Generate Your Own Solar Power with Solar Kits

Environment Articles | August 7, 2009

DIY Solar Kits are a great option for those what to generate their own energy at home, but don�t have the skills for scratch-building home solar panels.� They�re inexpensive and you can build a solar cell comparable to a retail unit for under $300.

Do you want to start fighting climate change? Burning fossil fuels to generate electricity is a major source of greenhouse gases that are belched into the atmosphere every year. You as a homeowner could help reduce our dependency on these fossil fuels, and save lots of money at the same time. Solar kits make building your own home solar panels easy.

Retail units can cost up to $20,000 and this outlay makes the time that you as a homeowner might recover the cost of them a period of years if not decades. If you could build a home solar panel for under $300, it'd make it much more cost-effective, especially if that solar panel could shave $100 a month off your electricity bill.

To make home solar panels feasible, you need to check if there is adequate sunlight. Countries like India, Indonesia, New Zealand and South Africa have lots of sunshine all year round and solar kits are very popular there. Strangely enough, the United Kingdom, where grey weather and lack of sunshine is a national source of amusement, also sees strong sales in solar kits for homeowners who want to save money.

There is a lot of information to suggest that savings of 80% or more on power bills each month can be made. It is possible, but you should expect this to start small and build up your array of solar panels before such savings will be within reach. Begin by powering small appliances like your kettle or your mobile phone chargers, then progress on to adapting your system for your oven or air conditioning. As your learning progresses, you will eventually have the expertise to build solar panels that will power your home. When you are generating enough energy to fully supplement your own needs, you may even be able to sell some energy back to the energy grid.

A DIY solar kit will give you many of the materials you need. However, there will be some more components you'll have to purchase from the hardware store, all for under $300, or you could look on eBay for better prices. Shop around and you'll eventually find the best deals.

Your first solar panel might seem like a bit of a learning curve. Rest assured, you should need no engineering skills to assemble the solar panel. Most solar kits have clear instructions on how to put the solar panel together and install it, so once you have understood the instructions you should be able to complete the project quite quickly and easily. You could even make it a project for the entire family. The solar kit will give you all you need to build a home renewable energy system that will generate power and save you money for years to come, and it's a great way to both save money and fight climate change.