Make Cheap Solar Panels and Cut Your Electricity Bill by 75%?

Phil Paine

Well – Yes and No!  – Let me explain.

YES. Yes you can build cheap solar panels and make a fully functioning 60watt solar panel for around $175.  NO.  You won’t cut your electricity bills with just a couple of solar panels.  You will need dozens of panels.

The best “how to make solar panels” guides / kits do a really excellent job of showing you how to do it.  But, not all the kits/manuals reviewed were that clear or helpful.  Some left too many questions unanswered, were confusing or did not pay enough attention to safety. After a very thorough assessment, one product stood out as being the most comprehensive and provided the most complete package: HomeMadeEnergy (see review below)

If you want 2 or 3 cheap solar panels to provide lighting and some power for an outbuilding or shed, then making your own cheap solar panels can be an enjoyable and satisfying science or DIY project to undertake.  Just remember that if you search, you should find cheap solar panels retail for the same cost of making them yourself.

These DIY guides / kits take you step by step through the complete build process.  The top 3 kits reviewed include excellent manuals/instructions and videos.  They clearly show you what to do and how to do it, and the techniques are easy to learn.  With the quality and thoroughness of the leading products even an outright DIY novice should be able to build their own cheap solar panels and make a good job of it.  Just take your time and become competent at soldering before starting soldering tab wires to solar cells.  (If you get stuck the leading suppliers provide customer support so you always have someone to turn to for advice).

After a very thorough assessment, one product stood out as being the most comprehensive and provided the most rounded package:

HomeMadeEnergy

.

Two other products are also very good and are highly recommended:

GreenDIYenergy

Earth4Energy

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HomeMadeEnergy – No. 1 Choice

Price                                    $47.00

Instructions & Videos:	★★★★★
Renewable Energy Info:	★★★★★
How Easy to Build:	★★★★★
Value for Money:	★★★★☆
Attention to Safety:	★★★★★
Overall Verdict:	★★★★★

HomeMadeEnergy has produced an excellent package for making solar panels.  It does a very thorough job, covering all aspects of making cheap solar panels and does not assume any prior knowledge or expertise.  There is a good manual and seven videos (almost 3 hours) that go through in detail all the steps to making a solar panel.  In addition there are another 3 hours of video presentations that lay a foundation of knowledge covering solar energy systems, terminology, system components, system sizing, batteries, on grid / off grid configurations and the fundamentals of electricity. This kit is ideal for both the novice or experienced DIYer who wants to make their own solar panels.  At the time of review this HomeMadeEnergy product is the most complete and best instructional guide for making solar panels.  Our No. 1 choice.

Click here for our in-depth review of the HomeMadeEnergy package.

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GreenDIYenergy - Highly Recommended

Price                                $49.97

Instructions & Videos:	★★★★★
Renewable Energy Info:	★★★☆☆
How Easy to Build:	★★★★☆
Value for Money:	★★★★½
Attention to Safety:	★★★★★
Overall Verdict:	★★★★½

The GreenDIYenergy package is very impressive.  There are four good manuals and some really excellent quality videos.  The videos have been produced in high resolution and cover the making of cheap solar panels and the materials & tools used.  These are the best quality instructional videos we have reviewed.  As with Home Made Energy, the videos complement the manuals and together provide excellent step by step instructions.  Green DIY Energy gets edged into 2^nd place because it’s coverage of the additional background information on solar energy, on grid/off grid system configurations, batteries, etc. lacks dept and breadth.  The instructional videos are also aimed at those who have bought pre-tabbed solar cells, if you buy non-tabbed cells you will have to rely on the manual for an explanation of how to solder the tab wires to the front of the cells. However, all in all the GreenDIYenergy product is a first class instructional guide and would suit both the novice and experienced DIY person.  Highly Recommended.

Click here for our in-depth review of the GreenDIYenergy package.

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Earth4Energy - Highly Recommended

Price                                $49.97

Instructions & Videos:	★★★★☆
Renewable Energy Info:	★★★★☆
How Easy to Build:	★★★★½
Value for Money:	★★★★½
Attention to Safety:	★★★★★
Overall Verdict:	★★★★½

   

This is a very good product.  Earth4Energy has produced one of the best “how to make” cheap solar panels guides available.  The manuals are very good.  The only reason that this kit does not get top billing is that the instructional videos only cover some of the initial steps in building a solar panel.  Earth 4 Energy has recently produced four excellent videos (and more are in the pipeline) that cover the wider aspects of using and configuring solar panel systems, covering terminology, different types of on grid/off grid configurations, building codes/regulations etc.  As well as a a number of bonuses (all available free off the Internet) the package includes a manual for making bio-diesel from used cooking oil. Overall, this is a very good package on how to make cheap solar panels and a wind turbine, and one that is continually being improved.  Earth4Energy rightly deserves joint 2nd place with Green DIY Energy. Highly Recommended.

Click here for our in-depth review of the Earth4Energy package.

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For the full evaluation of all 5 DIY guides and comparison table, please see our in-depth review.

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Technorati Tags: cheap solar panels, cost of solar panel, cost of solar panels, DIY solar panel kits, home made solar panel kits, review of solar panel kits, Solar panel kits, solar panels cost

No. 1 Choice - HomeMadeEnergy

Price                                $47.00

HomeMadeEnergy Review – Summary

HomeMadeEnergy has produced an excellent package for making solar panels.  It does a very thorough job, covering all aspects of making a solar panel and does not assume any prior knowledge or expertise.  There is a good manual and seven videos (almost 3 hours) that go through in detail all the steps to making a solar panel.  In addition there are another 3 hours of video presentations that lay a foundation of knowledge covering solar energy systems, terminology, system components, system sizing, batteries, on grid / off grid configurations and the fundamentals of electricity.

This kit is ideal for both the novice or experienced DIYer who wants to make their own solar panels.  At the time of writing this HomeMadeEnergy review, HomeMadeEnergy is the most complete and best instructional guide for making solar panels.  Our No. 1 choice.

Review

Bill Ford is the man behind HomeMadeEnergy and he and his colleague Ben clearly know what they are talking about.  These guys are first and foremost electrical engineers.  They are not gifted amateurs with a rudimentary understanding of electricity.  These are professional engineers.  There are 3 hours of video presentations that lay a solid foundation of knowledge and understanding of renewable energy, electricity, different configurations etc.(see contents below of details of topics covered).  I strongly recommend that you go through these first, before starting to make your solar panel.

There is a 55 page manual that covers solar panel systems, configurations, making a solar panel and how to make a wind turbine.  It’s a good, basic manual.  The kit also includes a spreadsheet for calculating how large your PV panel array needs to be to meet you requirements.

But what gives this kit the edge is the other set of 7 videos that accompany it.  These really are very good.  They are not perfect.  Bill Ford is not an actor, he’s an engineer, but that is what I like about it – he is not word perfect but he is genuine.  Bill takes you step by step through each stage of making a solar panel.  He is very thorough, he takes his time and you should have no problems in keeping up and following him each step of the way.  One of things that stood out during this HomeMadeEnergy review was that if you have never done this type of thing before, you won’t get lost with Bill.  The other thing to note is that these videos run for almost 3 hrs and can be downloaded (in FLV format) from the Internet, so once downloaded you don’t need Internet access to play them.  (I didn’t have a FLV player so I simply downloaded one via Google).

From a solar panel perspective, this is the most comprehensive and easy to follow kit we have reviewed.  It is not fancy, doesn’t have wizzo graphics, and at times you wish he would move a bit faster, but both sets of videos are excellent and you know these guys really understand what they are talking about.  They instil confidence and trust.

Unfortunately HomeMadeEnergy does not include any bonuses within the package and as a result gets marked down in just the one area: value for money.  To be honest, nearly all the bonuses the other two leading packages include can be downloaded free from the Internet, if you know where to look.  I just think HomeMadeEnergy should have made the extra effort to include a few useful freebies – it just makes you feel good when you get a nice surprise!

[I will be providing a resource page within the next week or so that will provide lots of very useful links to videos, articles, Govenment grants, etc, that can be downloaded from the Internet and I hope these will be very helpful if you are going set up your own solar panel home.]

Testimonial – Jason Hutto

Hi Bill,

Thanks for your step-by-step guide. Using the HomeMadeEnergy guide me and my son have built our own wind mill. We couldn’t believe our eyes how easy it is to make your own energy. Now, after 3 wind mills, we’re completely using our own energy for our home. And it’s nice to see how you credit the electric company.

Thanks again for providing this to us,
Jason Hutto
Nevada

Customer support – We raised a couple of questions and received a response in less than 40 hours (we did send the email on a Sunday morning so that might account for why it took nearly 2 days to respond).

HomeMadeEnergy Review Pros – Very thorough, no prior knowledge or expertise is assumed, one set of videos educates and prepares you, and the other set shows you step by step how to make a solar panel in a very careful and methodical manner.  Good solid material that does what it says on the tin.

HomeMadeEnergy Review Cons – The step by step process seems a bit slow at times.  If you want to make a wind turbine you have only the manual and no videos to guide you.

HomeMadeEnergy Review Verdict - Although the videos may not be as polished as the latest ones from Earth 4 Energy or the Green DIY Energy instructional videos, they are still the most comprehensive and thorough.  At this time Home Made Energy is the best instructional guide for making and using solar panels.  It is our No. 1 choice

Click here to go to our review DIY Solar Panel Guides.

Package Contents:

7 instructional videos (lasting 3hrs) showing, step by step, how to make a solar panel

7 videos (lasting 3 hrs) on the wider aspects of making and using solar energy:

• Video #1: Introduction to Home Made Energy
• Video #2: System Components & Types
• Video #3: Special Report re Connecting to the Grid
• Video #4: Electrical Fundamentals to help insure a safe, successful PV project
• Video #5: PV System Design and Sizing
• Video #6: Tools Needed to Construct the System
• Video #7: Batteries – purposes, types, specs & system sizing

Excel Worksheet – PV Panel Array Sizing

Instruction Manual/Guide:

• Introduction                                                                       4
• CHAPTER 1: REDUCING YOUR ENERGY NEEDS ..                       5
• Determining Your Energy Needs .                                          6
• CHAPTER 2: THE MAGIC BEHIND SOLAR POWER                       7
• How Solar Power Works:                                                      7
• How Long Do Solar Panel Systems Last? .                                8
• CHAPTER 3: BUILDING YOUR SOLAR ENERGY SYSTEM               9
• Parts & Their Functions.                                                      9
• Different Types of Solar Energy Systems                                 12
• CHAPTER 4: SOLAR PANELS: TO SALVAGE, BUY OR BUILD                   17
• Obtaining Free Solar Panels                                                           17
• Getting Panels At A Discount                                                18
• Building Your Own Panels                                                    19
• CHAPTER 5: HOW TO BUILD YOUR OWN SOLAR PANEL              22
• CHAPTER 6: MAINTAINING YOUR PANELS                                26
• CHAPTER 7: HOW WIND POWER WORKS                                  27
• Parts Of A Wind Turbine                                                      27
• CHAPTER 8: TO BUY OR BUILD YOUR WIND ENERGY SYSTEM     29
• CHAPTER 9: BUILD YOUR OWN WIND TURBINE                        34
• CHAPTER 10: UNDERSTANDING HYDROELECTRIC POWER           41
• CHAPTER 11: WIRING YOUR BATTERY SYSTEM                        42
• CHAPTER 12: THE ALTERNATIVE ENERGY HOME                      44
• CHAPTER 13: LARGE SCALE RENEWABLE ENERGY                              46
• CHAPTER 14: MORE CHANGE FOR THE WORLD TO SEE              48
• Reducing Your Oil Dependence:                                            48
• The Ethanol Question:                                                        49
• The Energy Of The Future:                                                  49
• CHAPTER 15: WHAT’S HOLDING BACK CHANGE?                      51
• CHAPTER 16: ADDING TO YOUR KNOWLEDGE
• BASEWORKSHOPSAND RESOURCES                                         52
• CHAPTER 17: CLOSING THOUGHTS                                        53
• LIST OF REFERENCED LINKS                                                 55

Technorati Tags: DIY Solar Panel guides, DIY Solar Panel guides review, home made solar panel kits, homemadeenergy review, review of solar panel kits

Highly Recommended - Earth4Energy

Price                                $49.97

Earth4Energy Review – Summary

Earth4Energy is a very good product and is one of the best DIY solar panel guides available.  The manuals are very good.  The only reason that this kit does not get top billing is that the instructional videos only cover some of the initial steps in building a solar panel.  Earth4Energy has recently produced five excellent videos (and more are in the pipeline) that cover the wider aspects of using and configuring solar panel systems, covering terminology, different types of on grid/off grid configurations, building codes/regulations etc.  As well as a a number of bonuses (all available free off the Internet) the package includes a manual for making bio-diesel from used cooking oil.

Overall, Earth4Energy is a very good package on how to make a solar panel and wind turbine, and one that is continually being improved.  Earth4Energy rightly deserves joint 2nd place with Green DIY Energy. Highly Recommended.

Review

All four of Earth4Energy’s manuals and instructional videos are very good.  The instructional videos cover soldering tab wires to the solar cells and joining the cells together, the method shown looks more effective and easier to learn than the GreenDIYEnergy method.  Unfortunately, there are no other videos covering the remaining steps to making a solar panel, so you have to rely on the very good manual for these.  The third video shows how to make blades for the wind turbine.  The website includes a sizing calculator for your PV panels.

Earth4Energy is in the process of producing a number of videos that cover the wider aspects of solar energy, the main components of a solar panel system, how these can be configured, etc., along the same lines as HomeMadeEnergy.  So far they have produced five videos and probably have 3 or 4 to go.  The Earth4Energy website states they will be releasing a new video every week and we note that a new video has been released while we have been undertaking this Earth4Energy review.  These are professionally produced videos of the highest quality.

If you buy this kit, make sure you check the download page each week to see in there is a new video available to download.

Public Domain Videos – Earth4Energy has links to exactly the same public domain videos as Green DIY Energy.  Same comments apply.

Bonuses (and Manuals) – As mentioned, nearly all the bonuses provided by Earth4Energy are also provided by GreenDIYEnergy.  However, Earth4Energy is unique in providing an ebook on how to make bio-diesel from used cooking oil.

Customer support – We raised a couple of questions and the response was acceptably prompt.

Earth4Energy Review Pros – Very good manuals.  The three instructional videos are good.  The five recently released videos on the wider aspects of using and configuring solar panel systems are excellent and there is every indication that more are in the pipeline.  No prior knowledge or expertise is assumed or required to make a working solar panel &/or a wind turbine with this kit.

Earth4Energy Cons – Instructional videos only cover the initial steps in making a solar panel.

Earth4Energy Verdict – This is a very good instructional guide to making solar panels.  If the instructional videos covered the complete process of making a solar panel, not just soldering tab wires and connecting solar cells together, it would have pushed GreenDIYEnergy into 3^rd place.  The new videos are really superb, five so far with more on their way.  This is a very good kit and one that looks to be improving week on week.  Earth4Energy rightly ties with GreenDIYEnergy for 2^nd place.  Highly Recommended.

Click here to go to our review DIY Solar Panel Guides.

Package Contents:

Guides/Manuals:

• 1: INTRODUCTION TO SOLAR POWER
• 2: THE $98 SOLAR PANEL
• 3: INTRODUCTION TO WIND POWER
• 4: THE $140 WIND TURBINE

Bonus Books:

• Bonus #1 – Electrical Wiring Plans For Solar Panels
• Bonus #2 – Installing And Mounting Solar Panels Guide
• Bonus #3 – Energy Consumer Guide
• Bonus #4 – Wind Map Resources
• Bonus #5 – Renewable Energy Guide
• Bonus #6 – How to Make Bio-Diesel
• Links to sites to buy solar panels & materials
• Tax Rebate Forms for USA and Canada

Instructional Videos: (not downloadable only viewable, these are included in the CD)

• Building Solar Panels – Part 1 Tabbing the cells
• Building Solar Panels – Part 2 Joining the cells together
• Building a Wind Powered Generator – Making Windmill Blades

Downloadable Videos (more being released weekly)

• Introduction To Earth4Energy << Right Click and Save As – File Size 96MB

• Connecting To The Grid << Right Click and Save As – File Size 36MB

• System Types << Right Click and Save As – File Size 118MB

• Electrical Fundamentals << Right Click and Save As – File Size 192MB

• • Required Tools To Build A Solar Panel << Right Click and Save As – File Size 118MB

Online Video Library (Wind & Solar)

“Best of the Best” videos found online.  Contains links to 30 public domain videos

Technorati Tags: DIY Solar Panel guides, DIY solar panel kits, home made solar panel kits, review of solar panel kits, solar panel guides, solar panel guides review, Solar panel kits

Highly Recommended – GreenDIYenergy

Price                                $49.97

GreenDIYenergy Review Summary

The GreenDIYenergy package is very impressive.  There are four good manuals and some really excellent quality videos.  The videos have been produced in high resolution and cover the making of a solar panel, the materials and tools used.  These are the best quality instructional videos we have reviewed.  As with HomeMadeEnergy, the videos complement the manuals and together provide excellent step by step instructions.  Our GreenDIYEnergy review places GreenDIYenergy in 2^nd place because it’s coverage of the additional background information on solar energy, on grid/off grid system configurations, batteries, etc. lacks dept and breadth.  The instructional videos are also aimed at those who have bought pre-tabbed solar cells, if you buy non-tabbed cells you will have to rely on the manual for an explanation of how to solder the tab wires to the front of the cells.

However, all in all the GreenDIYenergy review rates GreenDIYenergy as a  first class “how to make solar panels” guide / kit that would suit both the novice and experienced DIY person.  Highly Recommended.

Review

The people behind Green DIY Energy clearly understand that most folk want to see how something should be done before they attempt it themselves.  The have produced 6 high resolution videos covering all the steps in how to make a solar panel.  These are excellent videos that together run for just over 60 minutes.  These can be downloaded onto you computer so you don’t have to be connected to the Internet to watch them.

Along with the videos there are two manuals (39 pages and 43 pages) on building a solar panel and two on building a wind generator (15 pages and 39 pages).  The solar power manuals should be read in conjunction with the videos to get the most out of them.

The two manuals on building your own wind turbine provide a simple step by step guide on what motor to select, how to make the blades for the wind turbine, how to construct a tail and then assemble all the components together.  As with Home Made Energy, the videos only cover the making of solar panels, so you just have to read the manual carefully when making your wind turbine.

Public Domain Videos – Green DIY Energy provides links to other videos on the ‘net that cover building a wind turbine and making your own solar panels.  As you would expect these videos are of variable quality, but all are informative and are well worth viewing.

Bonuses (and Manuals) – We had a surprise when we went through the bonuses and the manuals.  GreenDIYenergy’s Solar Photovoltaic Introduction is unique, but the other 3 manuals and 5 of the 6 bonus products are virtually identical to those provided by Earth4Energy.  Now, this is not a bad thing, as both manuals and bonuses are very good, but it does mean that there are not that many differences between the two products.

Customer support – We raised a couple of questions and the response was acceptably prompt.

GreenDIYenergy Review Pros – Good manuals and the best quality instructional videos of those reviewed.  You don’t need prior knowledge or expertise to successfully make a solar panel &/or a wind turbine with this guide.

GreenDIYenergy Review Cons – Not enough in-depth information on the other aspects of solar panels and how to access the energy they provide.

GreenDIYenergy Review Verdict – This is a very good kit.  It just lacks the in-depth information on the wider aspects of solar energy that HomeMadeEnergy covers so well.  GreenDIYEnergy came close to getting the top slot, but was edged out by the HomeMadeEnergy package.  Highly Recommended.

Click here to go to our review DIY Solar Panel Guides.

GreenDIYenergy Review – Package Contents:

Guides/Manuals:

• #1 DIY Solar Guide Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Introduction
• #2 DIY Solar Guide The $98 Solar Panel
• #3 DIY Wind Turbine Guide Wind Power Introduction
• #4 DIY Wind Turbine Guide The $140 Wind Turbine

Bonuses:

• - DIY Solar Guide Bonus Electrical Wiring Plans for Solar Panels
• - DIY Solar Guide Bonus Installing and Mounting Solar Panels Guide
• - DIY Solar Guide Bonus Energy Consumer Guide
• - DIY Solar Guide Bonus PV Solar Panel Array Sizing Worksheet
• - DIY Solar & Wind Guide Bonus Solar & Wind Tax Credits & Rebates
• - DIY Wind Turbine Guide Bonus Wind Map Resources
• - DIY Wind Turbine Guide Bonus Renewable Energy Guide

Instructional Videos (Downloadable):

• 1. Intro / Tools / Materials
• 2. Frame Construction
• 3. Soldering Solar Cells
• 4. Assembling / Attaching / Connecting
• 5. Final Panel Assembly
• 6. Testing

Online Video Library (Wind & Solar)

the “Best of the Best” videos found online.  Contains links to 30 public domain videos.

Technorati Tags: DIY Solar Panel guides, DIY solar panel kits, home made solar panel kits, review of solar panel kits, solar panel guides, solar panel guides review, Solar panel kits