How to Make Solar Panels for Home Use: Start it Right

The one thing to keep in mind when venturing towards your own pet project is to read ahead about the types of material to use, the correct measurements for your chosen panel materials and the maintenance or precautions needed for the final product. This covers where to get started on how to make solar panels for home use.

Option A: Assemble Your Own Cells

If you want to go the extra mile and create your own cells, it may not be enough to use for your appliances. But at any rate, it will give you an idea about the science behind the cell.

Your simple DIY project may consist of a materials easily obtained from the hardware store such as a sheet of copper, table salt, a CD case (transparent), sheet metal, electric wire, shears and hot glue. Guide videos are found online on how to assemble these pieces and how to make solar panels for home use.

Option B: Check Out Ebay

Want to go more large scale? Then buying solar cells from online sources may save you time.

For those who are not new to online shopping, slightly damaged solar cells can be bought for a much cheaper price off Ebay. Any of these blemished cells can become a part of do-it-yourself solar panels which are efficient energy sources for the home.

For those who want to get an idea on how to make solar panels for home use, solar cells (mono-crystalline) in 3×6 bricks can be used for your panels. Depending on your power usage, the number of cells may vary but 36 cells will do the trick in charging 12 volt batteries because at half a volt each cell, 36 will be able to produce a total of 18 volts.

Because the cells are very thin and fragile, a lot of care has to be exerted in order to ensure that these are attached to the panels unharmed.

Shipping Considerations

Some Ebay sellers may dip their cells in wax in order to preserve their condition and make it safe for shipping. Since the wax is hard to remove (careless removal may spoil the cells), you may want to consider more secure shipping options if you do not want to have wax-dipped cells shipped. Also, go the extra mile and pay for cells with tabs to minimize the amount of soldering that you will have to do to attach them.