With the prices of oil and gas continually on the rise, and the impact of the burning of fossil fuels becoming an ever more present issue, many people are searching for new ways to generate energy that are both inexpensive and environmentally friendly.
Although solar panels have finally reached a level of efficiency to make them feasible and accessible to a multitude of homes and businesses, for many, even if they pay themselves off in the long-run, their sticker-shock is still a bit too much to warrant that initial investment- particularly for people who have never really used them before.
One way to circumvent this leap of faith however and 'try before you buy' know how to make a cheap solar panel on your own.
This can be done at the fraction of the cost of buying one new.
It will also give you a chance to see how they work, how they could possibly be used in the home, what kind of potential issues may arise from using them, and/or what kind of upkeep they may require to be maintained.
For someone who is just a bit technically savvy, the construction of a homemade solar panel is actually none-to-difficult, and with typical household or hardware store tools and about $100 or so, you can construct one that has a similar output to a new, professionally manufactured one.
Although new, solar cells are extremely expensive, and can be very difficult to find, secondhand or blemished ones can be purchased off eBay for relatively cheap.
The cost of the rest of the supplies varies only by what you already have on hand, as materials such as paint, lumber, Plexiglas, wires and diodes will all be necessary.
In terms of the panels themselves, you should avoid getting cells of different sizes.
Although the larger cells will produce more current, their output will be limited to the output of the smaller cells in the panel anyway, and as such, they will add weight and construction complication to the panel without really being used to their full potential.
You should however, consider getting more cells than you think you will need as they are extremely fragile, and it's likely that a few may get destroyed in the process.
Should they only get chipped however, (or if purchased that way); they should still be useful though, and that won't take away from the overall output of the panel.
In choosing your cells, you should also look at how they are packaged.
Cells may come dipped in wax or not, and with or without metal tabs on them.
Although cells dipped in wax are more likely to make it to you without any damage, getting the wax off of them can be a very arduous process.
Also, as aforementioned, small chips don't interfere much (if at all) with the overall output of the cell, so you may want to save yourself the headache and just purchase those sold without it.
Getting cells with metal tabs on them is also advantageous, as it will save you a great deal of time when you smolder together the panel itself.
Lastly, you must also take into account the fragility of the cells themselves when looking at the design of the panel.
As small rocks, flying debris or hail will only bounce off Plexiglas; it is a far better option than glass for the panel's outer cover.
Additionally, cells can contract, expand, warp and flex with changes in humidity or temperature, so they should not be glued too tightly to the substrate (a dap of glue at the center of each cell will do) and they should have some space between them.
Vent holes should also be drilled in the bottom of the panel to equalize air pressure and to let moisture escape.
They should be drilled at the bottom, so as to prevent rain or dew from running down into the panel.