The real story about diy solar panels, is that your entire system will be made up of components that you will have to piece together to one degree or another. Now granted diy solar panels aren’t done with duct tape, and coat hanger wire but just the same, unless you buy a complete, brand new, off the shelf solar power system, you’re going to be doing some innovating.

Then there’s always the option of crafting together a solar power system made from used panels, and components that in some cases believe it or not, can be had for free. You see, over time solar panels degrade just like anything else stuck out in the elements, and they end up being discarded. So how degraded are they? As the old saying goes, “one mans trash is another mans treasure”.

Important Tips for DIY Solar Panels

• Rule number one, is to get to know the product line before you shop for anything. Also understand that just because you procure your solar power system in pieces, it’s no guarantee that you will in fact save any money in the long run. Would buying a car one part at a time be any cheaper? Of course not!

• If you’re considering buying used solar cells to fabricate your diy solar panels out of, you need to become familiar with used solar cells in general. What they look like as they degrade, and also how they function. You see, paying 25% of cost for used cells that have 25% of their life left in them is in fact “no savings” at all. You see, it’s a numbers game where the life expectancy of the product is factored against their discounted price, and you have to come out better than simply paying full price for brand new product.

Scouting Out Used Solar Power System Components

• Start learning to think out of the box with regards to how and where you can find discount, or used solar cells, and solar power system components. By now you may have already seen the tips online that suggest that you contact contractors. The problem there, is that’s a “no brainer”, and you’ll probably end up having to take a place in line with everyone else who putting together diy solar panels now. What about setting up a website? What about contacting boat repair shops? What about police auctions?? What about placing adds in local papers. Start brain-storming!!

• Chiropractors get to meet all the people in town with bad backs, so why not start up a little solar power system repair, and installation business on the side. Why you can even offer to replace degraded panels for free, if you get to keep the old ones you’re replacing. Don’t let the fact that you don’t have a contractors license stop you either because you can pick up a handyman license for around $100 tomorrow if you want to.

Be Careful Buying Used Electrical Components Online

• Beware of buying solar power system components online from sources and venues that don’t have a verifiable track record, and reputation. Remember that in the end, they are electrical components, and just like any other types of electrical components, there are always shady folks looking to unload their broken crap on unsuspecting buyers. Always remember that if the deal seems just too good to be true, as the old saying goes, it probably is.

You Can Always Get Bigger and Better

• Another thing to consider is that once complete your diy solar panels, your project is really never completed. Keep in mind that it can always get “bigger and better”, so try to start thinking long term as you plan for your solar power system, and how you are going to acquire what you need to build it. Start networking online with other like minded people who you can share information with because you, and they will both benefit from it.

Why is it that when ever our government leaders talk about solar home power they seem to always be referring to a new national grid system powered by huge public works projects, like wind farms? Are they that far behind the times, or is it that they just don’t want to let the public know the real truth about solar power homes?

The truth, is that for the vast majority of buildings across the planet there is more than enough sunlight hitting their roofs to supply them with all the solar home power they need. All it takes, is for people just like yourself to take the money that you’ve been spending on utility bills, and use it instead to install solar panels for home use to harness it.

Your Initial Steps Towards Solar Home Power

• The very first thing you need to do is to research all the government solar home financial incentives that are available in your area. Now there is a fairly hefty federal tax rebate deal in the U.S., but for the most part, most local solar home incentives tend to be rather tight fisted. (Permit fee waivers, etc.) Just the same, solar home power incentives can add up collectively to real savings that has the potential to quickly add up to thousands of dollars. Also if you live in a county like Sonoma County County, California where the politicians aren’t in the pockets of utility providers, the solar panels for home use incentives can make conversion to a solar home incredibly easy. Now get ready though because while you won’t have to slash your way through a mountain of red tape, they’re terms none the less can be a little on the complicated side. Even so, once you start reading up on what’s available, and start doing the math it will most likely have a direct impact on your solar home power plans.

More Options in Solar Panels for Home Conversion Projects

• Keep an open mind and definitely think out of the box. If you’re like most people for instance, the first item you’re going to gravitate to is standard solar panels for home use. Now this is good because the odds are that you will end up with at least one on your building. But what about solar roof tiles for instance? The fact is that they’ve gone through several advancements that have made them the new shining star of the solar panels for home use products industry. For instance there are now even curved “Spanish style” solar tiles. They’re also more cost effective now as well. Then what about a solar water heating system? For sure if you have a swimming pool, and are currently heating it with a conventional system, something like this should be way up towards the top of your list.

Used Solar Panels for Home Conversion

• What about “used” solar panels for home power conversion? You see, as more people convert to a solar home, increasingly more used panels are created. Some folks just don’t have a lot of room, so they require maximum solar home power from their panels. As soon as they pass their peak performance level, they replace them. What this means is that right now there are used solar panels for home use out there that still have 5 to 8 good years left in them that you can pick up at a discount, and in some cases even for free. After all, after a few years of service your solar home system really is made up of a bunch of used parts anyway.

Solar Power Homes on a Limited Budget

• Don’t make the mistake of thinking that you need a big budget to get started on a solar home. There are loads of “quick fit” solar power home products that you can buy, and install on smaller projects as the money comes available, and it can start with something as basic as a solar outdoor lighting kit. Or, what about a solar power attic fan and while you’re at it, what about blowing some extra insulation up there as well? Then there solar home products like sun powered ceiling fan kits with fan assemblies that cost no more than standard fans. Remember that every dollar invested in solar panels for home use, is just one more dollar you don’t hand over to a utility company.

• Go online and network with other people who have already made the solar home power conversion. You see, there’s no doubt that there will be lessons to be learned along the way. The question is though, do you want to learn them the easy way or the hard way? There are some real clever people out there who have a lot to share, and don’t forget that people have been improvising systems together for their solar power homes for decades now. Join an online solar home forum, or better, yet join a few of them. Another thing you can do while your at it, is to become more more politically active for the the “solar home power” cause. It really is pathetic how our elected officials on both the national, and local level do so little to promote real incentives for their constituents to convert to a solar home.

• Can you really build a usable homemade wind turbine for $200?
• How much power will it produce?
• What are some engineering problems you will encounter?

If your property will support a homemade wind turbine then you really need to start narrowing in your focus on making one. You see even if it’s a small unit that puts out very little actual power, the experience you will gain from making it you can put to use further down the road. Hey! The cost of gas and electricity is only going up.

Now perhaps you may have already noticed that DIY articles on how to build your own homemade wind turbine are pretty much a dime a dozen online. It seems that just about everyone wants to hold themselves out as an expert these days but I see just glaring problem and that is that they all seem to make it all look just a bit “too easy”.

For instance, the first thing you need to be aware of is that it takes a “good amount” of steady wind to power a homemade wind turbine and a good “breeze” just won’t cut it. As an example, perhaps you may have noticed that commercial wind-farms are located in high wind areas and even now offshore.

Another thing to take into consideration that the vast majority of DIY wind turbine information products fail to mention is that water can ruin your homemade wind turbine real quickly. So what this means, is that if you live in a “wet climate area”, that’s just one more thing that’s not in your favor.

Also if you’ve seen any of the articles that proclaim to show you how to build a homemade wind turbine for $200 or less, don’t believe it. For one thing good motors that will function as generators (if you want to use a motor) are getting harder to find and then there’s the problem of your propeller.

Now if you have seen any of the articles that explain how to cut propeller blades out of a hunk of plastic pipe do keep in mind that propellers made this way are highly inefficient. Consider looking online for an actual low cost wind propeller that will make full use of the wind you have available.

A good quality propeller that’s designed and built for powering a wind generator will deliver maximum performance and it’s that extra level of performance that can make the difference between a homemade wind turbine that actually makes electricity for you on low wind speed days.

At the same time keep in mind that the larger your propeller the greater the amount of stress on your support structure. Now a small propeller spinning like a “bat outa hell” is really no problem but once you move to a larger propeller, vibration, and stress do become an issue.

Perhaps you may have driven past a commercial wind farm and wondered to yourself why the huge propellers on the generators seem to be turning so slowly. Well now you know why they use gears to spin the generator at a high RPM while the larger blades spin at safe low speed.

Still yet another item to address, is the tower that your homemade wind turbine is going to be mounted on. Now if you plan on building a small light generator to simply to have some fun with then you can easily get by with the flimsy tower made from water pipe and guy-wires that you may have already seen in the DIY articles online.

Something like that will work great for powering a couple of lights or a small laptop but if you plan on building a larger scale unit to provide a usable amount of power for your home, you’ll need something different. You’ll for sure need a taller, more heavy duty tower.

There are some great information products online that deal strictly with buying, and building towers for a homemade wind turbine and the monetary figure that most of them hold out, is that 50% of your total cost will be for your tower alone. Even so this isn’t chiseled in stone.

For instance I read a fantastic article on the topic that showed pictures and explained how a group of people cut a tall pine tree to fashion a tower out of in the forest area that they were working in. A highly effective solution, using what they had at hand.

The Bottom Line on Building a Homemade Wind Turbine

• A $200 unit spinning a motor that’s small enough to fit in the palm of your hand is going to generate minimal power.

• Electrical components exposed to open weather in a wet climate will quickly deteriorate.

• A large well designed and balanced propeller is needed to drive a generator capable of producing a sizable quantity of power, but it must be geared down to prevent vibration problems.

• A homemade wind turbine large enough to produce a usable amount of electricity requires a tall, secure, well built tower.

If you are one of the millions of people today who long to live their lives either partially or, fully independent from their local commercial source of power then you for sure will be glad to know that your goal is getting easier to achieve.

You’ll also be surprised to hear about many of the latest products that you might not even be aware of. Products like amazing new “fuel cell box” technologies for instance that are very close to being marketed for homes and businesses. So many incredible new developments that will soon be making living off the grid both easier, and more cost effective.

Here’s Some Great Tips for Living Off the Grid

•    Research, research, research!  Educate yourself on all the options that are out there. Work to discover which technologies would be most suitable for your home and lifestyle.

•    If you live in an area where there is always a nice steady breeze for instance, then you may have the option of installing a wind turbine. You can buy a wind turbine or, build one yourself. A new one may cost you a few thousand dollars, but believe it or not, people have built their own for as little money as a few hundred dollars.

•    Of course there’s always the option of using photovoltaic solar technology, or what is so commonly referred to as solar panels. Be aware though that it does have both its pros and cons. For instance, the first glaring downside of solar panels, is they don’t function at night.

•    Biodiesel fuel has been generating a huge buzz for well over a decade now. If you have adequate local sources for spent cooking oil from restaurants, you may be surprised to discover how basic the technology is to convert it to something you can fill your car, or trucks tank with.

The time is now to stop putting it off and start taking action. Every day that goes by is another day you have to spend getting ripped off by power companies that are run by people who don’t give a damn about the planet we all share.

It’s obvious to most of us now that the solution to renewable energy sources can be found with solar panels and wind turbine.  When it comes to cutting down on electric bills, cleaning the environment up, and reducing the need for fossil fuels, the answers lie with living off the grid.  Whether you believe in global warming or not, you’re still probably interested in learning how to live off the grid.  You will be able to save hundreds of dollars a year from cutting down on your current electric costs. More on How to Live Off the Grid