solar cells

One piece of information that many green enthusiasts look for is how to make solar panels. The reality is that with the right knowledge and a few simple parts you can learn how to make solar panels, and you can do so at a cost anyone can afford.

In this article we'll talk about how to make solar panels. More specifically we'll give you a list of the parts you'll need to do make your own solar panels at home, and then give you the steps required to build your solar panels. 

The most important component is the solar cells themselves. For most people, a suitable solution is to choose your standard 2Watt Polycrystalline cells. These types of solar cells are less efficient than the more current thin-film cells, but the difference in efficiency is only about 7%. The cost difference is about 400% (in other words thin-film cells are expensive).

By choosing to use your standard cells, available on sites like eBay, you'll enable yourself to build a 100 Watt panel for around $125. Some people even opt for chipped, or B-Grade cells, that produce the same amount of power but are defective by the manufacturer's standards (ie chipped corners, etc). With this choice of solar cells a completed 100 Watt panel may cost less than $70.

With the parts in hand you are now ready to start putting everything together and making your solar panels.