Introduction.
If you are thinking of paying your local solar company to come and install solar electric panels/cells on your roof top, you may be spending much more money than you have too! Solar companies charge a small fortune to install them and they make a huge profit on the markups they charge for the material alone. You should also plan ahead for the huge labor bill that will without doubt be a part of your expenses. It could take you years to recoup these costs. There is another alternative for you if you really want to save big time. That is after all, why you have decided to install solar electric power isn’t it? The technology for creating solar power has greatly advanced over the last few years. They are fast becoming a highly economical and efficient way of providing most if not all of a homes’ energy requirements.
Install Your Own Solar Cells.
Here’s another alternative that you should strongly consider if, you truly want to save and recoup your costs at a much faster rate! With very little planning, you can install your own panels without the high costs that your local solar electric panel installer will charge. First of all, you should find some existing electric bills (preferably a full year of them) and see how much energy you are consuming now. By doing this, a good idea of what you can expect your future consumption to be will present itself. You will then have a clear understanding of what amount of electrical power your new solar electric system needs to generate and thus giving you a very precise measurement of the amount of hardware (solar panels) you will need to complete your installation.
Know Your Solar Cells.
By now you should have a clear understanding of how much power you will need to generate in order for your home to be fully sufficient for your needs. Even though there are basically 3 different kinds of solar electric panels, they are all named Photo Voltaic or PV if you want to use the proper acronym. The three types of solar electric panels you can choose from are Monocrystalline, Polycrystalline and Amorphous.
The best and the one I recommend most is Monocrystalline. It will generate power even in low light circumstances and also provide you with more energy than any of the other two can produce. Your only downfall by using this style of solar panel is the cost. The crystal used to produce it is very expensive but, remember that you will have no markup or installation charges to fork out.
Polycrystalline is very similar to the Monocrystalline solar panel but, they are constructed using a higher quantity of smaller crystals. This is probably the most commonly used solar electric panel and it will still do its’ job but, not as efficiently!
The Amorphous solar power system is constructed of silicon being applied directly to stainless steel plates. It’s definitely much less efficient than the Monocrystalline or Polycrystalline and you should expect to use a much higher quantity of solar electric panels to complete your project.
Installation Of Solar Cells Not Difficult.
So, now you know how much energy you need to produce and what kind of solar power system your going to install. I know what your thinking! (Oh boy! Here comes the fun part.) Actually, installing it yourself isn’t as difficult as you might think and if you run into any problems, there are thousands of sources that can guide you through your pet project to completion.
The most secure approach to mounting your new solar panels to the roof is to use a rail system. You simply construct a base for your solar panels made from rails which run through your roof and attach to your support beams.
Once installed and treated for weather proofing, your solar electric panels can be mounted on top. To provide for proper clearance of debris, rain or snow you should have at least 2 inches of clearance between the panels and roof. This will also insure that you have the proper ventilation in place!
Obtaining Maximum Energy Efficiency.
You may have to purchase a more intricate rail mounting system if the roof on your residence doesn’t have the correct exposure to catch the suns rays. There are rail mounting systems that align solar panel angles during the suns rotation which insure proper exposure for maximum results. This may be an added cost that you don’t want on your budget but, the higher generation of highly efficient energy is well worth the cost and may hang in the balance.
For more detailed information and award winning videos on this topic, please visit the following websites:
http://www.squidoo.com/solar_electric_panels
Source : www.articlesbase.com
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