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Why DIY Solar Panels Aren’t the Best Alternative

Posted Posted in Solar Energy Articles     Comments Comments Off
Nov
14

DIY solar panels have become more popular among home owners looking for creative and earth friendly ways to reduce their heating bills while positively impacting the environment. On the surface, installing your own solar panels might seem like a good idea; after all, in theory, you get to save money on the installation process on top of saving money from the solar panels instead of relying completely on your local electric company. However, there are a number of potential disadvantages to trying to install solar panels on your home yourself that you should consider before you try this out and spend a lot of money.

The first reason you should think twice before installing DIY solar panels is because solar panels are complex electrical devices. The most common error people make as beginners when trying to install panels on their own is to miscalculate the number of solar cells and the size of the battery they need. In some cases, they don’t make the calculation at all. This can be a crucial mistake; rather than planning the project carefully before starting it, many people just make rough estimates of how many cells and batteries they will be using. However, estimating the power and voltage that can be generated by your system is almost always going to be a bad idea. You need to make the proper measurements and calculations so you can be sure that the solar cells you purchase will be able to generate the voltage and power you need them to. You will also need to make sure that your battery will have the capacity you need to store the energy collected by the solar panels so it can be used at night and on rainy days or other days where you do not receive sufficient energy from sunlight.

The second reason you should think twice before installing DIY solar panels is because you are likely to choose low quality materials when working on your own, and the results of this can be disastrous. Whenever people work on projects by themselves, they inevitably have to make decisions and considerations between the costs of the materials they are working with and the quality of those materials. This is also the case when working with solar panels. While it may be tempting to go after parts that cost less money, this does not always result in the best deals. To make such a project worth your while, you will have to have a good idea of how long you would like your solar powered cells and system to last you. Solar panels that are built and assembled commercially can easily last for up to twenty years. Therefore, if you are looking to benchmark the solar panels you plan on building, you will need to work on acquiring parts that are durable. However, if you are only looking for a system to last for a decade or so, you might opt for cheaper materials. Keeping these considerations in mind, you might be better off avoiding DIY solar panels.