Author: Sam Stanford

Solar panels have been around for a few decades now, and have recently become more and more popular in the last few years.

So the question is: How can you get solar panels cheap? You can buy them on Amazon or eBay, that’s for sure, or you can pay retail price at a specialty store (hint: not the best way to get solar panels cheap).

While online stores and buying used solar panels can help you get solar panels cheap, there is actually an entire movement of people doing something completely different: making their own solar panels.

If you’ve never thought about making your own solar panels, it may sound ridiculous. I sure did when my friend Mike told me about it a few years back! But, average folks, armed with ammunition from the Information Superhighway, are making incredibly functional solar panels.

Click Here to Learn About Getting Solar Panels Cheap

In this article, I want to outline for you some of the tips that have helped me and my friends save boatloads on solar panels. So, without any further ado, here’s my Guide to Getting Solar Panels Cheap.

1. Build ‘Em

Sure, this might sound like a daunting task, but there are guides available that even schoolchildren can follow. There’s actually an entire movement of people solar panels for their homes, for camping. for their RV, you name it. It’s not as hard as it seems, and if you can follow written directions you’ll be good to go.

2. Find Slightly Used (Not Broken) Solar Cells

eBay is great for finding the solar cells you can use to make your own fully functional solar panels. You can find all types of solar cells in any quantity imaginable. One thing I would recommend if this is your first time build a solar panel: Get a few extra, you’ll probably have a bit of a learning curve at first.

3. Use Parts on Hand

Constructing solar panels is not just all about solar cells. You’ll also need paint, solder, plexiglass, wire, lumber, and a few other things. Some or all of these things you may already have in your garage. If not, tell your neighbor you’re working on building your own solar panel, and watch how fast they volunteer help and supplies. People really want to help with this whole going green thing.

4. Recycle Cells

You already know consumers spend big bucks on brand new solar panels. So what happens when a homeowner in a ritzy part of town decides to replace their system? The old solar panels often go in the trash. This is a huge advantage for anyone looking to get solar panels cheap. All you have to do is call up your local solar installation companies, and they may actually give the panels to you at no cost just for taking them off their hands. Now that’s a deal I can get behind.

I hope that this guide to getting solar panels cheap has shed a little light on how to go solar for very little money. If you’re interested in other ways of going green and saving money, be sure to check out our Free MiniCourse: Go Green Save Green. It won’t cost you a nickel, and it’s packed with tremendous tips that I delivery to your inbox for over the course of several days.

You can sign up below.

Click Here to Learn About Getting Solar Panels Cheap

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Return from Get Solar Panels Cheap to Solar Energy Savvy HOME

If you’ve read any of the DIY Solar Energy Guides I recommend, then you know that you can save hundreds or thousands of dollars by getting used parts for your solar panels and wind turbines.

eBay is one of the best places to do this, so I set up this page for you to look at all the latest auctions on all the parts you need.

If you need a step-by-step guide to help you put all these parts together, I recommend you check this out.

Solar cells -

Wind Turbine Blades -

Solar Charge Controller -

Power Inverter -

First and foremost, solar energy made by PV (photovoltaic) cells will create electricity without any pollution. Learning about solar panels and PV cells may just make you want to install your own solar system and join the many that are no longer spending big bucks for utility bills.

Solar PV cells are what make up what we know as photovoltaic systems. They’re small devices that convert a light source into electricity; usually this light source is the sun. The individual cells are held together with layers of semiconductor material (filled with atoms).

One layer has a negative charge while the other has a positive charge. When the sun shines on the cells, the atoms in the semiconductor absorb the photons from the light.

Want Solar Power in YOUR Home? Click here for the FREE report!

When this happens, electrons from the negative layer travel through an external circuit and join the positive layer. This is “traveling” of the electrons is what gives you an electric current. Because these small solar cells will not make up enough electricity by themselves, they’re put together as a group of dozens to work together. They’re stored in a module, which provides them with a weather-proof protection.

When putting two modules together, they can be wired together as part of a series with the voltage doubling but the current staying the same. If the modules are wired parallel, the voltage stays the same but the current doubles. When solar cells are made, they are often wired in a variety of combinations to accommodate their needs, depending on the size of the home or building.

With all the hype and publications about solar energy, saving money on utility bills and helping the environment, more people than ever are taking an interest in using solar power either for their entire source of energy or as a supplement to their utility company. Many people that are interested in “getting off the grid” and making their own energy are afraid that it’s too expensive to get started.

While they’re aware of the huge savings they’ll see when the system is complete, they don’t have the thousands of dollars they believe is needed to implement a complete solar system into their home. Little do they know that for just a couple hundred dollars, and possibly less, they can provide their home with a solar system that will save them dollar after dollar on energy costs.

Hopefully now you’re not asking the question: “How Do Solar Cells Work?” I hope I’ve answered that for you!ontains pictures, video, bonuses and more.

Click HERE for the FREE Renewable Energy Report

You see, the price of brand new solar technology is just plain out of reach for most folks. You don’t see a whole lot of widespread adpotion of solar technology at the residential level because of this high cost.

But, people love renewable (green) energy! They just don’t know anything about and are scared to shell out big bucks for new solar panels.

That’s where you come in. Putting together Homemade Solar Panels is not that difficult at all, and once you master the process you can repeat it again and again.

Take a Look at This Very Limited Time Offer for Residents Only!

Reviewer

Average User Rating:

Hello everyone,

In this Green Living Kit Review, I’ll discuss what I think is one of the most complete Green DIY Kits you can find. People often ask me “Is the Green Living Kit some type of a scam?”

I got curious myself (there are some really terrible products out there) so I decided to buy the kit, read all of it,  and then write a complete Green Living Kit Review for the readers of SolarEnergySavyy.com.

I try to just present the facts here so you can make an informed decision, and keep the fluff to a minimum. Without any further ado, let’s dive in:

Click here to visit the  Green Living Kit

Name of Course or Program: Green Living Kit

Company: DIY workshop of Tom Hayden

Format of Program: 12 separate eBooks

Description: Each of the 12 eBooks covers a different “green” topic. These include: DIY Solar Panels, Build Your Own Wind Turbine, DIY Solar Water Heater, DIY Organic Gardening, DIY Chicken Coop, DIY Solar Hot Tub, DIY Solar Generator, DIY Solar Oven, DIY Green House, DIY Solar Pool Heater, DIY Root Cellar,  DIY Solar Shower

Installation and Access: Download to your PC for offline access on your PC

Cost: two options -Monthly Membership for only $9.99/month, Get All 12 Guides Immediately $77

Skill Level: Complete Beginner to Expert

Overall Organization: The content is very well organized. The only issue is that you get so much information! This could keep you busy for some time… The actual layout of each book is very well done, however.

Quality of Content: Good to excellent. Each of the 12 eBooks is solid on its own, and the information is easy to follow and very complete

Ease of Use: Excellent. Each of the eBooks in this package was designed for the complete novice to follow along.

Technical Support: email support

Guarantee: 60 day 100% money back guarantee.

Overall Evaluation: This is a fantastic package that packs in more than any other guide we’ve bought and reviewed. I’m not sure what they aren’t selling these all as separate products, but the combination of all 12 eBooks makes this a fantastic value. I would think this product is geared toward the person that really wants to see to see all of their “Green” options.

Comments: This package is a new comer to the Renewable Energy market, and that may explain why they are offering so much. Other courses we recommend here on SolarEnergySavvy.com are very good, but none are as complete as the Green Living Kit. One of the findings of this Green Living Kit Review is that they have not cut corners either, so the only explanation I can think of for including so much information at such a low price is that they are competing with very popular products like Earth4Energy.

My Recommendation: Highly Recommended. Suitable for any skill level. You can buy it with confidence.

For More Information: Click here to visit the  Green Living Kit

These DIY Solar projects are often appealing to people that have a need for electricity in remote areas, such as campers, astronomers, scientists, etc. However, more and more people are turning to do it yourself projects to actually power their residence.

So, what do you need to build solar panels? The answer may surprise you. Not too much!

First, you’ll need to get your hands on some solar cells. There are a variety of places to get these, and if you can find them used you’ll save money.

Be careful when buying used, and make sure that the cells are not cracked or chipped. Solar cells are very brittle and almost glass like, so you should take care when handling them.

Click Here for Renewable Energy Secrets Revealed!

Here are the basic materials you will need to build solar panels:

• Plexiglass
• Solar Cells
• Lumber
• Wire
• Diode
• Jones Plug
• Paint
• Screws & other Hardware
• Silicone Caulk

You will need to wire as many of the solar cells as you can in series to create a panel. Each little cell adds up to the total output of the panel, which can be about 18 volts. To do this, lay each solar cell face down and solder each one from the back. When you have everything wired in series you can place the whole panel into a box frame.

Next, you will want to create a box for the solar cells to sit in. Any solar panel is really just a shallow box, and you can easier create this with plywood and plexiglass. Figure out your dimensions, and then create a box that you can lay the newly wired solar panel into. Again, please be careful when soldering and handling, the cells are very fragile!

You will want to install a blocking diode so that your solar panels don’t drain your battery at night or when it’s cloudy. Each panel in your system will need one of these. Once you have that in place, you can drill a hole in the back of your panel to run the wires out.

Once you have this all put together you have your very own solar panel! Depending on how you get all the materials, and how crafty you are, you can get this all done for between $100 and $200. You can then just rinse and repeat this process and create as many panels as you want.

You will need to put a little work in, but this is a great weekend project! Also, once you build your solar panels, they really won’t require much maintenance and will provide free, clean, electricity to your house, campsite, or anywhere else you want.

Save Money by Building Your Own Solar Panels

Over a seven year lifetime, a standard 80 gallon (300 l) electric hot water tank serving a family of four will consume approximately 150 million BTUs (British thermal units). This will cost approximately US$3,600 (at US$0.08 per KWH), not including the cost of fuel increasing. Eventually this unit will be replaced by another just like it, with the same poor level of effeciency. Obviously, this cycle is costing households quite a bit of money that could be saved by using a solar energy water heater.

Taking advantage of free, “always on” solar energy is an excellent way to do your part for the environment while saving money at the same time. There are many methods of capturing solar energy, and creating a homemade solar water heater is a great one.

Click HERE to visit the DIY Solar Water Heater Guide

Solar heating systems usually include solar thermal collectors and a pipe or hose system to move the heated water from its original to point of use. The system may use electricity for pumping the fluid, and may have a resevior tank to store the heat and water. While these systems may be used for industrial and business applications, in this article we’ll be focusing on the homemade solar water heater. What can you use this for? Space heating, underfloor heating, and heated swimming pools are a few examples.

Check out this video of Solar Water Heater in Action

Remember: You can get a solar water heater much cheaper by making it yourself!

Oftentimes, a residential solar water heater can actually provide as much as 85% of a home’s hot water needs.

Solar water systems can be generally divided into two classes: passive systems and active systems. We’ll focus on passive systems in this article, as active systems require an external source of power, and the idea here is to reduce our dependance on the utility company. Passive systems are also low cost, relaible, can be built with readily available materials, and require very little maitenance, if any.

It’s interesting to note that while the world is vigorously searching for ways to implement renewable energy sources today, homemade solar water heaters were actually used in the US as far back as the early 1800s. In fact, Butch Cassidy’s roost in Utah allegedly still has remains of the original solar heater-a black can of water in the sunlight. The design advanced from there, of course, and the first commercial solar water heater was patented in 1891 by Clarence M. Kemp.

5 Key elements of homemade solar water heater design:

1. Make sure you set it up in a place that receives maximum sunlight – more exposure = more heat

2. Make sure it is an effective collector – In other words, “paint it black.” Black paint has an absorbtion rate of 96%

3. Make sure it will retain heat -This is crucial for using heated water at night.

4. Make efficient connection to the conserving backup system -

5. Make it the right size – This will on how much water you need to heat, allow about 30 gallons of storage per person per day.

6. Build it to last – Done right, these systems will last years with minimum maintenance.

Click HERE to visit the DIY Solar Water Heater Guide

Very limited time bonus offer for residents only!

Sam

Reviewer: Sam Stanford
Average User Rating:
Website Reviewed: Green DIY Energy

However, for this website I’ve reviewed over 20 Do It Yourself renewable energy packages, and I can say that this one is on the level. First of all, it’s not a scam. You get instant access to all the material as soon as you order it.

So what do you get?

One of the things I like about Green DIY Energy is that there is simply a lot of content. Some of these home energy products throw a few poorly written eBooks at you (without pictures!) and send you on your way.

Click HERE to Visit Green DIY Energy

[My Grandson put this Green DIY Energy Review video together for me]

*4 complete guides: two solar guides and two wind guides

*7 bonus eBooks on topics like solar arrays, tax credits, wind maps, how to install solar panels, and more

*7 very complete videos. I found these most helpful, because they range from 20 to 50 minutes and I seem to learn better from videos.

As they update and improve the course, you get access to everything added.

Although I do really like the videos, it’s also a plus to have all the eBooks because when I’m in the backyard or workshop putting these things together, I like to have the book handle so I can make notes and have a ready reference. However, I’ll admit that I did take the laptop out to the garage once so I could watch the video while I put a solar panel together! You’ll find your own favorite way of working with the material, but it’s nice to have options.

Are there Downsides?

Sure there are some downsides, nothing is perfect. For one, I thought at first that I would be getting a series of books in the mail. It turns out that you actually get an electronic download of all the materials. The old timer in me likes hardcover books, but the nice thing about the eBook is that you get it instantly, no waiting. You also get lifetime access to the course material, so as they improve it over time you get to reap the benefits.

Another thing that may be considered a downside is that, as of this writing, the course is only available in English. Now, people all over the world are taking advantage of nature’s free energy, so I don’t know why they don’t make this course available in other languages. If you can read this review, however, it won’t be a problem for you.

The Bottom Line

Green DIY Energy is a great course, and I recommend you check it out if you are want to reduce your electric bill and do your part for the environment. SolarEnergySavvy.com readers have rated it 4.5 stars out of 5, mostly because of the sheer volume of quality content that you get for the money.

Thanks for taking the time to check out my Green DIY Energy Review.

Best of luck with your own Solar Energy project,

-Sam

Click HERE to Visit Green DIY Energy