How to Build Your Own Solar Panel System
In this article, I’ll discuss how to build your own solar panel system. Lots of folks are turning to do it yourself solar projects for two reasons: they’re lots of fun and they can save you money. There are also plenty of folks these days that are concerned about the environment and want to lower their carbon footprint. So, if you choose to build your own solar system you’re accomplishing a lot of things at once.
My goal is to show you what’s involved in creating this system, so we’ll examine some of the key components that go into a system like this.
For our purposes, we’ll assume that you want to build your own solar panel system as cheaply as possible. To do this, we’re going to try to use free or really cheap components whenever possible.
A Note About How Solar Electricity is Created: Solar electricity is created when sunlight hits special photovoltaic cells. The energy from the sunlight forces electrons loose in two directions, and this flow of electrons in both directions is indeed electricity! It’s a fairly simple concept, and you can learn plenty more about it towards the bottom of this page.
Ok, let’s discuss all the components required to build your own solar panel system:
1. Solar Panels
2. Array DC Disconnect
3. Charge Controller
4. Batteries
5. System Meter
6. Inverter
7. AC Breaker Panel
8. Kilowatt per Hour Meter
These are the main components, as I want you to have a good general overview of what components you’ll need to build your own solar panel system.
With the above components, you can create four types of solar panel systems:
A) Portable
B) Grid-Tie
C) Grid-Tie with Battery Backup
D) Off-Grid Solar System
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As you move from system A down to system D, the setup gets more complicated, and will require more of the 8 components mentioned above. Let’s talk a bit more in detail about these four types of systems:
►To sum up the portable system, it’s great for campgrounds or other similar situations, and you could probably put one together for under $200.
A portable system would look like this: Solar Panel > Charge Controller > Battery > Inverter.
►The grid tie system is a bit more involved, and it’s what most households that are still connected to the grid will opt to use. More than likely this is your scenario. The downside to this system is that it does not provide power to your home at night or when the sun isn’t shining. You only get power when the sun’s-a-shinin’!
The grid-tie system flowchart would look like this: Solar Panels > Array DC Disconnect > Inverter > AC Breaker Panel > Kilowatt Per Hour Meter > Grid tie in.
►The Grid Tie with Battery Backup system is simply an extension of system B. The main advantage here is that your home will be able to use stored solar energy at night, during rain, or on cloudy days.
The flowchart for this system would look like this: Solar Panels > Array DC Disconnect > Charge Controller > Deep Cycle Battery > System Meter > Main DC Disconnect > Inverter > AC Breaker Panel > Kilowatt Per Hour Meter > Grid Tie In
I told you they got more complicated as they went on! Spend some time with it and you’ll understand all of this. If you’re seriously planning to build your own solar panel system, I highly recommend you invest a few dollars in a how-to guide that will walk you step by step through everything.
►Off-Grid Systems are completely independant. This is for you folks that live way out in the boonies away from the utility grid! Here afe the steps in the off grid system: Solar Panels > Array DC Disconnect > Charge Controller > Deep Cycle Battery > System Meter > Main DC Disconnect > Inverter > Generator >AC Breaker Panel
I hope that now you have a good idea of what parts are involved when you build your own solar panel system. But worry if this seems a little overwhelming. You can bookmark this site to use as a reference, and before long you’ll be a solar energy pro 
First and foremost, solar energy made by PV (photovoltaic) cells will create electricity…. [read more]