s insurance that covers loss from fire, you should know that your house will probably not qualify for coverage if you build your own solar panels.

Also, there will be no manufacturer’s warranty if something goes wrong with your solar electric system. Most solar panel manufacturers provide a warranty for 25 years or longer. The cost to troubleshoot problems will be significantly higher if you have to pay for them all out of your own pocket. So if you really want to go off grid with homemade solar panels, just be sure you are aware of all of the possible consequences.

Tags: solar cell, solar cells, solar electric systems, solar energy, solar panel, solar panels

Filed under: Alternative Energy, Solar Power by admin
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