Building Solar Panels, What Does it Mean?
When we somehow find ourselves one day building solar panels, it means that we have opened up our arms to green technology. It means that we are embracing a lifestyle. It means that we are ready to stop the rhetoric and willing to get down to the hands-on process of building a solar panel and powering our homes with clean and renewable energy from the sun. It means that we are willing to stop burning fossil fuels, using up the earth’s non-renewable resources, and spewing harmful gases into the atmosphere. It means that we are ready for a change. It means that we have made a step forward in the right direction.
Why Should We Bother Building Solar Panels?
Although there are some ready-made solar panel products available, most people would opt for the do-it-yourself method. Significant savings are achieved in this way, and it is an appealing project for the hobbyist and the DIY enthusiast.
The 2 most prevalent reasons that people find for building a solar panel are:
- For environmental advocacy, or out of a sense of responsibility to the earth and its people. This is especially true for preserving resources for the next generation. In the quest for an alternative energy resource, solar energy is one of the cleanest.
- To help with practical economic needs. There are rebates and other programs from agencies who want to encourage alternative energy. As anybody might have noticed, energy from the sun is free. All that is needed to harness it is this technology called solar energy systems. This consists of the solar panels, some electric wires and gadgets, and a battery.
It is interesting to note that in the early history of the solar panel, it was available only to those who could afford it, the big companies who worked in remote areas without proper electricity.
How would we go about building a solar panel?
There is a wealth of material on this topic today. There are instructional videos, how-to books, do-it-yourself manuals, and websites. One of the attractions of the technology is that building solar panels is easy and affordable. Before starting with any of the actual building work, there are a few factors to consider. There are two kinds of solar panels:
- the photovoltaic
- and the heat or thermal
The photovoltaic system is the one that converts the sun’s energy into electricity. The thermal system is the one that harnesses the sun’s heat for functions such as water heating. We have to decide which kind we need for our houses.
To start, a person could either order a kit which includes everything you need to assemble the system packed inside, or he could get just the instructions and scour the countryside for second hand solar panels, the yellow pages for off-the-grid corporations willing to give away their old and slightly damaged solar panels, and brick-and-mortar stores in his area for the materials he needs for building solar panels.