There is no doubt that many of you are dying to find out what materials are used to make solar panels, as solar energy appears to be the latest fashion, partly due to the economic recession, partly because of the numerous warning signs related to the exhaustion of the planet’s resources.
We all want to protect our world, to make it a better place for our children, to diminish our expenses and to increase our comfort. The solar panels promise to offer a bit of everything, but their price readymade is unaffordable for most of us. That is why, when the word got out that solar panels could be built at home, most people thought the news was too good to be true.
They all began to ask around what materials are used to make solar panels, thinking that the reason few people dare to start such a project is that the materials are either too expensive or impossible to find. Other questions, like “how much does it cost to build solar panels?” or “can anyone build solar panels?” also came around, and the answers were surprising for everyone: it costs ten times less to build solar panels at home than to buy them readymade, and anyone can do that, no matter the skills or knowledge, with a little ambition and the right tools.
Of course, the quality and the guarantees offered by famous brands like Astroenergy, EcoSolary or REC Solar, worldwide known for their products, speak for themselves, and no one is questioning that the price of their products may be worth paying. But who has that kind of money? And how long does it take to recover the initial investment?
With homemade solar panels, the investment is recovered in less than a year, not to mention the satisfaction you get watching your bills diminish and your family enjoying the results of your work.
Those of you who wish to get started and would like to know what materials are used to make solar panels have a decision to make: what type of panels would you like to build? You can make mono-crystalline solar panels, or polycrystalline solar panels. You can use new solar cells or broken cells.
Although new solar cells will give your panels the professional and impeccable look you could use as marketing strategy in order to start your own business, the broken cells are far cheaper. Besides, they are not actually broken, but rather a little chipped or their shape simply doesn’t meet the standards.
There is something else you need to do before you get started, and that is to acquire a DIY guide. No one is saying your skills are not enough, but doing something for the first time can be really challenging. With the guide for backup, you have every piece of information you need, drawings and videos to guide you along, and also the precious list with what materials are used to make solar panels.
You also receive advice regarding the quantities to purchase, the cheapest and most reliable suppliers, and also instructions to make some of the components yourself. Pretty much nothing is left to chance, so building your solar panels will be as simple as assembling your kid’s toys, setting up a garden house with pre-made components, etc.
The most important thing is that, although extremely valuable through the information it provides, a solar panels do it yourself guide will not cost more than several tens of dollars. Actually, there might be websites or suppliers to ask for hundreds of dollars, but that does not mean you have to fall for their tricks. For as little as $50, you should be able to get a complete and reliable guide, that will include everything you need to know and to do, explained in an intuitive and easy to follow manner.
Getting back to what materials are used to make solar panels, most guides will recommend the following:
• a plywood board to be used as support for the solar cells;
• a conductive glue to fix the solar cells on the board;
• a sheet of Plexiglas to cover the solar cells and protect them from bad weather and dust;
• a screwdriver and some screws to put the various elements together;
• a boiler to collect the heated water;
• a box to accommodate the wires and the cables;
• a battery to store the excess energy produced;
• solar cells which can be new, broken or used;
• an aluminum frame to give to the entire structure a rectangular shape;
• an instruction manual.
The best time of the year to begin the assembly job is in late spring, when the weather is warm enough. You will also have several months of strong sunlight to take advantage of your work of art.
Buying the guide, determining what materials are used to make solar panels and acquiring them are probably the most difficult things you will have to do, but, to your surprise, the process shouldn’t take more than a couple of hours, maybe less.
The rest will probably last a day or two, depending on your ability to concentrate, on whether you ask a friend to help or you try to do everything by yourself, on how early you start working and how late you give up.
As a word of advice, don’t try to understand everything from the beginning, don’t worry about seeing the big picture! Take things one at a time, follow the instructions in the guide and don’t give up.
One disappointment is no reason to quit, and this is one of the few occasions when you can actually say you are highly motivated to succeed. Building the solar panels you save money by lowering your bills, you improve your family’s comfort by taking away worries like power failures, and you even make money if you decide to help your friends and neighbors build their own panels.
And to think it all started with a simple answer referring to what materials are used to make solar panels!
