Guest Post By John Smith
If you are thinking about going to solar power on your home, without spending a lot of money, buying a DIY solar kit is your best option. But it’s not quite as simple as going down to your local hardware store and picking up a box of parts ready to assemble.
Picking the right solar power kit for you requires careful planning. If you have a lot of experience with home repair and installation, you will probably be fine on your own.For you the minimal manufacturer support to answer occasional questions about specific parts is more than enough. But if you are like the rest of us, with no experience installing solar panels, your best bet will be to find a kit supplier that offers a lot of technical support for both planning and for installation.
You’ll need to find a kit supplier that will be available not only by email, but by telephone. You might even want to find one that offers in-person support, if needed. Your supplier should be able to help you figure out the proper size and configuration for your solar energy system, based on your household’s specific energy needs. This planning step is crucial. If you buy a solar power system that is too small you could face long periods of time in the dark. Buying one too large could end up costing far more that you should be spending. In picking the right size you are Goldilocks, searching for the bowl of porrage that is just right. Your home’s location also plays an important part is determining what you need. Trees and nearby tall buildings can block the sun and make it difficult to get enough sun. You should also make note of your local climate. Although new technology makes it easier for solar panels to aborb light even in cloudy areas, you will still need to adjust your solar power system to fit your area’s needs.
Backup storage is also an important part to research. Even if you plan to supplement your solar power system with traditional electricity, you will need some batteries to store power in. And there is a wide range of batteries to choose from, and some need more maintenance than others. An experienced solar power retailer can help you choose the perfect one. The time you spend researching solar power kits will pay off in the long run. Don’t be afraid to ask lots of questions. Do ask around for other people’s recommendations. In the end you can make a complicated project much simpler and more enjoyable.
{ 16 comments… read them below or add one }
Solar power is definitely a wonderful thing! I remember when solar lights came out many years ago, and very expensive! Now a days I think they’re relatively inexpensive as far as solar landscape lighting and water pumps and bird baths, etc. Solar panels for your home can be quite expensive. People would love to get them because they can’t afford the high electric bills anymore but then how do people come up with thousands of dollars, especially in these tough times, to buy solar panels for their home? I would personally love to use solar and wind energy for my home but I can’t afford to!!! That’s a shame. Can’t afford to yet can’t afford not to. I think alot of people are in the same sinking boat that I’m in, unfortunately. All that said, Solar IS the way to go if you can!!!
Sounds like a good idea and all, but im not yet convinced that its worth the time and effort, especially if you don’t know what you’re doing.
I think you should always hire a professional technician for the installation, as there are too many things that can go wrong.
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Solar is neat and all, but the payback is ridiculously high and often makes the system not worth it.
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Its amazing how accessible and reasonably priced solar power kits are becoming. I agree that its worth finding a DIY solar power supplier that provides support via email or phone as although its pretty straight forward to install solar power in your home the experience of those who’ve done it before can be very valuable. The payback doesnt have to take as long as you might think,
.-= Adam@diy solar power´s last blog ..How to make DIY solar panels =-.
Another important aspect to b kept in mind before buying it are dat Different solar panel kits are available in the market and their prices vary. To understand the difference in price, do your research work as solar kits are available with a range of voltages and amperage. It is always advisable to get a help from solar panel manufacturer whose good will is already established in the market. This way you can save money and get the desired product.
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I like camping and I am experimenting with using solar power to drive a small fridge. I reckon I’ll need about 50 watts.
Knowing how much power you require I think is one key to success.
Great information on buying a solar power kit. Sustainable living is much easier than most people realize.
This is perfect advice for our current economic state. Building your own solar panels via a kit has never been a better idea. Thanks for the good info.
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Nice article, the main thing with solar power kits is its an affordable way for home owners to enter the solar energy market, off the shelf retail systems are simply to expensive for the average household to afford.
.-= Jon@DIY Solar Power´s last blog ..Magnets 4 Energy – Magnetic Generator Free Energy =-.
there have been a lot of advances recently in the solar field when it comes to portable usage such as camping or small installations such as solar garden lights and the prices for these have been keep down due to the amount of units that have been sold. for whole home use i think the price will come down when they are used more regularly in new home construction.
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Unless you have significant electrical wiring experience I’d think twice before trying a DYI solar power solution. These panels generate a significant amount of power and thus have a high risk of shock of installed improperly. If you’re mounting it on your roof you also need to know about roofing and how to properly penetrate the roof without causing leaks.
I’ve been wanting to setup a solar kit for sometime now… I just feel wasteful burning perfectly good (and limited!) fossil fuels. People constantly moan and groan about costs… but I mean in the long run you’d save a TREMENDOUS amount of money here.
.-= Travis´s last blog ..Spending Too Much Money =-.
Very useful advise. As solar power is a natural source of energy, other limited source of energy can be saved.
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Nice article. Quite informative. I think most of us would like to be able to change to solar power by using a DIY solar panels kit. Have you seen this other DIY solar panals site which you may find easier. Solar Panals
.-= Rob´s last blog ..Why Solar Panals? =-.
Nice article. It would be great if governments across the world really got behind this technology, and actually publicized to people that DIY green energy in their homes is actually an option. Let’s hope that something positive comes out of the talks in Copenhagen, to take the world into a direction that includes a much higher percentage of renewable clean energy.