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Residential Solar Panels - Are Homemade Solar Panels Really Better Than Commercial Ones?

By John Greenspan

Republish: EasyPublish™ Published: 17Feb2010 Word count: 457 Viewed: 241 time(s) Get Free Content For Your Site

Residential solar panels are usually installed when a family wants to reduce their dependence on fossil fuel. Traditionally, many families will call up a contractor to supply and install their solar energy panels. However, a group of DIYers are bucking the trend, claiming that DIY panels are far better than commercial ones. Is there any truth to their statement? Let's take a look...

If you want convenience, ready-made commercial panels are undoubtedly the best. Within a day, your contractor can mount all the photovoltaic panels on your roof, run the cabling and install all the other parts of the solar power generator. After they're done, you'll only have to pay them and you are ready to use renewable energy from that point. Pretty straightforward. However, the cost of hiring these professional could have burnt a hole in your pocket if they are not deep enough. What do I mean?

A complete solar power installation can easily cost you at least $30,000 to $40,000. Considering the benefits above, some household may be able to part with this kind of money. But this is not the case for everyone. In fact, most homeowners will have to take a loan against the photovoltaic equipment. As such, they will eventually pay more due to the interest accrued.

Since cost is a (big) concern for many people, many DIYers are turning to making their own photovoltaic generators. By combining several solar cells mounted on a frame, they are able to make a decent power-generating panel that can produce electricity for their home. After constructing a number of these panels, these DIYers are able to be independent from their local power station.

If you happen to wonder how difficult it is to build your own solar power generator, go to the Internet to do a little research. You'll find it's as easy as following simple, step-by-step instructions from DIY solar guides that you can buy for less than $50.

Making your own photovoltaic panels is definitely the most affordable option. With less than $200, you are able to build a piece of photovoltaic panel that works for you as long as it is day. The materials needed are commonly found from your local hardware retailer or from Internet sites such as eBay. They are also relatively cheap.

The downside about building a DIY solar power system is the time and effort involved. After all, if you've never built any photovoltaic panels before, you'll have to learn how to - and this involves a little time. But if you are able to roll up your sleeves and apply a little elbow grease, you'll acquire an asset that costs far lesser than commercial panels. The payback period will also be dramatically shorter.

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