In this day and age, more and more people are thinking "green" and want contribute to a clean environment. Technology is advancing at a blinding pace and we have the opportunity to use technology to our advantage in the modern society that we live.

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One of these technologies is solar power. I don' think there's a person that wants to have to pay for electricity when it can be harnessed by the sun and used for free.

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So why doesn't everyone use solar technology?

Unfortunately, it still comes down to cost. If you understand how to make solar panels, you'll realize that commercial panels are extremely efficient as well as equally costly. In fact for someone to have a complete solar power system installed, will cost 1,000's of dollars for the materials and installation. It takes a lot of time before it starts to pay off because of these initial costs.

So what can you do?

Learn how to make these panels yourself at a fraction of the cost of a commercial system. I'm not going to lie to you and say that it's going to be as efficient as buying a commercial model. These high end products are made of materials that you can't buy at the neighborhood hardware store.

However, when you learn how to make solar panels on your own, you'll get a unit that does work and is efficient enough to suit the needs of your homes electricity needs without having to have a heart attack every month when your energy bill arrives.

With this in mind, I think everyone should seriously consider knowing how to make these panels. Not only will knowing how to make them and being able to contribute to a cleaner environment be a major benefit, but you'll have a very satisfying feeling in knowing that you now have a valuable skill for life.

What kind of materials are needed to make these panels. Like I said previously, when you're learning how to make solar panels, you can find all the materials very easily. What materials do you need?

• Untabbed Solar Cells - these aren't hard to find and many people that know how to make solar panels buy them on eBay. Just make sure that you don't buy any damaged cells.

• Plywood- plywood is easy to get at any hardware store and it's used as the panel frame that will hold the cells.

• Plexiglas- when you learn how to make solar panels you'll realize that it's important to protect the solar cells. Just make sure you buy sheets large enough to cover the front and the back of the cells within the frame. Also, it needs to be a minimum of 1/4 inch thick or greater for adequate protection.

• Soldering iron - This is used to join the solar cells together using the tabbing wire.

• Silicone - The silicone adheres the cells to the back panel and also seals off the cover of the Plexiglas.

• Tin Coated Tabbing Wire - Already explained above.

• Flux Pen - This just helps speed up the soldering process and makes it more efficient.

• Volt/Amp Meter - Used to test the power output of each solar cell.

• UV Guard - When you learn how to make solar panels you'll realize that the wood frame of your solar panel will be exposed to the sunlight all day. A coating of UV guard will protect the frame, so it will last a lot longer under harsh conditions of heat.

In conclusion learning how to make solar panels is doable and it can work for you. Do it yourself, save money and you'll realize that it's pretty fun at the same time.

Basic Materials Needed For Making Solar Panels At Home

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