What is a Solar Panel? How it Works?
If you truly wish your source of energy to be independent, there are only a few choices: solar in the form of solar electric panels, hot water panels, and passive heating; wind generators for electric production and windmills for water pumping; and hydro electric generators.
A good rule of thumb is that once you eliminate the use of electricity for space heating, water heating, and cooking (electric stoves), most any house can be operated successfully from a solar, wind, or hydro system.
What is a Solar Panel?
Solar panels generate free power from the sun by converting sunlight to electricity with no moving parts, zero emissions, and no maintenance. The solar panel, the first component of a Solar Power System, is a collection of individual silicon cells that generate electricity from sunlight. The photons (light particles) produce an electrical current as they strike the surface of the thin silicon wafers. A single solar cell produces only about 1/2 (.5) of a volt. However, a typical 12 volt panel about 25 inches by 54 inches will contain 36 cells wired in series to produce about 17 volts peak output. If the solar panel can be configured for 24 volt output, there will be 72 cells so the two 12 volt groups of 36 each can be wired in series, usually with a jumper, allowing the solar panel to output 24 volts. When under load (charging batteries for example), this voltage drops to 12 to 14 volts (for a 12 volt configuration) resulting in 75 to 100 watts for a panel of this size.
Multiple solar panels can be wired in parallel to increase current capacity (more power) and wired in series to increase voltage for 24, 48, or even higher voltage systems. The advantage of using a higher voltage output at the solar panels is that smaller wire sizes can be used to transfer the electric power from the solar panel array to the charge controller & batteries.
Basic Types of Solar Panels
Monocrystalline solar panels: The most efficient and expensive solar panels are made with Monocrystalline cells. These solar cells use very pure silicon and involve a complicated crystal growth process. Long silicon rods are produced which are cut into slices of .2 to .4 mm thick discs or wafers which are then processed into individual cells that are wired together in the solar panel.
Polycrystalline solar panels: Often called Multi-crystalline, solar panels made with Polycrystalline cells are a little less expensive & slightly less efficient than Monocrystalline cells because the cells are not grown in single crystals but in a large block of many crystals. This is what gives them that striking shattered glass appearance. Like Monocrystalline cells, they are also then sliced into wafers to produce the individual cells that make up the solar panel.
Amorphous solar panels: These are not really crystals, but a thin layer of silicon deposited on a base material such as metal or glass to create the solar panel. These Amorphous solar panels are much cheaper, but their energy efficiency is also much less so more square footage is required to produce the same amount of power as the Monocrystalline or Polycrystalline type of solar panel. Amorphous solar panels can even be made into long sheets of roofing material to cover large areas of a south facing roof surface.
Are you considering installing solar panels for your home?
Solar panels can be a great investment that not only saves you money and increases the value of your property, but also helps the environment while it’s helping your wallet and bank account.
You may probably wondering, commercially made Solar Panels are very expensive. Alternatively, you can build your own solar panel, if you can do some handyman work. Homemade solar panels are a lot cheaper comparing to their commercially made counterparts. Making solar panels really isn’t as complicated as you might think. To build a solar panel you will need some basic materials and a budget of about $150-$200 per solar panel that you want to build.
Click Here For Free Guide to Making Solar Panels
About the Author
It’s not that tough to making solar panels at home but it’s not something you can do in 10 minutes either. It’s not like you need to know quantum physics or anything like that. Visit http://www.squidoo.com/7-simple-steps-to-making-solar-panels
Sunforce 39126 246-Watt High-Efficiency Polycrystalline Solar Power Kit – How to set up
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10W 12V polycrystalline solar panel- 10watt 12 volt poly solar module- pv panel $28.00 |
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Astronergy 230W Polycrystalline Solar Panel CHSM6610P-230 $250.00 |
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80W HIGH-EFFICIENCY POLYCRYSTALLINE SOLAR PANEL $580.99 |
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SOLAR PANEL 140 WATT 12 VOLT – 140W 12V – Polycrystalline Solar Panel $319.00 |
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SOLAR PANEL 130 WATT 12 VOLT – 130W 12V – Polycrystalline Solar Panel $299.00 |
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SOLAR PANEL 125 WATT 12 VOLT – 125W 12V – Polycrystalline Solar Panel $249.00 |
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SOLAR PANEL 100 WATT 12 VOLT – 100W 12V – Polycrystalline Solar Panel $219.00 |
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SOLAR PANEL 85 WATT 12 VOLT – 85W 12V – Polycrystalline Solar Panel $168.00 |
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SOLAR PANEL 45 WATT 12 VOLT – 45W 12V – Polycrystalline Solar Panel $119.00 |
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SOLAR PANEL 40 WATT 12 VOLT – 40W 12V – Polycrystalline Solar Panel $109.00 |
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SOLAR PANEL 30 WATT 12 VOLT – 30W 12V – Polycrystalline Solar Panel $99.00 |
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80W Folding Polycrystalline SOLAR PANEL Portable 18V $289.99 |
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200W(2*100W)12V polycrystalline solar panel, 12V poly solar panel system $367.98 |
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Solar Panel 100 Watt 12 Volt with free mounting kit 100W 12V Polycrystalline PV $229.99 |
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40 WATT 12 VOLT SOLAR PANEL – 40W Polycrystalline 12v Battery Charger $78.00 |
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300W (4*75W) 12Volt polyl solar panes, 75watt 12v polycrystalline pv modules $560.00 |
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130Watt polycrystalline solar panel for home use with 20A MPPT, 130W pv module $300.00 |
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Solar Panel 100 Watt 12 Volt for home 100W 12V Polycrystalline PV Free Shipping $209.99 |
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36 pv 6×6 POLYCRYSTALLINE SOLAR CELLS $60.00 |
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SOLAR PANEL 140 WATT 12 VOLT – 140W 12V – Polycrystalline Solar Panel $319.00 |
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SOLAR PANEL 130 WATT 12 VOLT – 130W 12V – Polycrystalline Solar Panel $299.00 |
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SOLAR PANEL 100 WATT 12 VOLT – 100W 12V – Polycrystalline Solar Panel $219.00 |
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SOLAR PANEL 85 WATT 12 VOLT – 85W 12V – Polycrystalline Solar Panel $168.00 |
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SOLAR PANEL 45 WATT 12 VOLT – 45W 12V – Polycrystalline Solar Panel $119.00 |
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SOLAR PANEL 40 WATT 12 VOLT – 40W 12V – Polycrystalline Solar Panel $109.00 |
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SOLAR PANEL 30 WATT 12 VOLT – 30W 12V – Polycrystalline Solar Panel $99.00 |
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SOLAR PANEL 20 WATT 12 VOLT – 20W 12V – Polycrystalline Solar Panel $99.00 |
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SOLAR PANEL 5 WATT 12 VOLT – 5W 12V – Polycrystalline Solar Panel $34.00 |
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1kw 3×6 solar cells polycrystalline B grade 1.8W – 555 cells $199.17 |
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12 V 200 WATT POLYCRYSTALLINE SOLAR PANEL (V OC 21.3 V / V MP 18.0 V 2x 100 W) $558.00 |
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48 6×6 polycrystalline solar cell kit & charge controller for DIY solar panel $102.73 |
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Poly panel 140Watt 12Volt Solar Panel-140W 12V-PV Polycrystalline Solar module $328.79 |
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21×230watt Polycrystalline Solar panel 24 volt,4.8kw Ul & Cec listed $4,999.00 |
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Northern Industrial Polycrystalline Solar Panel-33W #77733 $199.00 |
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Technician holding a polycrystalline solar cell Photo Mugs Technician holding a polycrystalline silicon solarcell. The first silicon photovoltaic solar cells(seen in the background) were made by singlecrystals of silicon. They are characterised by arelatively high efficiency, up to 35, but at thesame time are very expensive to manufacture.Polycrystalline cells, also known as amorphoussilicon cells, are made by very small siliconcrystals. They are less eff… |
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Technician holding a polycrystalline solar cell Photo Mugs Technician holding a polycrystalline silicon solarcell. The first silicon photovoltaic solar cells(seen in the background) were made by singlecrystals of silicon. They are characterised by arelatively high efficiency, up to 35, but at thesame time are very expensive to manufacture.Polycrystalline cells, also known as amorphoussilicon cells, are made by very small siliconcrystals. They are less eff… |
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Rosewill RSL-113 Dual Head PIR Solar Light $39.99 Solar powered light for your tool or garden shed. PIR motion sensor with detection range up to 18 feet. Separate Light & Panel with 16 feet Cable. 3 x 1300mAh Ni-MH AA batteries built-in batteries enable 2 × 1 Watt LED lights up Sheds, Garages, Green Houses. The high-efficient polycrystalline silicon solar panel charges… |
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Sunforce 39810 80-Watt High-Efficiency Polycrystalline Solar Panel with Sharp Module $499.95 High-efficiency polycrystalline cells are ideal for areas with high sun exposure. 12 Volt solar battery charger delivers 80 Watts for homes, boats, RVs and back-up power. Also designer for 12V battery charging and solar power stations, pumps, beacons, lighting equipment and more! Works in all weather conditions. Completely weather resistant. Requires 30 Amp controller Item# 336615 (sold separately… |
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Go Power! GP-RV-20 20-Watt Solar Kit with 4.5 Amp Regulator $223.99 Go Power! 20 watt solar charging kit. This high efficiency polycrystalline panel takes the suns rays and creates DC power to charge your batteries. It will provide you with 1.2 amps of charge per hour. A 4.5 amp solar regulator is provided in the kit as well as all mounting hardware and wiring.Great for keeping your battery topped up in your RV, boat or automobile when in storage. All instructions… |
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IMP500-3500 Solar Powered External Backup Battery For iPhone 3G 3GS Blackberry Android etc. $49.95 * IMP500-3500 3G iPhone backup battery pack 3500mAh * 3G iPhone charging USB cable enable you to charge up your powerpack via USB port * 3G iPhone and ipod connector enable you to charge up your 3G iPhone via USB cable * one mini USB connector for T-Mobile G1 or Blackberry * one micro USB connector for any smartphone or mobile device using micro USB for charging * A Free CARRY CASE for this power … |
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HJS Solar Panel Universal 20000mAh Portable Backup External Multi-Purpose Charger Battery Power Supply for Laptop Notebook Netbook Tablet PC + Free HJS Handband High Capacity Solar Charger Battery for PC Laptop + Mobile Phone description: 20000 mAH portable solar charger and battery for recharging your laptop PC or mobile phone anywhere. Our Exclusive model – High Capacity Solar Charger Battery for PC Laptop + Mobile Phone – is the perfect green gadget for the modern traveler! Either plug this laptop and cell phone accessory into your car or a wall pl… |
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HJS Solar Panel Universal 20000mAh Portable Backup External Multi-Purpose Charger Battery Power Supply for Laptop Notebook Netbook Tablet PC High Capacity Solar Charger Battery for PC Laptop + Mobile Phone description: 20000 mAH portable solar charger and battery for recharging your laptop PC or mobile phone anywhere. Our Exclusive model – High Capacity Solar Charger Battery for PC Laptop + Mobile Phone – is the perfect green gadget for the modern traveler! Either plug this laptop and cell phone accessory into your car or a wall pl… |
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UPG® 87501 20-Watt Mono-Crystalline Solar Panel $69.90 The UPG 87501 20 watt solar panel offers you a quiet, clean while carbon-free portable power solution. Capable of converting virtually unlimited solar energy into clean, green, most importantly, free electricity, the UPG 87501 includes a 20-Watt mono-crystalline solar panel. This solar panel is made of high efficiency mono-crystalline solar cells embedded in transparent vinyl acetate with rail gu… |
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Sun-Plugged Solar Urban Messenger (Grey/Sky Blue) Sun-Plugged’s messenger bags are mobile renewable energy power stations designed to charge virtually any portable computer or hand-held electronic device. This three compartment messenger bag features a waterproof, scratch resistant, high efficiency monocrystalline solar panel. Our Solar Urban Messenger Bags produce 2.1 watts of power, so 1 hour in direct sun will power over 1.75 hours of iPod p… |
