This is the first step in our Solar Power Tutorial, and most obvious initial step in starting your

DIY

solar panels for home use project is calculating

exactly what your power needs are, and answering the question how many solar panels do i need to power a house?. Now, if youre going to be installing a solar power system, it helps to have some understanding of the relationship between power, voltage, currant and resistance, and the principles behind Ohms Law. To help, well explain that in our section on Ohms Law simplified. However, you can still construct a solar power array that meets your power needs by understanding the following basics, namely:

Watts = Volts x Amps 1000 Watts x 1 hour = 1000 watts of power = 1 Kilowatt hour (Kwh)
Most domestic households have their electricity usage measured in kilowatt hours and pay a set fee for each kilowatt used. Example: Your have an air conditioner which is rated at 2.6Kwh, which you leave on for four hours. Your usage is 10.4Kwh. At around 10c per Kwh, that would equate to $1.04 worth of power. So how do we determine what our power needs are? Well, there are all sorts of helpful calculators and spreadsheets around the internet through which we can hypothesize what our usage might be. However, there is an easier waylook at our power bill! Most invoices set out not only the last months usage in Kwhs but also previous months. Keep in mind that power usage tends to vary seasonally, and winter is often the time when households consume the most power. Winter is also the time during which there is the least amount of sun, so it pays to use your winter power usage as a benchmark. If you dont have a power bill handy, all properties are fitted with a power meter. You can take readings from your meter daily, and we recommend if you take this approach the readings be done over the space of a week (or even a fortnight) to include weekends when power use is likely to be higher. Averaging out the value gives you a daily usage in Kwh. As a guide, the US Energy Information Agency estimated that the average home uses8,900 Now we know how much power we want to produce per year, and on average, per day. Note: Ideally, we can install sufficient panels to meet or even exceed those needs, however due to practical considerations such as available space, it may not always be viable. Now on to our panels. Solar panels are made up of connected cells, known as photovoltaic or PV or rows of 12 cells, giving a total of 48. Most commercially available PV cells produce 0.55 55cells produce between 1

Kwh per year.

cells.

Most panels have four rows of 9 cells, giving a total of 36, Most 63 or

DC volts irrespective of size, however the size does effect the amps or current of the cell. and 12 amps, with 4.8 being about average.

So the energy output for our single panel is likely to be: .55 volts x 36 cells x 4.8 amps = 95 watts per panel .55 volts x 48 cells x 4.8 amps = 127 watts per panel Many standard size prefabricated panels are rated between 100 or 200 watts, but can cost over $1,500 to purchase. Lets assume that we are using the average power for a household of 8,900 Kwh per year. Thats 8,900,000 watts per year, or roughly 24,000 watts (24Kwh) per

day.
One other important thing to factor in to our calculation is that this is a solar arrayhence we need sunlight to generate watts. So the next question we need to consider is how many hours of direct sunlight or peak sunlight hours will my array receive? The answer tends to be specific to your geographical area. The average home in the US is around 6

peak sunlight hours per day, however you can watts per hour.
If each panel is capable of

check with a local supplier of professionally installed solar panels to confirm this for your area. We should make our calculation on the basis of peak hours, even though our system may produce power during non peak hours. So, if we need 24,000 watts per day, and only 6 hours of peak sunlight hours, we need to produce 4,000 producing just under 100 watts, that means we need at least 40 would need 30

panels to meet our energy needs.

If we use the larger panel size producing around 130 watts, we

panels.

30 panels probably sounds like a lot, but keep in mind the panels too can be grouped so as to be as aesthetically pleasing as possible. Most domestic panel arrays are constructed on roof tops to make use of available space and access to sunlight. Guess work and online calculators are well and good, but it pays to be specific to your own circumstances when determining how many solar panels do you need to meet your power requirements. Keep in mind too that using solar cells with higher amps capacity, whilst more expensive to purchase, can reduce the number of panels you need if space is limited. Next, well be looking at choosing the right solar power system design for your home.

Part 2 of our solar power tutorials. Most DIY

homemade solar cells follow the same design patterns as their commercial counterparts. When constructing

your DIY solar panels for home use there are two generally accepted approaches to cell size, and the linking structure of the individual PV cells within the panel.

1. Solar Panel Size

The typical solar panel contains 36 PV cells, with four rows or strings of 9 cells each. However, if you prefer to use larger panels to minimise the construction of the housing for the components, a panel comprising 48 PV cells in four rows of 12 is also an option. Really, you can tailor your panels to any size or configuration you want, but just be wary that longer strings bring more opportunities for bad connections, breaks or problems due to faulty cells.

2. String or Zig-Zag Connections

The second option is whether you want to create linier strings of PV cells or to connect them in a snaking fashion across the backboard. The basis behind the latter design is that there is no wasted wire connecting the strings. The effect is essentially the same, however weve only ever used straight line connections because frankly its easier to keep a handle on during construction and is less likely to lead to errors. Both options are set out in the diagram below.

3. Types of PV Cells
In terms of the PV cells that can be used in solar panel designs, its really a case of anything goes. Some people prefer the rectangular 36 cells which can be affixed quite close together, others prefer the 4 or 5 squares. From the perspective of shape, either variety is fine and it really comes down to personal choice. A more relevant consideration is the quality and capacity of the cells being used. As discussed in part 2 of our solar power tutorials, most PV cells can generate 0.55 volts, but have varying amps, and it is these attributes which ultimately determine the number of watts a panel will be capable of producing. Some sites will advocate finding damaged or second hand PV cells for free or cheaply. There are some sources of quality cheap cells, but we generally feel that the problems second hand or damaged PV cells can create far outweigh the financial benefit that might be derived from using them. Cells which dont operate optimally can impact on your whole exchange, which in turn reduces the power generated by the entire array. It also makes combining the cells into strings on your backboard more labour intensive as it is better to group cells which generate approximately the same level of power. Cells of reasonable quality can be found on sites like ebay, or purchased online, and if were going to invest our own time into our DIY solar power project its better to know well be getting some bang for our buck once everything is up and running. Even using cells purchased at retail prices can still equate to significant savings on our domestic solar array, which can easily run to prices between $10,000 and $20,000 if professionally installed. Next, were going to look at our DIY off-gridsolar power components.

This is part 3 of our DIY Solar Power tutorial. Having determined how many solar panels required to provide power to our house, we can then look to our solar power design and what we need in terms of our DIY

solar panel components.

Most solar power systems are fairly similar in terms of their general design and the way they convert solar energy into usable electrical power, and there are components which most grid-tie solar systems cant do without.

1. Energy Source DIY Solar Panels

The first and most obvious component is our solar panels and access to sunlight. These panels when connected form our solar array.

2. Charge Controller
If we are going to be implementing a battery bank as part of our DIY Solar Power system (and to get the most out of it we should), were going to need a charge controller to prevent our batteries from overcharging. Regularly overcharging batteries can significantly reduce their life expectancy.

3. Lead Acid Deep Cycle Batteries

A battery bank enables excess energy generated during the day to be accumulated and be available for periods when our solar array is not generating power, such as

night time or times outside peak sunlight hours. Unlike shallow cycle batteries such as those used in cars which are intended to provide large amounts of amperes very quickly to kick start an alternator, deep cycle batteries are designed to provide lower levels of amperes over numerous hours before recharging.

4. DC Disconnect
A main DC Disconnect enables the power to the inverter to be turned off for system maintenance.

5. Power Inverter
The deep cycle battery bank stores direct current (DC) power, however most households utilise alternative current (AC) power. The solar power inverter converts low voltage DC power to higher voltage AC power.

6. AC Breaker Panel
This is the point where a houses wiring meets the electricity source, and routes electricity through to the various points in the home. It also enables power to be switched off for servicing, and is a fail safe against electrical fires.

7. A Kwh Meter
Most homes are already installed with this type of meter which measures the use (or in the case of extremely efficient solar arrays which produce more power than is consumed by the household) or generation of power.

8. System Meter
A system meter is usually implemented between the battery bank and the power inverter to monitor and determine how much energy is being consumed from the battery bank. This is different to the Kwh meter which measures the households total consumption taking into account the power generated by the solar array. A solar power system diagram is set out below:

In the next step of our DIY solar power tutorials well be looking at the solar panels materialswe need for construction.

In part 4 of our solar panel tutorial we look at what DIY solar panels materials we will need in addition to the major components outlined in previous steps. This includes both the materials and the tools required to complete the task at hand. Materials PV Cells; - Timber for our backboard;

- Timber or prefab frame for our sides; - Plexiglas or quarter inch UV acrylic sheet for our cover; - PV tinned wire to connect our cells; - Solder; - Silicone to attach our cells to the backboard and to seal joins to make our panel water tight; - UV protective paint for timber; - Rosin flux pen to ensure a good connection between tinned wire and our PV cells; Next, we need to make sure we have the right tools. Equipment Soldering Iron; - Wirecutters; - Screwdriver; - Saw; - Caulking gun for silicone; - Volt multimeter to ensure cells are funtioning; - Electric drill; - 12ml or quarter inch drill bit; - Paintbrush; Now that we have our shopping list, we can get down to business in the next mamoth installment of our solar power tutorial, how to make a solar panel at home.

This is our fifth and most important step in our solar panel tutorial, where we outline a step by step method on how to build a solar panel at home. Heres a quick checklist of things we should have already completed: - Determining how many solar panels well need; - Settled on our solar power system design; - Purchased or found our solar power system components; - Obtaining all our solar panels materials and tools; With all that done, were ready to proceed with our solar panel construction!

Step 1: Testing PV Cells

The first step is pretty easy, but a little laboreous. Dont skip it though, because its essential. We need to test each cell with our voltmeter and record the voltage for each cell. Keep in mind for standard PV cells the voltage should be around 0.5-0.55V. If any cells are not delivering a good voltage due to damage or imperfections, consider not utilising them in the array, as poorly functioning cells can reduce the efficiency of the panel, and completely damaged cells break the chain.

Step 2: Preparing Our Backboard

Whether using plywood, acrylic or plexiglas, we now need to cut our backboard to size. The exact size will again depend on the types of PV cells we are using and whether we have 36, 48 or some other number of cells. For standard 5 square cells allow about a quarter of an inch between each cell and the panel edge, although rectangular cells can be spaced closer together. If using plywood, apply UV protection paint and allow to dry. We find taking the time to mark out exactly where your cells will sit on the backboard is a big help before starting to affix them in place, or as an alternative you can use tile spacers between each cell. Each method results in a much neater, more professional looking panel.

Step 3: Preparing Our Tinned Interconnection Wire

Next, we need to cut our tinned wire to size. We do this by measuring the side of two cells less about 1/4 inch. Keep in mind that we want each wire to span across and connect two cells, but we dont want the wire going right to the edge of our cells or overlaping. Allowing for two wires per cell: 36 x 2 = 72 48 x 2 = 96 Now that we have our wires cut neatly to size, each one needs to have solder added to it. This can take a bit of time if you arent used to soldering. Try putting a weight on one end of the wire so that you have both hands free to solder half way, then turn the wire around and apply solder to the other end.

Step 4: How To Connect Solar Cells

We are now going to solder two connecting wires to each of our cells, and then in turn connect PV cells together. Start by rubbing the a rosin flux pen on the solder parts of the cells to ensure a good connection. Next, starting with our first cell, place the wire strip in place on the solder lines. We recommend starting by affixing the wire to the shiny (-) side of each cell. Run the soldering iron along the wire to make the join with the cell, adding more solder as necessary. Repeat with remaining cells. Now you have 36 cells each with two tin wires connected to the shiny (-) side. Taking two cells (which well call A and B) we now want to attach the two wires from the shiny side of cell A to the non shiny (+) side of cell B. Again, we do this by running the rosin flux pen on the solder panels on cell B and then soldering the wires from cell A in place. Cell B still has two unconnected wires on its shiny side, which of course are used to attach cell B to the next cell.

Note: Some PV Cells come with the wire already attached to the positive side of the cell. If this is the case, you wont need to cut your wire to size, and can simply start by adding solder to each wire end, and then soldering the wire to the back negative side of the cell. If we are using the string design for our cell connections, we recommend testing each string to make sure they are working before affixing them to the backboard. If using the snaking design, test the chain each time you add two or three new cells. Remember, for the end most cells of our string, the wires coming off the shiny front side are negative, and at the other end of the string, the wires coming off the back side of the pv cell are positive. Make sure when linking the last cell of one string to the first cell of the next string that you are linking from negative to positive. Its easy, just run a single length of wire across the two negative wires of the last cell on the first string and the two positive wires on the first cell of the second string, so that they are all connected. Yeah ok, perhaps we better take a look at it diagramatically.

Step 5: Affixing Our Cells To The Backboard

Now we have our 36 (or 48) cells all connected. Next we want to glue or heat gun our cells onto the backboard. If we used the string design, its actually better to add each individual string to the backboard and glue in place, then add the connecting wire at each end of the strings. We should have two sets of unattached wires, one +ve and one -ve. Drill a hole in our backboard equidistant to the two wires and pull our connecting wires through the hole. It is possible to use color coded and insulated wire to connect to the main wires on the cells, which means that there is no risk of the two touching when they are placed through the hole in the backboard, and also makes connection to the charge controller easier. If you havent used insulated wire conductors for the connections, drill two holes and put the +ve and -ve wires down the separate holes to ensure they dont touch. Next, we need to install our blocking

diode and junction box. The junction box serves two purposes, protecting our positive and negative wires from

the elements, and creating a means to link our panel with our charge controller. The blocking diode prevents charge from flowing back into the panel when the voltage in our batteries exceeds the voltage in our panel. In other words, it only allows the charge to flow in one direction. The junction box needs to be fixed to our panel. Next we attach the blocking diode to our positive wire by soldering our positive wire and crimping it to one end of the blocking diode. Next, get another length of positive wire, solder it and crimp it to the free end of the blocking diode. Doing this creates one positive wire that leads into our charge controller but include the blocking diode to ensure the charge only flows in one direction. The negative wire also leads into the charge controller but doesnt require a blocking diode. The blocking diode should be added to the positive wire so as to fit within the junction box. Seal the junction box with silicone so that our blocking diode is nice and cosy in the junction box and protected by the elements.

Step 6: Completing Our Solar Panel

Now we have our backboard complete with our cells securely in place, and its time to construct our sides for our panel. We can use timber or other materials to make our sides depending on what were comfortable using. Seal any gaps between the backboard and sides using silicone to ensure the panel will be water tight. Finally, cut the acrylic sheet or plexiglas to size and either glue or screw the cover to the edge of the panel. Apply silicone to seal the cover to the sides. Congratulations, youve just learned how to make a solar panel at home!

Now its a case of connecting the electrical wires to our charge controller and linking up our components to our system. Well be doing a further tutorial on doing that without setting the house on fire (which we nearly did) but we think before embarking on that exercise you deserve a cold frothy bevvy for all your hard work and a few restful hours watching the latest game on the cube. Just a word to the wise though, when it comes to hooking your solar panel array to your main power supply, you should really conisder having a professional do this (and in many areas its mandatory). The cost isnt prohibitive. That way, not only do you get free power and do your bit for the environment, it means you can rest easy knowing you havent got an illegal power system running in your house, and that you and your family are safe and sound in your green home.