| RSS Web Feed for Renewable Energy UK |  | REUK Shop | Directory | Bookmark Site | About Us  

DIY Solar Panel Kits



DIY Solar Panel Kits

Make your own solar panels from as little as US$2.95 per Watt.

solar | general
Printer Friendly Version Print Article     

As PV solar power becomes more and more popular around the world as a clean, green means of generating electricity, the costs of photovoltaic solar panels have remained stubbornly high - still at at least 4 pounds per Watt for large panels here in the United Kingdom. The weak dollar has made imports from China, Taiwan, and USA more attractive, but once the costs of shipping and customs duty are taken into account, prices are still high.

BP Solar Commercial Solar Panel

An alternative to expensive commercial solar panels is to build your own using solar cells. In this article we will look at DIY solar panel kits available from Silicon Solar Inc.

Making Your Own Solar Panels


Make your own solar panel

Solar panels whether commerically-made or DIY-made are constructed by wiring solar cells together in an array. Pictured below is such a solar cell. The Silicon Solar kits are supplied with a set of solar cells, detailed assembly (soldering and wiring) instructions, interconnection material (metal ribbon), a soldering iron, and liquid solder for easy soldering.

Solar cell in a solar panel kit

Prices start from $48.95 for a 7.7V 1.04A 8 Watt panel kit ($6.11 per Watt), up to $169.95 for a 16.5V 2.55A 42 Watt panel kit ($4.05 per Watt). If you order more than 200 Watts of cells, the price drops to just $2.95 per Watt which is below £1.50 at today's (16th July 2007) exchange rate!

Home made solar panel - constructed from a kit

Click here to find out more about these DIY Solar Panel Kits, or to make a purchase. Silicon Solar Inc are based in the United States, however they offer worldwide shipping.
Article Last Modified: 14:51, 16th Jul 2007

Comment on this Article

If you have any comments on this article, please email them to neil@reuk.co.uk.


Recommended Related Articles

People who read this article also enjoyed the following articles:

How Do PV Solar Panels Work
Find out how photovoltaic solar cells generate electricity
Article Last Modified: 10:14, 10th Jan 2009
solar | education

Solar Battery Charging
Make a solar charger for NiCd and NiMH rechargeable AA, AAA etc batteries
Article Last Modified: 09:43, 30th Jul 2007
solar | education

How are Solar Panels Made
Find out how solar panels are manufactured
Article Last Modified: 16:04, 10th Apr 2007
solar | education

LM317 Current Calculator
A handy online output current calculator for the LM317, LM338, and other linear voltage regulators
Article Last Modified: 12:47, 12th Mar 2008
electric circuit | electronics | general

Make a Simple Battery Status Monitor
Monitor battery status with this easy electric circuit project - no skill required!
Article Last Modified: 12:33, 16th Mar 2007
storage | electric circuit

Interconnecting Batteries for Battery Bank
Find out how best to connect batteries together into a battery bank
Article Last Modified: 13:53, 23rd Feb 2007
storage

Basic 4 AA Solar Battery Charger Plans
Make a simple solar charger for 4 AA rechargeable batteries
Article Last Modified: 09:43, 30th Jul 2007
solar | education

LM2941 1A Low Dropout Adjustable Regulator
Find out about the LM2941 - an adjustable regulator with very low dropout voltage
Article Last Modified: 16:10, 16th Sep 2008
electric circuit | storage | general

Dimmable Energy Saving Lightbulbs
Find out more about low energy light bulbs which can be used with standard dimmer switches
Article Last Modified: 14:29, 16th Feb 2008
lighting | energy efficiency | general | shopping

Neodymium Magnets
Find out more about neodymium magnets used in renewable applications
Article Last Modified: 17:00, 21st Mar 2007
general | education | wind

© 2006-2009 REUK - All Rights Reserved
Page Last Updated on 20th November 2009 at 04:38:13pm

Latest
Articles


Energy Saving and Recycling in the Office
Guide to saving energy and recycling in the office
energy efficiency
16:38, 20th Nov 2009

Lamina Sol MR16 LED Spotlight Review
Review of Lamina Sol MR16 energy efficient LED spotlights
lighting
14:38, 20th Nov 2009

Freeloader Pico
Buy the new economical Freeloader Pico solar charger
solar
14:37, 19th Nov 2009

Direct Solar Water Heating System
Find out how to put together a simple and cost effective direct solar water heating system
solar
09:25, 16th Nov 2009

Ways to Save Electricity
Find out how you can save electricity in your home - help the environment and save money.
energy efficiency
11:39, 14th Nov 2009

Saving Energy to Reduce Carbon Emissions
Increasing energy efficiency is the cheapest way to reduce carbon emissions
energy efficiency
14:51, 11th Nov 2009

Drying Clothes Indoors
Tips on drying clothes indoors without a tumble drier
energy efficiency
15:57, 29th Oct 2009

Google Powermeter
Google Powermeter - an online tool to track your home or office electricity consumption in real time online
energy efficiency
13:23, 29th Oct 2009



REUK Shop

Popular Items


REUK SUPER TIMER
User programmable 12V powered 10A rated repeating relay timer. 1 second to 99 hours ON and OFF times
£19.99 each.
Complete Circuits



SOLAR PUMP CONTROLLER WITH RELAY
Solar water heating system microprocessor controlled circuit with fitted 10A relay
£25.99 each.
Complete Circuits



12 VOLT 5 WATT SOLAR PANEL
Waterproof 12 Volt 5 Watt Solar Panel with aluminium frame - 290mm x 205mm x 17mm with fitted 5m leads
£33.99 each.
Solar Power



300 WATT POWER INVERTER
Convert 12V DC battery power into 230 AC to power portable televisions, computers, video recorders etc. 300 Watt power rating - peak power 600 Watts
£29.99 each.
Renewable Energy System Parts



CONVERTED PROGRAMMABLE DIGITAL TIMER RELAY
Mains powered programmable timer converted to low voltage with relay board
£21.99 each.
Renewable Energy System Parts



12 VOLT REGULATOR
Supply a fixed 12.0 Volt DC to your devices (up to 1 Amp output)
£4.99 each.
Complete Circuits



MR16 CERAMIC BULB HOLDER
Bulb holder for 12 Volt LED spotlight bulbs
£1.39 each.
Energy Efficient Lighting