If you want to get solar panels as cheaply as possible, realistically you have three options:

• Buy Solar Panels Wholesale.
• Find Retail Bargains.  Hunt for bargains such as those we found on Amazon where they are selling the various solar panels at very competitive prices
• Go DIY.  But only if you are really keen to do this and want to make just a couple of solar panels as a project.  Use one of the recommended “how to make solar panels” guides / kits.  See our DIY Solar Panel Guides review.   A 60 watt panel should cost around $150 – $175, equivalent to $2.5 – $2.92 per watt

The 2^nd and 3^rd options are discussed elsewhere on this site.  Let us take a closer look at the issues surrounding buying solar panels wholesale.

Buying Solar Panels Wholesale.

There are an increasing number of renewable energy wholesalers who are buying solar panels in bulk and selling these at very competitive prices to the customer direct.

There are a number of points you need to be aware of:

• Not often the Latest Products. When you buy solar panels wholesale you are not likely to get the latest solar panel designs or products.  The latest products command a premium.  Suppliers want to sell the latest products and are therefore keen to shift older products to make room for the new.  The older products may not be as technically advanced and may not be as efficient, but as you are buying a panel than produces a specific number of watts, the only downside may be that the latest product produces the same wattage from a slightly smaller panel.  Not really a big issue.
• Mounting Kits.  Make sure there are readily available mounting kits for the panels before you buy them.  Panels aimed at the commercial market can be adapted to residential use without any problems, just make sure you can get the mounts.
• Delivery Costs.  Check out the cost of delivery, as this can be significant.  Also, many wholesalers will charge a re-packing fee if you buy a single or odd number of panels.
• Warranty and Ts&Cs. Check the warranty and terms and conditions regarding returns, etc.  Make sure these are acceptable.  If not, find another wholesaler.
• Minimum Order Quantities. We thought this was going to be the biggest issue as most wholesalers will only sell solar panels by the pallet, often the equivalent to 20, 24, 30 or 60 panels.  However, we have found minimum quantities that ranged from 1 to 368!!  So, as long as you are not too picky, this should not be a problem.
• Access and Fork Lifts.  Before you order a pallet load, make sure you are aware of any possible issues regarding access to your property (it might be a very big truck!) and find out if they expect you to have your own fork lift to take the pallet off the truck.
• End of Line Products. For some solar panels only limited quantities may be available, so if you want additional panels in the future, the exact same solar panel may not be available.  Again, this is not really an issue.  Just be aware that you could end up with two different solar panel models on your roof or in your yard.

Make Sure You Get a Bargain

Finally, just because you are buying solar panels wholesale does not mean you are always getting a bargain.  Always check the cost per watt (price of panel delivered / panel wattage).  Again, on the wholesale solar panels that we checked these varied considerably from $1.85 to $4.76 a watt.

Keep in mind that the Amazon supplied Sunwatts 120 works out at $2.98 per watt.  So only pay more than $3.00 per watt if there is a particular panel that you really have to have.

Solar Panels Wholesale – Conclusion

Increased production facilities in China and the recent fall off in demand from Europe (one of the ramifications of the credit crunch) should result in the continual lowering of prices.

In our article on the cost of solar panel, we calculated costs based upon buying sufficient panels to give 3000 watts.  For each option this would work out as follows:

• Retail – Amazon’s Sunwatts 120 watt Solar Panel at $358 for 120 watts, is $8950 for 3000 watts.  But more retail panels will cost you nearer $15,000.
• Wholesale – we managed to find a 225 watt solar panel for $549, $2.44 per watt, minimum order quantity 2 panels, and this works out at $7686 for 3150 watts.
• DIY – at around $150 – $175 for a 60 watt panel, works out at $7500  – $8750 for 3000 watts.  But we strongly recommend against this route. See below.

(add delivery charges to these prices)

Final Word on DIY

Given the time and effort required to make your own solar panels, this is a route we can only recommend if you want a couple of solar panels to provide lighting and some power for a shed, garage or workshop.  This could be an enjoyable and satisfying project to undertake over a few weekends or during the winter months.  In which case there are some really excellent guides/kits available.  See our independent Review for details.

If you want to buy sufficient solar panels to substantially reduce your electricity bills or provide green energy for your off grid cabin or house, do not even think about making dozens of solar panels yourself. Not only is it a great deal of work, but you will not qualify for any government grants or rebates, your panels will not last as long as commercial panels, and quite honestly, you can buy commercial solar panels from Amazon for virtually the same price and these come with full manufacturer’s guarantees of performance for 25 years.

I wish you all the best – please let me know how you get on with your search for cheap panels.

Technorati Tags: cost of solar panels, DIY solar panel kits, solar panel guides review, solar panel home, solar panels wholesale

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