Best Solar Panel Plans Compared

by admin on June 1, 2010

GreenDIYEnergy – Best Solar Panel Plans

greendiyenergy solar panel plans

Avg. Rating: 9.5 / 10

GreenDIYEnergy is the best do it yourself solar guide.  You get 17 different components, including hundreds of very well written and illustrated pages in the ebooks, spreadsheets to help with calculations and step-by-step videos.  The videos are higher quality and more detailed than anything else available.  If your main interest is in building a solar panel system and you don’t care about a wind turbine then these solar panel plans are what you want.

Read my full review of the GreenDIYEnergy solar panel plans

Earth4Energy – These Solar Panel Plans Have The Best Wind Turbine Guide

earth 4 energy solar panel plansAvg. Rating: 9.0 / 10

Earth4Energy is the best guide for anyone who is interested in not only solar panel plans but wind turbine plans. Earth4Energy is the only guide with wind turbine videos included, and the videos are very important in any do it yourself project. The solar portion of the Earth4Energy product is quite respectable, with the only downside being that the videos aren’t as good as the other two packages. If you’re looking for a guide to build a wind turbine Earth4Energy is the best choice.

Read my full review of the Earth4Energy solar panel plans.

Homemade Energy – Most Videos

homemade energy solar panel plansAvg. Rating: 9.0 / 10

The best thing about the Homemade Energy solar panel plans is that they have more videos than any other package, although they are not quite as high quality. There are over 6 hours of videos, which is about double what the other two packages offer. So if you want to be able to watch a video for everything you might like this guide the best. It does not have wind turbine videos.

Read my full review of the Homemade Energy solar panel plans

{ 0 comments }

Homemade Energy Solar Panel Plans Reviewed

by admin on June 1, 2010

In this review I will tell you exactly what you get from the Homemade Energy solar panel plans, what I liked about their product, what I didn’t like, and how they compare with other similar do it yourself solar guides.

What You Get With Homemade Energy Solar Panel Plans

homemade energy solar panel plans

Homemade Energy Ebook

The ebook includes sections on

  • Reducing Your Energy Needs
  • How to Build Your Own Solar Panel
  • Maintaining Your Panels
  • Wiring Your Battery System
  • Build Your Own Wind Turbine
  • The Alternative Energy Home
  • Workshops and Resources

The ebook goes through everything step by step, with diagrams and illustrations throughout. It covers all the tools and materials you will need, and where to find them (with links to online sources) and gives some great ideas on how to get them at a discount.

Click Here For The Homemade Energy Solar Panel Plans

The Excel Spreadsheets

The excel spreadsheets provide you with worksheets to help calculate how much electricity your appliances use, how many solar panels you will need, what size battery bank you will need, and power inverter. The written guide, and spreadsheets are pretty standard compared to other solar panel plans available online. The Homemade Energy product really stands out with its videos, so lets talk about those now.

The Homemade Energy Videos

To put it simply, Homemade Energy provides the most video content of any solar panel plans available, period. There are 15 videos covering everything you need to know totaling over 6 HOURS of viewing. That is roughly 3 TIMES as much as any other guide out there. Some of the topics covered include:

  • System Components and Types
  • System Design and Sizing
  • Tools Needed
  • Layout, Calculations and Measurement
  • Building the Panel
  • Wiring
  • Finishing the Panel
  • Batteries

Now a guy in his garage may not sound like the most professional thing for a how to video, but for me who was building my panel from my garage as well, it seemed just right. I just followed along in my garage while the videos showed the whole process from start to finish. The videos show everything from getting the tools and materials together, to laying it all out, doing the calculations, building the panel, wiring the cells, the soldering, finishing, and much more. He even makes some mistakes and has to go back and show you how to fix them, for instance if you notice a bad solder part way through your project. It was all very thorough and well done.

Conclusion

The Homemade Energy solar panel plans are very comprehensive with a pdf ebook that has written and illustrated instruction similar to other guides out there. Where this product really shines compared to other solar panel plans is in the immense amount of step by step video instruction. If, like me, you prefer to see something done and follow along rather than having to read how its done, then the Homemade Energy solar panel plans are whats right for you. The written guide, excel worksheets and all the rest are wonderful and helpful tools, but the real reason I recommend this guide is the VIDEOS.

Click Here For The Homemade Energy Solar Panel Plans

{ 1 comment }

Save More By Including A Solar Water Heater In Your Solar Panel Plans

by admin on June 1, 2010

solar water heater solar panel plansLooking for another great way to save energy and reduce your electricity usage? One huge energy user at your home is your water heater. It takes a huge amount of energy to heat water. Installing a solar water heater will reduce your monthly energy usage, and pay for itself in a very short time.

A commercial system can cost a few thousand dollars to purchase and install, but you can build your own for a fraction of that.

The people at DIY Solar Water Heater have really created a great do it yourself product. You get over 100 pages of in depth written and illustrated step by step instructions.

Click Here To See The DIY Solar Water Heater Plans

The author of the manual Tom Hayden says that this course focuses on building a passive solar water heating system, because its simpler to build than an active system, and less of a headache. Throughout the guide there are many illustrations to help you follow along with the instructions.  Everything is explained in great detail so that even if you don’t know anything about solar heating you can still do it.

The guide covers pumps, construction, insulation, and all the other components of the system in plain English. Tom does a good job of avoiding too much technical speak or industry jargon that might confuse the reader. He does a great job of making the guide understandable to the average homeowner.

Are There Any Downsides?

My only complaint is that there aren’t any videos. Luckily the illustrations and directions are thorough enough to follow along pretty easily but if Tom Hayden wanted to improve his guide I would definitely enjoy seeing some videos added.

Conclusion

The DIY Solar Water Heater package is thorough, understandable, and doable. It does what it claims. It lacks videos, but the illustrations and well written instructions are more than enough to get the job done. If you’re interested in saving money on your power bill, want to do your part to help the environment, or just need a fun weekend project I highly recommend this guide.

Good Luck!

Click Here To See The DIY Solar Water Heater Plans

{ 0 comments }

GreenDIYEnergy Solar Panel Plans Reviewed

by admin on June 1, 2010

greendiyenergy solar panel plansIn this review I will tell you exactly what you get with the solar panel plans from GreenDIYEnergy, what I liked about the product, and what I didn’t like.

The GreenDIYEnerg solar panel plans were very comprehensive, with 17 different components including the main ebook, dvd quality videos, spreadsheets and more which covers everything needed to build, install, and maintain you solar panels.

Click For GreenDIYEnergy Solar Panel Plans

How I Followed The Solar Panel Plans

I bought the solar cells online and got the rest of the needed materials at my local hardware store. I followed along with the videos throughout the building process. It was much easier than I expected once I got the hang of it. I completed my panel on only one weekend, and that included buying the parts, cutting and painting the wood, soldering the cells, construction, wiring, and installation.

What did it end up costing?

The total cost for my solar panel was $130. I actually spent a little more than i had to and bought the pre tabbed solar cells to make the build process easier, and I also had to buy all the wood.  If you have some spare plywood laying around you could easily do the whole build for under $100.

Would I Recommend These Solar Panel Plans To Others?

Without a doubt, yes.  If you’ve been thinking about building a solar panel, I would definitely recommend you give it a try. My solar panel build was pretty easy with the help of the Green DIY Energy guide.

One thing I know people worry about is the soldering. This guide covered it in a lot of detail in the videos and really the soldering required was all soldering of big wires. After I soldered a couple cells I got the hang of it and the rest of the project went pretty smoothe.

What Exactly Is Included In The GreenDIYEnergy Solar Panel Plans?

The Ebooks

The ebooks are just full of information.  Over 200 pages in length, filled with pictures and diagrams, the ebooks cover the different parts of a home solar system, building a solar panel, installation, electrical, tax credits, solar consumers guide, building a home wind generator, wind map resources, websites and more.

The Videos

The videos are high qualtiy and in my opinion the best part of the whole package. They were shot in Boulder, Colorado and follow along directly with the ebooks. They cover the entire solar panel build step by step from start to finish. They are large, DVD quality, and downloadable. Because of their size and quality you can easily see all the important details as they go through the entire process step by step.

Conclusion

GreenDIYEnergy is a very high quality, thurough, and easy to follow solar guide. The package includes DVD quality videos, over 200 pages of pdf ebooks, and Excel spreadsheets – 17 components in all. If you have been thinking about building your own solar panels, I highly recommend you take a look at the solar panel plans of Green DIY Energy.

Click Here To See The GreenDIYEnergy Solar Panel Plans

{ 2 comments }

Solar Panel Plans From Earth4Energy Reviewed

by admin on May 6, 2010

In this review I will tell you exactly what you get when you purchase the earth for energy solar panel plans, what I liked about the product, and what I didn’t like.

Click Here For The Full Earth 4 Energy Solar Panel Plans

These Solar Panel Plans Include

  • 85 pages of in depth instructions
  • Videos with over 2 hours of detailed instruction
  • Solar Panel Blueprints
  • Bonus Wind Power Blueprints
  • Recommended Parts List
  • Lifetime Access to Updates And New Material
  • 60 Day Money Back Guarantee

Solar Panel Plans From Earth 4 Energy

What I liked About The Product

The 85 page solar panel plans and instructions

I liked how the instructions were written in a way that anyone can follow them even if you have no knowledge of building solar panels or wiring an electric system.  They were also very thorough covering everything I needed to know from the parts needed, to final assembly, and even system maintenance.

I liked how the guide gives several different solar panel configurations you can choose from depending on your situation. These include solar panel plans for building a portable system, a grid tied system with or without battery backup, and an off grid system.  See the wiring and components needed are different for each one, and I liked how the guide gave clear instructions for each one.

The Step by Step Instructional Videos

These were the best part in my opinion, because it’s one thing to read about how you do something, and quite another to actually see it done step by step. There are steps in the guide that really benefit from the visual demonstration of the videos.

Other Things I liked

There were other things I liked like where the guide gives you some ways to get really cheap solar cells, and some tricks to even get them free from solar installers if you’re lucky, but now let me tell you what I didn’t like about the product.

What I Didn’t Like About The Earth4Energy Solar Panel Plans

The guide was great overall, with my only complaint being that it ended up being a little more difficult than I expected to build the panels. It did get easier as I went and I was able to finish my test panel in a weekend, but I think maybe the guide led me to believe it would be easier than it really was.  However the end result of an inexpensive solar panel was my real goal and that at least was a big success.

Click Here For The Full Earth 4 Energy Solar Panel Plans

{ 1 comment }

Do It Yourself Solar Panel Plans

by admin on March 23, 2010

solar panel plans homes

With energy costs on the rise due to increasing demand, rising cost of oil and other factors, energy efficiency and alternative energy sources are becoming ever more important.  It is now possible to drastically reduce ones electric bill by adopting more energy efficient practices, such as energy efficient appliances.

One option is installing your own do-it-yourself alternative energy system.  This method makes it possible to reduce electric bills 50% or more without spending a boatload of money.  It has become more and more easy to build your own solar panels.  With the recent clean energy tax credits you stand to save even more.  Now is the best time ever to invest in solar power.

Another advantage of the self built solar system is scalability.  You can always start small and add more panels as time and money allow.  If you’re interested in saving money on your electric bill, and up for a little hard work, creating a do-it-yourself solar power system may be right up your alley.  I advise you to take a look at these solar panel plans from Earth4Energy.

They show you step by step exactly how to build your own solar panels, and a lot more, like how to get all the government rebates, and they even go into a little bit about other green sources of energy like wind energy.

{ 0 comments }

Solar Panel Plans Increase Home Values

by admin on June 18, 2010

Are you trying to justify the cost of that solar panel system?

Well one great justification is the increase in resale value it will bring to your home. It will affect your home value just like any other home improvement. Build another bedroom…your home is worth more. A bathroom? Yep. Same thing with solar panels.

Click Here To See The Best  Available Solar Panel Plans Compared

Not only will a solar system increase the overall value of your home, it will make it easier to sell in the future, because let’s face it, who doesn’t want to buy a home with a lower power bill built in…not to mention all the people out there that like the idea of “green” living and are willing to pay more to do so.

Another selling point and way that solar panels enhance the innate value of your home is that they give you a tax break for going green.

You can use solar panels all over your home to enhance it in this way. You can use them to heat your water, run your appliances, power your lights… the possibilities are endless.

If you have been considering solar power, but can’t make a decision, then keep these few things in mind, they are just as valid as trying to save money on your power bill. They will have the same end result – more money for you – in this case from a faster and easier home sale at a higher price.

Click Here To See The Best  Available Solar Panel Plans Compared

So, good luck deciding what to do, and I hope your solar panel plans are successful if that is the path you choose to take!

{ 0 comments }

Do Your Solar Panel Plans Include Batteries? Save A Ton With Reconditioned Batteries!

by admin on June 2, 2010

restore batteries recondition batteriesThis is just one more way to save money by reducing your energy expenses, in this case by reconditioning your old batteries, whether they are part of your solar panel system, your car batteries, or elsewhere. You could even restore batteries and sell them for a profit. Just do a search on eBay to see what I mean.

New batteries are not cheap, especially the kind used in a solar panel system. Why throw out old “dead” batteries when you can make them work 100% again for a small fraction of the cost of new ones. As a benefit you will be helping the environment by keeping all those old batteries out of our landfills.

Reconditioning old batteries keeps 50% of the battery from going to the landfill. So save some money and help the environment at the same time.

Click Here To Visit The Restore Batteries Website

How Hard Is It?

Most people assume that it’s hard to recondition a battery, mostly because it’s a new idea, and people don’t know how a battery works, and they associate them with electricity which can be dangerous. Well this couldn’t be further from the truth. The process of reconditioning a battery is very easy. The type of battery doesn’t matter either. Most batteries, and I mean almost all types, can be reconditioned.

How Much Money Can You Save?

Batteries are Expensive. That is why you’re reading this. A solar panel system can use a Lot of batteries. Depending on what type of battery and how many you’re reconditioning, you can save hundreds or even thousands of dollars. I can tell you from personal experience that over the 25 or more years a solar panel system can last you can save thousands of dollars.

If you decide to recondition batteries for others you can even turn a substantial profit. Most people charge more than $40 per battery.

Sections I Particularly Liked

  • How to prevent the NiCad batteries from developing the nasty “memory effect” (this cripples your battery’s storage capacity.. but a simple technique will make it as good as new in no time)
  • How to care for the 3 major types of rechargeable batteries (Warning: they are NOT the same – and doing the wrong procedure can irreversibly damage your battery)
  • Your voltage and resistance readings “cheat sheet”: how to tell on the spot whether a battery is worth reconditioning (sometimes it’s not and this will save you precious time)
  • How to save thousands of dollars when shopping for a professional battery tester (the one they recommend costs a fraction of the usual investment and works just as well)
  • The life extending secret that works wonders on Li-Ion rechargeables… but can severely damage your NiCad batteries (do NOT let conventional wisdom ruin your batteries!)

What Types Of Batteries Can You Recondition?

There are some important points you need to know before you start reconditioning batteries. You also need to know which types of batteries can be reconditioned.

  • Lead acid (car battery)
  • Li-Ion (Laptop battery)
  • Ni-Cd (Rechargeable battery)
  • Ni-MH (Long life battery)

Click Here To Visit The Restore Batteries Website

{ 0 comments }

5 Reasons To Try Earth4Energy Solar Panel Plans

by admin on May 6, 2010

Five things I loved about this product

Cost Effective Solution To Rising Electricity Costs

Oil costs more each year, and so does electricity. Earth4Energy provides a viable solution for the average homeowner. You don’t need to spend $10,000 for a retail priced solar system. Following the methods outlined in these solar panel plans, you can save thousands of dollars by assembling and installing your own solar panels.

Step By Step Solar Panel Plans

This guide was written for the average homeowner. It assumes that you have no prior knowledge of how to build and install a solar panel system, and guides you step by step with 85 pages of detailed instructions.

Video Tutorials

These are my favorite part of the whole thing. Some steps in the guide needed a more visual explanation to help grasp the assembly instructions, and here is where they really deliver with over 2 hours of in depth vide guidance.

Recommended Parts List

The guide wants to be sure you get the right parts so that your system is efficient as possible, and gives you the most electricity for your money. They not only give you a list of recommended parts but also provide you with a resource in the member’s area of the site that helps you find parts in your area.

60 Day 100% Satisfaction Guarantee

How much do I really need to say about this? Try the guide for 8 weeks and if you decide it isn’t what you expected you get a full refund…That’s better than any other solar panel plans I have found. ?

{ 0 comments }

How To Build A Solar Panel System

by admin on April 12, 2010

Lots of people nowadays are interested in making solar panel plans for their homes.  The sun is a pollution free, infinite source of electricity and with the rising cost of energy, and environments concerns of many people, solar electricity can be very desirable.  In particular, a lot of people are interested in building their own system in order to save money on the up front expense of a solar system.

The purpose of this article is to outline what is involved in building one of several variants of solar panel systems.  I intend this to be a very general article; it will not have in depth instructions or anything, but will give you an outline of the different components of a solar system and how they can be combined to create systems for a variety of purposes.

Components Of Good Solar Panel Plans:

1. Solar Panels – Collections of individual photovoltaic cells that create an electric current by harnessing the power of the sun.

2. Array DC Disconnect - The DC disconnect is used to safely interrupt the flow of electricity from the solar panel array. This is necessary in order to do system maintenance.

3. Charge Controller – The charge controller protects your batter bank from overcharging.  It monitors the battery bank and when the bank is fully charged it interrupts the flow of electricity from the panels.  Just like your cell phone, your solar system’s batteries don’t like to be over or undercharged either of which can reduce the batteries life span.

4. Batteries – Solar systems use special batteries made to endure the continuous charging and discharging they will need to endure.  A typical off-grid system will usually want enough batteries to provide power for 1-3 cloudy days.  A grid-tied system will not need such a large battery bank because typically power loss will last no more than a few hours.

5. System Meter - System meters track your system’s performance and status, tracking how full your battery bank is, how much electricity your solar panels are producing, and how much electricity is in use.

6. Main DC Disconnect – Like the array disconnect the main DC disconnect can be used to interrupt the flow of electricity between the batteries and the inverter.  This allows the inverter to be serviced, and protects the inverter to battery wiring against electrical fires.

7. Inverter - Inverters transform the DC electricity produced by your solar panels into the alternating current (AC) electricity used in homes. If on a grid-tied system the inverter will synchronize your systems electricity with the grid’s electricity so that when your system has excess electricity it can be fed back to the utility grid.

7. AC Breaker Panel - The AC breaker panel is where all the wiring in the home meets with the electricity source, whether that’s solar panels or the grid.  It routes electricity throughout the house and allows electricity to be disconnected from any room in the home to allow for maintenance and repairs.  It also protects the building against electrical fires.

8. Kilowatt per Hour Meter – This is your power meter which keeps track of how much electricity your home uses per month.  On a grid tied solar system this meter can keep track of electricity flowing from the grid to your home and from your home to the grid when you are generating more electricity than you need.  You will then pay the electric company the net of electricity used and electricity you sent back to the grid.

solar panel plans system

Solar Panel Plans For Different Uses

A) Portable – A useful system for campers, astronomers, and other similar situations.  You can put together one for under $200.

It would look like this: Solar Panel > Charge Controller > Battery > Inverter.

B) Grid-Tie – This is what most homes with grid access will have.  The downside to this system is it does not provide power to your home at night or on cloudy days.  This system saves you on the up front cost by not having a battery bank.

Solar Panels > Array DC Disconnect > Inverter > AC Breaker Panel > Kilowatt Per Hour Meter > Grid tie in.

C) Grid-Tie with Battery Backup – This is just a grid-tie system with an added battery backup.  It has the advantage of allowing you to use stored solar energy even on cloudy days, basically eliminating your power bill completely, and you still maintain a grid connection just in case you need it.

Solar Panels > Array DC Disconnect > Charge Controller > Deep Cycle Battery > System Meter > Main DC Disconnect > Inverter > AC Breaker Panel > Kilowatt Per Hour Meter > Grid Tie In

D) Off-Grid Solar System – A completely independent system with no grid connection.  This will often be a home that is outside the utility grid, for instance a cabin, or a science research facility in the middle of nowhere.

Solar Panels > Array DC Disconnect > Charge Controller > Deep Cycle Battery > System Meter > Main DC Disconnect > Inverter > Generator >AC Breaker Panel

I hope this has been helpful.  If you are interested in building your own solar power system or simply would like some more information on exactly how to build a solar system please visit our Solar Panel Plans section, which features information on Do It Yourself guides that are available.  Good luck with your solar panel plans!

{ 1 comment }

← Previous Entries