DIY SOLAR BLUEPRINT REVIEW
Jul
ARE YOU AFFECTED BY THE DOWNTURN OF THE ECONOMY? ISN'T IT TIME YOU SAVED SOME OF YOUR HARD EARNED MONEY?
Hi folks, as promised in my Wind Turbine Review last month, I have finally found the time to sit down and write a review on the Solar Panel blueprints from Earth 4 Energy. After building the Wind Turbine and finding the experience to be much easier than I had originally thought, I was really excited about taking on the Solar Panel Project. Not to mention the Wind Turbine is saving me so much on energy bills I couldn’t wait to go out and start finding the materials for the Solar Panel project so I could cut my energy bill even further!
One of the great things about the Solar Panel project is it can be done very cheaply provided you know where to find the materials. The Earth 4 Energy book has a number of great tips on how to save money on materials and in some cases get materials for free! That being said, getting inexpensive or even free materials takes a bit longer and requires a lot more searching in places like your local solar supply company, construction sign supplier or even ebay. The savings from taking this approach are well worth the time and effort. Overall my costs were roughly $190 to create a functioning solar power system, which in my opinion is an amazing price if you consider it typically costs 10 to 15 times that much to buy manufactured solar panels and have them professionally installed.
CAN A SOLAR PANEL REALLY BE ASSEMBLED FOR LESS THAN $200?
It's important to point out that Earth 4 Energy provides plans for both a Basic Portable Solar Power Generator and a Grid Inter-tied Solar Power System. I chose to build the portable system because I plan on taking it up to the cottage during the summer months. The portable system is a little less complicated to build than the grid-tied system as there is not untility to tie in to. All you need is a charge controller, a deep cycle battery and an inverter and you are all set. This system is powerful enough to run a laptop and most other household electronics. The Earth 4 Energy book recommends using it to power you refrigerator as this is where you will see the most significant reduction to your energy bill.
The solar power system took me roughly two days to build, which I think is pretty good. Building a solar power system involved a little more in the way of actual construction compared to building the wind turbine. You have to cut and prime the materials for the panel, then solder the wiring in place and then attach them to the panel before you can actually start the installation process. Each step is pretty straightforward but requires time in between. To give the panel a professional look I painted the frame with three coats of weather resistant paint to ensure it doesn't break down due to the elements. The end result is a great looking solar panel that will last for many, many years.
Once I completed the first panel I tested it by attaching it to a stand in my backyard and oriented it so it would recieve the maximum amount of direct sunlight. I then wired the panel to the charge controller then attached the controller to the battery and the batter to the inverter and the system was ready to go. To test the system I plugged my television into the inverter and it worked just like it was hooked into my home's electrical system. My single panel system is generating about 140 watts of power, which is about what I was hoping for out of a single panel with 100 solar cells in it.
After confirming the system worked I built six more panels that I have installed on my roof. The steps for installing a multi panel system are pretty much the same as a single panel system, so the only real work involved was building the panels. Having gotten the hang of the steps involved by building the first panel I was able to speed up the process by building three panels at a time. This system is working great and outputting about 780 watts of power, which is plenty to run many of my household appliances and electronics.
GRID-TIED VERSUS BASIC PORTABLE SYSTEM
I have chosen to stick with the basic, portable system rather than going with the grid-tied system as I plan on moving the system to other locations at different times of the year. The grid-tied system does have one advantage over the portable system, that being if you generate more power than you consume you can sell the extra power back to your local energy company (consult your local utility company for more information). The drawback in the grid-tied system is it ties into your home's existing electricical system, so in order to install you will have to hire a qualified electrician to do the work. This will require an extra expense over the basic system
MY CONCLUSION OF THE EARTH 4 ENERGY SOLAR PANEL BLUEPRINTS
I certainly hope Michael does not increase the price, but including video instructions to his Earth 4 Energy blueprints is quite a steal. This clearly has pushed Earth 4 Energy into a league of it's own when it comes to DIY solar and wind blueprints as no other blueprint on the market provides this level of detail. Those procrastinators should jump on this soon before any price adjustments are made.
One other note about those weary about purchasing over the internet. I did some research into "Clickbank" as I had no previous experience with making a purchase over the internet, and was weary about giving out my credit card number. After reading more about their payment processor, I have found that Clickbank is a world-class payment network. They are approved by VeriSign and McAfee, the highest form of internet security (128 bit SSL), which is equivalent to banking standards. I hope this helps give a bit of peace of mind for those who are first time internet purchasers.
Thanks for writing this article on solar energy systems. I am interested in building one of these for my home but was nervous about purchasing the building plans from the internet. I now know this is a worth while purchase.
Mary, I’m happy to hear that you find these reviews helpful. Earth 4 Energy is actually the best DIY kit out there on the market (as I’ve evaluated about 10 different sets of blueprints now) and highly recommend it!
I have just found your site and have to say “two thumbs up” thank you James Dawson.
Hi Mr. Dawson,
I’ve been going through your website and have found it extremely intriguing and helpful to read your responses to everyone’s comments. I apologize if this is on your website already, but I was wondering if you could direct me to a website that will allow me to calculate how much energy I will be generating based on panel-size, etc., so that I can see how much I would be saving.
Also, I live in Utah and in the winter I get a good deal of snow, will I need to have a giant squeegy handy to clear my panels after a good storm?
Do wind turbines have problems in the snow, and is there any way to figure out the average wind speeds above my house to determine if its worth it?
Thank you!!!
Davey
I liked the review on home solar power. I live in Ohio (just outside of Cleveland) and with the economic downturn this area has been experiencing I am looking for any possible way to lower my monthly bills. I think this solar panel project sounds like it’s right up my alley as is the wind turbine. I figure if I spend a couple hundred dollars and it saves me a couple thousand than it was worth the effort.
My neighbor told me to come to this site yesterday, when I saw him installing installing a wind mill in his yard. He said he read about a wind mill review that you did and it made him think about some things he can do to save some cash. Im not sure if I want to build a windmill but I like the sound of these solar panels. One question, I have never used ebay before is it safe?
thanks, Len
Hi William, you can get these by clicking on the links and images found in the article. These links will bring you right to the company who sells the blueprints/instructions. Enjoy!
Hi Terry, each state/country has different standards for the way solar energy systems are tied into existing home electrical panels/systems. If you’re looking to tie your system into your home’s electric system I would strongly recommend hiring a licensed electrician to do this. In some cases it is illegal to do this unless you are a qualified electrician and/or have the proper permits.
yo tool-man, i don’t know much about solar energy, wind turbines or the environment. but i want to know how i can save more moneyso is this earth4energy the only option out there or are there others?
Thanks for the review. I was disappointed when you didn’t have it posted on the 1st, but I’m glad to see the new website and the review. Now I feel more confident in purchasing the plans from the internet.
Thanks again!!!
Paul
L_pleau: I highly recommend eBay for anyone who is looking for a deal. I know there are rumors about scammers out there etc, and you really need to be weary about knockoffs and electronics. But for physical goods like solar panel chips (I plan on doing a review on how to use eBay to get dirt cheap solar panel parts), I highly recommend using them. If you ever get something that wasn’t exactly as described, you can file a dispute with eBay and have your money returned.
You can signup to eBay here and just follow the easy registration steps. You do not need to enter a credit card during the registration, but if you decide to purchase something then you will need to pay via credit card or Paypal.
I am interested in the E4E blueprints and I am happy to see your review of the solar panel. I am still not sure how the solar panel connects to your home to actually provide power. Is this covered in the E4E blueprint? I would like to add a couple of panels to my house to offset my monthly bill. How feasible is it and how do I know how many panels it will take to power an average 1300 square foot house? I am not interested in selling power back, but I assume I will have to connect to my homes electrical system. I noticed you are running a TV and DVD player off your panel. How is it connected if it is not through your homes existing system? I am still a little confused about how the panel connects and want to make sure if I purchase E4E that it covers that part as well. Thanks!
When you say “overall costs for creating a solar electric power system” was about $190, you mean for the panel you built, the controller, battery, inverter, etc.? One of the primary reasons we don’t have any solar now is $10K was out of site for us, and our local co-op just started providing for those of us wanting solar at home with ability to sell back any excess to the Co-op. Live in the Texas Hill Country outside and NW of New Braunfels, TX. Thanks Brenda
Brenda, completely understand that not many people have 10K kicking around in their pockets, especially for home upgrades.
You are correct that hydro companies will buy back power you are not consuming, and therefore at times you may see a surplus on your power bill if you generate enough energy.
$200 is enough to get one panel going, however each incremental panel you build will not cost the full $200 as you will have quite a bit of leftover materails from the $200 (I would say you could build the second one for $60 etc). It all depends on your needs to determine how many panels you would like to build.
As for items like battery banks, controllers, and inverters etc, the Earth 4 Energy manual describes how you can get items like this at little or no cost (I am not allowed to divulge this information by request of the E4E author), so therefore this would most likely not be an expense. Controllers and inverters can also be found dirt cheap on eBay.
Joseph_P: There are definitely other blueprints out there besides Earth 4 Energy. I have reviewed quite a number of them, and about 90% of them don’t even come close to Earth 4 Energy. I will probably do another review sometime in the near future on a couple other “close competitors”, but for the same price I would rather see my audience spend their hard earned money on the best. If something better comes along, you can be sure I’ll provide a review and a recommendation.
StudioBlue: Each state/country has different standards for the way solar energy is connected to the AC breaker panel. For a grid inter-tied solar electric system your have to realize that in most countries it is illegal to hook up your solar energy system to the AC breaker panel unless you are a qualified electrician.
At this point I would recommend you call your local power company or an electrician. If you do not wish to go as far as connecting your system to the breaker panel you can simply run your appliances straight from your AC inverter. Running your appliances straight from the inverter is easy and a very cheap option.
As for your power requirements, you would need to determine how much power you are actually using on average. I would check your latest power bill to determine your consumption and go from there.
Best of luck!
James, do you think that the E4E DIY solar panels will be worthwhile for a
location near Pittsburgh, PA? We get fewer sunny days than other parts of the state and country. If money was not an issue, I’d wait for IBM’s Concentrated Solar Panels to come to market. But given the up front savings that you spoke of, do you think this is a cost effective project, even for this location?
Thank you!
Belle
Belle, I have never been to Pittsburgh so I would have a hard time accurately answering your question. I would recommend doing some research to see how many sunny days Pittsburgh gets in an average year. If there were partially sunny days at least 50% of the time then I would recommend installing the solar panels, as there would be a benefit. If not I think the wind turbine project would be a better fit for Pittsburgh’s climate.
Dave X, provided you have some experience using power tools and are comfortable following very specific instructions you should be okay. I wouldn’t say this is a beginners project by and stretch, but I think if you take your time and follow the steps closely you will be okay. The blueprint instructions are very well written and they do not leave a lot open to interpretation.
I am a teacher and would love to build a solar panel with my 7th grade students. Do you think this is possible using the DIY approach and using earth4energy packet?
Good writing. Keep up the good work. I just added your RSS feed my Google News Reader..
Matt Hanson
Marty, posts like yours really inspire me and make me proud to have my site going, as I love to see you promoting green energy to your students.
Absolutely, this would make a great DIY school project for your students! The level of difficulty in building the panel itself would be perfect for students at that age, as they are capable of attending “shop class” at that age. The E4E blueprints also explain how solar energy works (e.g. explains how Photovoltaic Cells work etc) and clearly defines the function of each component needed for your installation (e.g. inverter, DC disconnect, breaker panel etc). You could easily write your class material from the blueprints as they go into great detail.
Best of luck to you and your students!
Can these really be built by anyone? I don’t have a background in building stuff like this.
Thanks!
Dave: Absolutely. The blueprints are very easy to understand, and therefore if you are good at following instructions you should be able to assemble a solar panel within a couple days.
Terry: You cannot tie into the grid without permits and a licensed electrician.
Power companies will by back any unused energy (albeit at lower prices then they sell it) if your system is tied into the grid. So far your system sounds like it is off the grid. How easy is it to tie a solar system into the grid? I hope you address this topic soon.