DIY Greener Lifestyles

By Mike Richter

Solar panels are a great way to interact more positively with your world. They use just a tiny fraction of the near-infinite energy that the sun gives us every day to power our lives. Supposedly you can generate enough energy to power your house and make money on your electric bill at the same time. You can even use RV solar panels to power your camper for a nearly infinite camping trip.

Unfortunately, most people never get past the price tag when they look at home systems. That's because professional companies have realized they can charge a fortune because of all the money they save homeowners. It can cost more than $25,000 to install solar panels on your home. Fortunately for you, it's entirely possible to build your own system. You're only four steps away:

1. Buy a good manual that will tell you everything you need to know about how to make your own solar panels. Investing $50 on a good manual will save you dozens of hours of frustration. With the money you're going to save building your own panels, it only makes sense to spend $50 to get the job done right.

2. Research solar cells online. The solar cell is the main component of the system; it's something that you can't make on your own. Fortunately, they're really cheap to manufacture. You should be able to find something online for around $70 per panel.

3. Buy the casing materials. I've seen sites that claim you can find everything you need for under $30 at your local hardware store/scrap pile. While I haven't found this to be exactly the case, you can find everything you need for around $50. Depending on your plans, you'll also need to either find the electronics to wire into your local power grid, or a battery bank. All the info you need should be in your instruction manual.

4. Have a barn raising! Call your friends, neighbors, and kids and make a family weekend project out of it. Everybody who hears what you're up to will want to come check it out. Use all that help to get your system ready to go!

That's all there is to it. If you commit just a small amount of time and money, you can have an efficient and effective system of solar panals - 31812

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