The Advantages of DIY Solar Panels

Oct. 9, 2011 - PRLog -- It has now become apparent that the return to the days of cheap energy is not going to happen. If you are old enough to be reading this article, you probably remember when fuel costs were 10-25% of what they are now. The price of energy is now controlled by large corporations, and foreign entities, none of whom are going to promote the advantages of solar power.

The good news is that you and I have alternatives that allow us to generate electricity “off the grid”. One of those alternatives is the advantage of solar power. The sun shines almost everywhere each day. Pretty simple concept, capture that energy and use it to power your home, or maybe just heat your water.

It can become confusing as to how to go about learning the A to Z of solar power, and truth is the large majority of people who take the dive and install solar panels are those with technical degrees. That trend has changed somewhat since 2009 though, and more DIY’ers are taking advantage of solar power home and water heating systems, as well as wind energy systems.


There is quite a large amount of information online regarding the advantages of solar power, and the tech specs as well. Some of this information is useful, and some creates even more confusion for the average person like you and I.

When I had a new home built in Florida in 2011 I investigated the possibility of having commercially built solar panels installed. It took only one quote to rule that possibility out, as I could not afford to shell out $18k in addition to the price of the home!

Not having a technical background I came close to abandoning my quest to participate in the eco-friendly “green movement” as some call it. Truth is, my motivation was self-serving, I wanted to save money with solar power. I also like to have lots of toys, thus the garage full of tools. I can’t say that I know how to use all of them, but they are there if I need them.

Skip ahead 6 months after moving into my new home and I have solar panels installed and working! I am now taking advantage of solar power, and have now helped two friends to build their own systems, and one of them is also working on a wind turbine. Living a few miles from the Gulf of Mexico provides a constant breeze. My neighborhood is not suited to having a wind turbine, but solar power was a great option.

So, back to the advantages of solar power. Simply put, I will break even on my investment in less than 2 years. I now am able to support our independence from fossil fuels. I have a great new skill in my DIY “library”. I’ve made some great new friends, and my kids have learned some valuable skills. Passing on this knowledge is probably one of my biggest contributions to their future. The addition resale value of my home will increase conservatively by 6 times the investment in materials to build my solar panels.

In order to accomplish this I did a lot of reading, and took advantage of online plans and videos available from Earth4Energy. On a difficulty scale of 1-10, I would give this project a 6. Having videos and step by step plans made a big difference for me.

Regardless where you decide to go for instruction, the hardest part is taking the plunge and beginning on the learning curve. The actual mechanics of building s solar panel system to provide free energy for your home is not difficult after doing your due diligence. Take advantage of solar power, the sun is waiting on you.

Lear more at the DIY Solar Power Advantage Site: http://easysearchrequests.net