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Used Solar Panels -- How You Can Use Them To Make Cheap DIY Solar Panels

By John Greenspan

Republish: EasyPublish™ Published: 20Dec2009 Word count: 493 Viewed: 1232 time(s) Get Free Content For Your Site

Used solar panels can be found more easily than you think. You can recondition them, or salvage their components to build cheap DIY solar panels. Either way leads you to a fully functional solar generator that can serve you for many years. As such, hobbyists spend only a fraction of what it would otherwise cost them should they buy a comparable solar power system.

It takes a little skill and practice to harvest components from pre-owned or broken solar power generators. Yet it is not so difficult that you cannot manage it with basic DIY skills.

You have to free the photovoltaic cells from the base it's mounted on. After you have done this, check the solar cells for loose connections, broken panels, condensation and damaged diodes. Common problems such as these can potentially cause your solar power generators to break down shortly after installation.

If the joints between solar cells are broken or loose, you have to re-solder them. Malfunctioned diodes can be replaced with new ones from your local component store. And if you see broken photovoltaic cells, you will have to source for a similar component to replace it -- this can be challenging. Yet you can still make do with the broken cell in case your efforts to replace the broken solar cell fail. There will be reduced power output as a result, but this is not a grave concern.

The array of solar cells is usually mounted on a piece of masonite or acrylic (substrate) board before it is placed into a new panel frame. You can discard this substrate after a few years if you intend to replace the solar cells with fresh, new ones.

Using pre-owned photovoltaic panels to build DIY solar panels has its pros and cons. The most obvious advantage is the price. Used solar panels can be very cheap and some kind contractors may even give them to you without asking for a single cent. You are also less worried about breaking expensive photovoltaic panels while building your project.

On the other hand, a used solar panel's lifespan may be significantly shorter. Their power output will also be a little lower compared to when it was new. A loose connection or a fault may hide itself somewhere that escapes your attention. As you build your DIY solar panel, trouble may spring up from these areas. However this can be managed if you're careful in checking for potential failures.

Overall, harvesting parts from used panels proof to be the best money saving method to build DIY solar panels. The only downside is the additional effort you have to put in. Yet as DIY hobbyists, we tend to take joy in such labor.

Finally, if you have problems looking for used solar panels, try talking to installation contractors or solar manufacturers. They're often willing to sell you old panels at a very low cost. You can even approach home owners with old photovoltaic panels directly.

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