Homemade Solar Panals

[ztrjim]

Guide to homemade renewable energy solar panels

I am currently searching for way to make inexpensive solar panels. My goal is to power my 15x15 shed that will power lights, air compressor, maybe a small fridge and varies power tools. I didn't wanna get involved with running a power line in the ground because I have a gas main running through my back yard!

Please share with me here your thoughts and/or projects you make have done? Thanks in advance

 

[bcp]

From:
GreenDIYenergy.com

This DIY Guide will walk you through the step-by-step process of constructing 60- to 120- watt Solar Panels for under $200. You can easily do it for less than $100 if you do a little extra work in collecting materials.

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If you can make a 100 watt panel for $175, that will be $3150 (for only the panels) to provide the same watts as one 15 amp 120 volt outlet, while the sun is shining brightly. Looks like this free power would cost you about $4000+-.

Maybe a long extension cord instead?

Bruce


GreenDIYEnergy Scam Review: Sure Smells Like A Scam


From:
GreenDIYenergy or HomeMadeEnergy - Scam Review | Open4Energy

You cannot build your own solar cells anymore than you can make your own plasma TV. You can purchase the parts, but the silicon solar cells are most of the cost of the panel. You can wire up your own cells and mount them in a frame, but there is no way you are going to get anything for $150 that will be of much use. You would be lucky to put together a 10W system that could power a compact florescent bulb for about 6 hours a day.

 

[bumperm]

Besides the issues bcp addresses, a solar system with the capabilities you are looking for will be expensive due to the high peak power needed for the air compressor even though it's use would be intermittent. The lower, but more continuous load for the fridge will also need to be addressed. As an example, the absorbtion fridge used in most RV's will draw about 30 amps when running on 12 vdc, or 360 watts when it cyles on. The air compressor, even a smaller one that still operates on 110 VAC, would be over 1000 watts.

To make it happen when the sun don't shine due to darkness or clouds, you will need a bank of batteries charged by solar, and powering a suitably sized inverter to convert your DC power to AC, assuming you want to power 110 AC tools and such. To size the battery bank, a rule of thumb is one watt of solar for each amp hour of battery capacity. On my smaller 26' motorhome, I have 400 watts of solar, 4 golf cart batteries for 450 AH, and a 2000 watt pure sine wave inverter. That smallish system will run the microwave, but not the roof air conditioner. It would run a smaller air compressor, but not for long!

I'd locate that gas line, hand dig around it, and run power to the shed unless there's no other way.

 

[joecoin]

Put in an above ground propane tank. Run a generator as needed. Forget the refrigerator.(Although there are propane powered ones).

 

[Al Mac]

The other posts hit the nail on the head on solar limits and what can be run.
I expect that you will be using the building quit a bit with a fridge in the plan. Get the gas company to locate the gas line and put in underground power.

Don't put in a smaller line for today's usage. Make it large enough to handle the expansion of your growing tool collection you will have ( bigger beer fridge):drink:

Al

 

[Redneck in training]

Readymade solar panels cost about $0.80/W. That is price hard to beat by DIY. The biggest expense for 登ff grid is the inverter, charge controller and batteries. You will spend less money installing the cable than you will spend by building the "off grid" solar system. If you have the cable installed then you can add "grid tie" solar to lower or eliminate you electric bill. Roof mounted DIY solar can be installed for about $2/W before tax rebates. Federal tax rebate is 30% of the cost of the material, state rebates vary. We have installed large DIY solar system on our property so I can provide you with expertize I gained by doing so.

 

[TnAndy]

Even as recently as 2008 (when I bought my first panels), solar panels were in the $4/watt range. At that time, you "might" could have beaten the price of them building your own. You still couldn't (in my opinion, open for debate I guess) beat the quality of a factory made panel and build something that would last 25 years or more in outside weather conditions.

Today, you can buy first rate American made panels for under a dollar/watt, and Chinese made panels for under 75 cents/watt. There is simply NO WAY you can beat that price building your own. Can't be done. All those "build your own solar panel and save thousands" books out there are simply selling books/videos to people that know nothing about solar power.

To set up an off grid system (which is what you're talking about) to do what you want will cost you a minimum of $5,000. I set up just such a system for a buddy with an off grid cabin, and his ran more like 8k, because he put in a decent battery bank as well. Just as Redneck said, it's not JUST the panels....the other components you must buy have not come down in price, and batteries have gone UP in price. (nearly 30% more for the same batteries I bought in 2008).

Not to discourage you on solar, because I think it has it's place. I run an 11,000 watt system at my house that provides all our power. I've set up other systems for folks from 2,000 to 10,000w, both grid tied, and off grid.

But running a small system off grid is the most expensive way to go. People simply don't appreciate the amount of power it takes to "run a few lights/stuff in the barn or chicken house, or shed" and what a bargain grid power is.

Again, as Redneck said, you'd be better off to learn how to install your own grid tied system, and lower your electric bill. You can definitely beat solar company installed pricing (assuming you can do your own), and also eliminate components an off grid system must have (charge controllers, batteries, etc.) because you are grid tied.

As for your shed, figure out how to run an underground line. Hand dig it if you're that worried about the location of your gas line.....heck, Myrtle Beach is all sand anyway, right ?

 

[ESBkevin]

All the data in that renewable energy guide is lifted from a free website that the guy who actually did the panels made.

He also made a simple wind turbine, a charging system and a device for moving the panels into the sun (a work in progress ATM).

Here is a free link for those with the desire

How I built an electricity producing Solar Panel

There is a good FAQ worth reading/printing too if you are minded to have a go.

HTH

 

[newbury]

I've been researching this off and on for years. I've remote buildings I'd like to have power in and the biggest drawback to me is the cost of the batteries.
And the cost of replacing those batteries over time.

I've a 10x15 shed that needs lights, presently I string a cord across the lawn.

With the advent of the new Li battery packs and LED lights I'm thinking I might be able to rig up some LED lights to run off my DeWalt 20V 5AH battery packs. I use those for my "power tools" that I use in the shed.

But if you are trying to save $$ DIY off grid solar is real expensive.

 

[TnAndy]

With a few LED lights, you can certainly get by with a lot less power....and batteries.....but throw in refrigerator and air compressor, you're up to a fairly decent size system.

A 20v5amphr battery, for example, could run (assuming zero system loss) 100w for an hour, or 50w for 2hrs, and so on. You could run a couple of low watt LED for several hours. That is quite doable.

 

[ztrjim]

thanks for all the great info!

 

[boggen]

i am going to join in the band wagon, of the others that have replied. have a small 20 x 24 cabin, with a 3000watt generator that supplies power to lights, microwave, fans, window a/c unit. the cabin approx 1/2 mile away from nearest power line. it costs a good amount of cash for full solor grid / off grid setup, or running power to the cabin. it is just a get away / weekend cabin so no need for actual full power doings.

batteries can be a pain in rear to deal with, the cost of them, but also maintenance on them, batteries can and do go bad, along with all the charging circuits, and misc electronic devices that make up a full off-grid package.

if you have power right there, then get "grid power" and be done with it. if you want solar, then get a setup, that does not require batteries.

your all up in smoke about the gas line on property, have you actually called local electrical company to come out and give you a quote? normally local power companies have some sort of dedicated person that goes out to folks homes / business, and figures things out and gives estimates. there should be no real issue about a gas line on your property, beyond were it is. so no one digs / cuts into it. i would assume there are a few extra codes/regs, but they shouldn't be nothing major.

having a background or even some book smarts via highschool or collage class in DC electronics, can help ya go a bit further with off grid setup. and better understand this or that. and were you might need to pay extra attention to. to have a longer lasting overall setup without that much maintenance.

 

[bumperm]

With a few LED lights, you can certainly get by with a lot less power....and batteries.....but throw in refrigerator and air compressor, you're up to a fairly decent size system.

A 20v5amphr battery, for example, could run (assuming zero system loss) 100w for an hour, or 50w for 2hrs, and so on. You could run a couple of low watt LED for several hours. That is quite doable.

If you can make do with just LED lighting, then install a 10 watt solar panel and hook directly to a removed from service auto battery (assuming there's still some life in it). With a panel that small there's not need for a charge controller. System cost, excluding LED light, $35. Add a nice LED flood (see ebay) for another $35.

You can do the system right with all new stuff, including battery for 2 to 3 hundred. New 12 volt battery, 100 watt solar panel, 10 amp solar charge controller, and if you have the need to run small AC power tools, throw in a 400 to 700 watt inverter for $50 more. It only get's pricey when you want to run the bigger loads.

Before doing the above, I'd still look to running AC in ground, either in conduit or direct burial.

 

[EddieWalker]

How far is the shed from your house or source of power? Crossing the gas line is just a matter of digging it by hand. I just ran water and power across my gas line Thanksgiving weekend. It took a few hours, but I dug 20 from where I thought the gas line was in both directions with a shovel for a total of 40 feet. I went two feed down and never found the gas line. I'm guessing it was about three feed down, I've heard it's supposed to be four feet down. I just don't trust the people who install those things to go as deep as they are supposed to. I've seen on the news where contractors have hit them at less then two feet.

For all the money this is going to cost you, digging the trench and running wire always makes more sense to me then dealing with solar panels and batteries. Especially knowing that the batteries are temporary.

The other option is to not have anything plugged in there and just get a small generator for when you do need power. I have a little Honda 2000 generator that starts easy, is fairly quiet and runs all day on a tank of gas.

Eddie

 

[2LaneCruzer]

There's always passive solar that can provide heat at the very least...and hot water if you need it...and you can build it yourself.

 

[Oaktree]

If you can make do with just LED lighting, then install a 10 watt solar panel and hook directly to a removed from service auto battery (assuming there's still some life in it). With a panel that small there's not need for a charge controller. System cost, excluding LED light, $35. Add a nice LED flood (see ebay) for another $35.

That's more or less what I did for a shed of mine that's far enough away from the house to make trenching in AC non-practical. Just used one of those battery maintainer solar panels, an old car battery and several cheapie LED "driving lights" I picked up at Walmart. Just the lights and an old car radio. Does the job. It's been there maybe 4 years now, still works just fine with the original battery.

Obviously, you're not gonna run power tools, refrigerator, etc. on a setup like this.

 

[Redneck in training]

Batteries can last long time but at a cost. Their life depends on the level of discharge during the battery cycle. When discharged to 90% they will last many years but you would have buy large battery bank. If you allow discharge to 60% battery life will be significantly shorter but you spend initially less money. In any case off grid system make sense only when running electric line is cost prohibitive.
To install solar DIY you have to select right components so you don not die (hehe assuming you have only basic knowledge) while doing it. The problem is that when the panels are illuminated they are ON and hard to turn OFF. If you use string inverters you are dealing with large voltages and currents that can kill and burn the stuff. But if you use microinverters or buy panels with inverters built in it is a piece of cake. You deal with low or no voltages until you turn power on. There are only few connections you actually have to make using tools. The rest is just plugging connectors together. The system is actually quite simple no more complicated than installing new breaker or outlet.

I also agree that solar trickle charger, car or golf car battery and 12VDC/110AC inverter would provide power for intermittent load such as lights or small power tool for few hundred bucks. Running a cable would cost you about the same amount unless the distance is large. In example I run 1050 ft of direct burial 350 cable for about $1200 including ditch witch rental.

 

[bumperm]

That's more or less what I did for a shed of mine that's far enough away from the house to make trenching in AC non-practical. Just used one of those battery maintainer solar panels, an old car battery and several cheapie LED "driving lights" I picked up at Walmart. Just the lights and an old car radio. Does the job. It's been there maybe 4 years now, still works just fine with the original battery.

Obviously, you're not gonna run power tools, refrigerator, etc. on a setup like this.

Yeah, but for a shed, it does make you smile when you flip the switch and the lights come on, knowing you are "offing" the power company . . . kind of a warm feeling - for a shed.

 

[dave1949]

You would never burn $100 worth (25 gal.) of kerosene in an oil lamp. Those are good for sheds too if you just need a little light, plus you can warm your hands on one.

W.T. Kirkman Oil and Electric Lanterns: Dietz Lanterns

 

[kevin37b]

How far is the shed from your house or source of power? Crossing the gas line is just a matter of digging it by hand. I just ran water and power across my gas line Thanksgiving weekend. It took a few hours, but I dug 20 from where I thought the gas line was in both directions with a shovel for a total of 40 feet. I went two feed down and never found the gas line. I'm guessing it was about three feed down, I've heard it's supposed to be four feet down. I just don't trust the people who install those things to go as deep as they are supposed to. I've seen on the news where contractors have hit them at less then two feet.

For all the money this is going to cost you, digging the trench and running wire always makes more sense to me then dealing with solar panels and batteries. Especially knowing that the batteries are temporary.

The other option is to not have anything plugged in there and just get a small generator for when you do need power. I have a little Honda 2000 generator that starts easy, is fairly quiet and runs all day on a tank of gas.

Eddie

We have hit 2 " HP mains while pulling curb , It was in the concrete . Locator said minimal 2 ft of cover or it is not a liability .