Build Own Solar Panel

Hi,

I want to buy a town house in Bay area (San Jose, SFO). But my question is can we install solar panels on my roof?

Is it allowed? Or roof is part of HOA maintenance program? What is the law states here?

Is a single family home is the only way to install solar panels?

Thanks for your help.
UPDATED QUESTION:

Can i install on my backyard at least?

Look up AB2473 - The California Solar Rights Act. That removed most of the barriers to installing solar on any property you own. If you had a detached home, even in a gated community with a homeowner’s association, you have a good chance of getting solar even if the HOA doesn’t like it.

The problem with a townhome is that you don’t own the roof. Before you buy, have a cordial conversation with the president of the HOA, to get an idea of how they feel about this sort of thing. If they don’t like it, I wouldn’t fight. Even if you win legally, your neighbors will give you dirty looks for being a troublemaker. But you might be surprised. This IS the bay area, after all, pretty liberal.

Building a homemade solar panel is not as difficult as many people make out. It is only the professional installers and sellers of overpriced commercial units that want to make you believe that your average person cannot make a renewable energy source. I honestly believe that with a little bit of time and thought you can succeed at completing your first project in a matter of weeks rather than months.

Click to Visit Best Make Solar Panel and Make Wind Turbine Guide

The great thing is I have seen novices build really efficient solar cells from scratch without any in depth training or expensive materials. The most important factor for success is conquering your fear of failing to complete your project. How do you do this?

Simply by learning off others. Solar power is not a new concept. People back in 1920 had realized that the sun could provide all their heating needs. The homemade hot water system was born and placed upon many rooftops in California and throughout the world. The point I am getting at is that if people could harness the power of the sun back in 1920 then you can do so now. There are a wealth of plans and guides available to make your project a success. By planning ahead and following these plans I believe that you can build a efficient DIY solar panel from scratch. Furthermore, you will be saving money on your electricity and doing your bit for the environment.

The best advice I can give you is to give it a try. Get yourself a guide with good plans and a list of materials. It is easier than you think!

Click to Visit Best Make Solar Panel and Make Wind Turbine Guide

 

Thomas

With dwindling resources, global warming and ever increasing prices more than ever people are looking to build solar panels and wind power generators as a means for a solution. But a professional solar system or wind power system can cost into the thousands. That has turned many off on the idea as the solution. But a lot of resourceful people have began looking into “do it yourself” ways to make home made solar panels and home made wind power systems to cut cost.

With enough trial and err these individuals have found ways to build your own solar panels, but there is a lot of work and learning to o it and many of these people end up turning to solar panel kits. These build your own solar panel kits come with everything to build your solar panel in your garage or backyard and could be the best choice for most people.

Solar panel kits are very simple and can be done by almost every one. Several larger companies now sell these kits and compared to having a professionally built system are much more affordable. They include very easy instructions and everything you need to build your own solar panels. When you consider all it takes to try and gather all the parts you need from different sources you could save yourself a lot of time by going with a kit.

If you want to build your own solar panels there are a lot of guides and resources to help you. When you build your own solar panels you then have the understanding and knowledge of how it all works and if there is ever a problem you know how to repair it without having to call someone and that alone could save you a lot of money. Also building your solar panels can just be fun.

houston bruce

I am considering starting a solar/wind energy business. I would like to know how many people would really consider installing solar panels and/or a wind generator on their home or business.

If a complete system is too costly, would you consider a battery back-up system to run essential items in you home or business for when the power drops out? This would consist of 4-12 batteries, a couple of solar panels and/or a wind generator. This would operate items such as lights, well pump, refrigerator, radio or TV, telephones, and computers.

Would you consider starting a small solar array (4-6 panels) and adding panels to it when you have extra money to spend on them?

Please give me your feedback on what you think of "GREEN" energy and if you think it is the future or just a fad.
Good answers so far. In response to f100_supersabre, A 4 battery system is not much. It all depends on what you will operate and how long. The more batteries the better. About the telephone, yes they are powered by the telephone line but businesses usually have multiple lines with a switching station that needs electricity to operate. Most homes now only have cordless phones which require electricity. If you keep a corded phone in your home this would be a non factor. When it comes to the size panels and wind generator that is relevant to your power consumption. What might be good for your house may be too big or too small for your neighbor.

Keep the answers coming.

I will go for it provided the economics is atleast the same as present. Some incovenience I can take it up like some interruptions etc for the sake of environment protection.
But if the cost is going to be higher then I am not interested. There are several things which I can forego like using an air con etc to help the environment at the present. So it boils down to dollars.

With dwindling resources, global warming and ever increasing prices more than ever people are looking to build solar panels and wind power generators as a means for a solution. But a professional solar system or wind power system can cost into the thousands. That has turned many off on the idea as the solution. But a lot of resourceful people have began looking into “do it yourself” ways to make home made solar panels and home made wind power systems to cut cost.

With enough trial and err these individuals have found ways to build your own solar panels, but there is a lot of work and learning to o it and many of these people end up turning to solar panel kits. These build your own solar panel kits come with everything to build your solar panel in your garage or backyard and could be the best choice for most people.

Solar panel kits are very simple and can be done by almost every one. Several larger companies now sell these kits and compared to having a professionally built system are much more affordable. They include very easy instructions and everything you need to build your own solar panels. When you consider all it takes to try and gather all the parts you need from different sources you could save yourself a lot of time by going with a kit.

If you want to build your own solar panels there are a lot of guides and resources to help you. When you build your own solar panels you then have the understanding and knowledge of how it all works and if there is ever a problem you know how to repair it without having to call someone and that alone could save you a lot of money. Also building your solar panels can just be fun.

houston bruce

that was fairly bright and no need to put solar panels outside or run wiring would you buy it ? Makes no difference if you live in an apartment . I see allot of people say they cant use solar because they have no place to mount panels . Anyway would you buy such a light with say 15 to 20 amp florescent bulb and approximately what would or should such a light be worth to you .

I made up my own lighting system that is kind of unique . I have not seen them on the market or on the web i build them myself . In fact that’s what im sitting here with now . Its so simple and it cost me approximately $10 to build each light and im trying to figure out what to sell them for on ebay .
No Mickey you would need one huge panel to even come close for it to feed itself
But thanks for the answer

Very intriguing! I’d be interested in knowing how you’ve managed to do this without wires or external panels, and whether your invention is original? It does sound very innovative and commercially viable because it would have such a huge market - people in flats or apartments, business, etc.

I think people would buy such a product but you’ll only be making pocket money in the ebay market. It’d need a proper launch to be commercially viable; a lot of advertising, promotion and selling in stores.. obviously is more cost effective to produce on mass as this would also lower the retail price to the consumer.

Solar panels that capture the abundance of energy sent to us each and every day can be just the relief we need from the high cost of electricity. It almost seems like a crime to turn our backs on this wonderful gift of more free energy than we can possibly use. This is especially true today because it is possible to build your own solar panel with simple tools for less than $200. These homemade solar generators are capable of reducing household electricity costs by 50% or more.

How Do Solar Panels Work?

Photons, the energetic particles found in sunlight, strike the individual solar cells and bump electrons out of place. The electrons are, in effect, pushed out of the cell and into the wires that connect all the cells together. Ideally each cell will generate about .5 volts of electrical pressure. 80 solar cells wired together in one panel should generate about 100 watts of power.

The Secret Of Making Cheap Solar Panels

The secret to making an inexpensive solar panel is in scrounging low cost or free solar cells. The lower the cost of this project the faster it will pay for itself. Using your own labor to assemble free solar cells into just one panel should pay back the original costs in just a few months. Buying a brand new pre-assembled and installed panel for over a $1000 might take 5 -10 times longer.

The Parts Of The Complete Solar Panel System

Plan A: This is the simplest system. The direct current DC electrical output from the solar panel goes to a bank of deep cycle batteries for storage. The batteries are then connected to an inverter that converts the DC Current to the kind of alternating current that most household appliances require. This is then wired to directly power a specific group of appliances completely separate from the house wiring.

Plan B: Takes the above system a step further by connecting to the electrical wiring in your house at the main fuse box. Legally, this step almost always has do be performed by a certified electrician. Some power companies will actually pay you in the form of energy credits for sending excess energy back out into the grid.

Plan C: This system works completely off the grid for homes that have no electric power coming to their home at all. The key element here is to have back-up sources of power interconnected with the solar panels for supplying power on days that there is no sun. Windmill generators and gas powered generators often serve as additional sources of power.

The Advantages Of Solar Panel Systems

Besides providing almost free electricity, solar panel systems are quiet, non-polluting, low maintenance, safe and if properly weatherproofed could last up to 50 years. They can also be a life saver if you live too far from the electric grid to economically afford to extend the transmission lines to your location.

If you tie into the electric grid, it is even possible to get paid by the power companies for any electricity generated over and above your personal needs.

The Need For A Good Plan

Despite the simplicity of a building your own solar panels, it is important to have a complete set of plans. Good plans should, at the bare minimum include the following:

1. Ideally these set of plans will originate from authors that have successfully built and used solar panels themselves. 2. The plans should give a brief background of simple electrical terms like watt, volt and amps. 3. A detailed explanation of the different types of solar cells and exactly where to find them. 4. Wiring diagrams for understanding how to wire the individual cells together. 5. How to build a protective case. 6. How to run this power into your house directly to certain appliances or to hook up to the current household wiring.

The simplicity of capturing the sun’s daily gift of free energy to reduce or even eliminate your electric bill is almost unbelievable. Equally amazing is the fact that we live in an age of abundant free and low cost used solar cells. Don’t you think that it is time to solve your own energy crisis instead of waiting for our Government or the Power Companies to fix it? Take the easy first step and grab a set of plans for building your own solar panels.

John Mackinnon

If you want to buy solar panels maybe you did not know it’s very easy and cost effective to learn how to build your own solar panels. With the rising cost of energy many people are looking at installing solar energy to save on energy bills. But when they look at the prices of a professionally built solar system they realize the enormous cost involved with these systems and many shy away from the idea of solar power.

But what most do not realize is how easy and cost effective building your own solar panels really is compared to a professionally made solar system. You will have control over how big or small a system you want or need, the quality of the materials you use and will be able to understand how the whole system is put together. That gives you the knowledge of being able to repair or add to the solar panels as your needs may increase.

Once you have a good quality instruction manual on how to make solar panels you can find all the supplies you need at your hardware store. There are several places where you can get photovoltaic cells to use in your project at greatly reduced prices. Once you have everything you need you can build a solar panels in about a day in your garage or backyard.

Over all the price of building your own solar panels than if you buy solar panels spending a little extra on a really good quality instruction manual is a good and wise investment. With a little planning and motivation you can build your own solar panels to power your home, office or work shop and feel very proud of the fact you have a clean cheap source of energy that will save you money for years to come.

houston bruce

Me and my wife just saw an ad on TV about going solar and saw the money we can save every month… any here have solar panels? How much do you save every month on energy bill? Is it true that your energy meter will spin backwards? lol

You can put a dent in your usage, and save money without having to spend any. Look at the "half program" at http://www.builditsolar.com

The notion of spinning a meter backward has a lot of people plugging in their solar panel via an inverter- but this is a very bad idea and illegal as well- the power company requires a lockout device they control to kill power in their powlines for servicing and repairs- a plugged in solar panel and inverter can cause them injury or death.

If you have about 30,000 dollars to invest (cost will vary), and you are going to be staying in your home for at least 10 years, contact your electric power utility as they will have the progams in place to do the installation on your site, and install the needed equipment for you to be legally grid tied. They will also have your paperwork prepared for your tax person come tax time. Most are actually seeking people out to do this, I won’t go into details why, but by listening carefully to the power company in their presentation they will indirectly tell you why.

Any installation that is intended to be grid tied MUST be approved by the power company and meet their specifications. Too many people are ignoring this last detail.

If you have thought about learning to build your own solar panels, today’s technology has advanced to the point where it’s very easy and affordable. Solar energy systems now can work twice as well and even work in less sunlight. Building solar panels has become much more simple and easy allowing any one with a little motivation and instruction manual to be able to build and install their own solar panels. By utilizing solar technology you can save thousands of dollars a year in energy costs.

All the materials like plywood, glass and copper wire needed to build solar panels can be purchased from your local hardware store. Photovoltaic cell’s can be purchased for below wholesale prices if you know where to look. A lot of them are available online or in some cases they can be found at local retailers where you can purchase them. Solar panels can be built in your garage or back yard and it takes about a day to build a solar panel once you have all your materials.

With homemade solar panels saving you thousands of dollars, I would recommend you invest in a good quality instruction manual, as this would save you from many mistakes and wasted time researching for what you need. Over all the cost of building your own solar panels can be very low and a good how to guide can end up saving you even more.

The truth is solar energy has become a lot easier and affordable for home use, it is growing in popularity and can even be see along roadways in use to power signs and lights. Solar power could lesson the effect of global warming, save you money and help become less dependant on fossil fuels. With the energy crises, now could be the perfect time to go solar. Plus building your own solar panels can be a fun project the whole family can be involved in.

houston bruce