This is too fun!!! a refrigerater that uses no electricity!
ENERGY: There are many ways to lift ourselves off the heavy draw of the Energy/Power grid, before we even need to consider Solar. First step is to get an Energy Audit from your Power Company. Be sure to address “clean” and thorough insullation (upstairs and down), caulking, door and window weather strips, Energy Star appliance upgrades, and use of power strips to cut out Vampire energy stealth.
One day I thought I wanted to make my own solar panels for the affordability of it all and since I was solicited by some DIY companies to buy their manuals, I asked my Solar Panel expert and friend, and he urged me to NOT fall for the gimmick.
Here is the article I asked him to write to help inform everyone about this important investment towards gettingoffgrid, in an electrical sort of way……
Making your own solar panels? You can make your own solar panel, but what will you really have when you’re done? There is a huge difference between the panel you make, and the panel you can buy. It starts with the basic solar cell, when you buy these on-line you have no idea what you are really getting; all have different power producing abilities. When a panel manufacturer assembles a panel each cell is tested under a special light and the power output is determined. After that, the cells are arranged in order of their power output. It is critical to the overall performance of a panel to maintain an equal balance of power between series strings. When the cells are soldered together in a factory setting it is done with a laser solder gun with a very controlled temperature, ensuring a positive contact. If you practice, and have lots of time, you could effectively solder the cells together, it would be critical to check each one very carefully before moving to the next. Now you have several strings soldered, it’s time to connect them. Series or parallel? Some in series and some in parallel? Whether you want to charge batteries or be grid tied, or a combination, you need to know what you are using for a charge controller or inverter so the panel power output matches the parameters of the device. Just as important as the balance of power output of the series strings, the power output of the panels needs to be equal to each other. One of the final steps performed in a factory setting is the encapsulation process. The cells are laid out on a plastic panel, the glass, (which is a low iron tempered glass) is placed over the cells, all of that is placed in a chamber, held in a vacuum and heated. This ensures the cells will never move, moisture will never enter, and the assembly will be even stronger against environmental influences like rain and hail. Without this process, the panel you have worked so hard to make is doomed. Moisture will gather, if you seal it, it will sweat, if you vent it, expansion and contraction of air will draw in contaminates. That’s why most panel manufacturers can carry a 20-25 year warranty.This sounds like the rants of a panel manufacturer but I’m not. Anyone interested in making a panel should go for it, it is awesome to see them work after you have put one together, but trying to power your house with homemade panels I think is a mistake. You would be far better off searching for panels on sale, a lot of times lower wattage panels are cleared out cheap.
When the Green World Store opens, we are going to be making available to installers and true home Do It Yourselfers the best of the best in quality panels, all you will need to do is consult your local (and trusted Electrical Engineer) to approve the install and perform the final connections.
LauraRose
