Go Solar Power For Homes dot net

Promoting solar power for homes, residential solar power, solar powered residential solar systems and solar panels for home

I’m Thinking Of Getting This Solar Panel Kit, Is It Feasible?

I would love to be able to produce electricity for my home in a safe and clean manner, for the sake of the environment AND for my rather challenged finances, but I really haven’t got thousands to invest in the project.

Alright, first of all I do not think the site is a scam, but what they are telling you is not the whole story.
What they sell you is the basic concept of building a solar panel. They explain how to connect the solar cells, and fabricate a panel using basic supplies that you can purchase either at a hardware store or at Radio Shack. If you do some research on the internet you can find sites out there that provide this information for free.

As far as building the solar panel for $200. that is a relative price depending on what materials you are able to salvage. Your big expense is the solar cells themselves. Most likely what they are going to tell you is to look online for damaged, or second hand solar cells. Sometimes you can find them on Ebay, and there are numerous companies out there that sell bulk solar cells, both new and used. Damaged or used solar cells are cheaper, but require a lot more work to utilize, new is easiest, so you will pay accordingly.
The rest of the materials are pretty inexpensive. Plywood, plexiglas, silicone caulk, etc. The materials you need from Radio Shack cost about $20. for the initial investment, and the materials will last a good while. In a nutshell, if you use scrap lumber, and used solar cells you might be able to build a 100 watt panel for under $200. maybe even less. If you really dig around, there are places where you can find damaged solar panels, that have been discarded, and you can tear them apart and recycle the solar cells.
Once you build the solar panel, you are only part way there. The panel is producing DC current, and your home runs on AC. The normal home set up would have the solar panels connected to a battery bank, so the panels keep the batteries charged, and the home runs off the batteries. Same problem, batteries are DC, your home AC.
You would need an adapter to change the DC to AC before you could hook up to your home. A DC converter will run you about $200. normally. The big problem is this. When you convert from DC to AC you lose most of what you have generated. Here is an example:
A compact flourecent bulb is using about 40 watts of power, maybe a little less. Your solar panel is only producing 100 watts, so you will only be able to power two lights in the house, three at the most.
In order to run the lights, fans, radio, etc. you will need a roof full of solar panels. Nobody ever tells you this.
Here is a simple solution if you are really serious. The trick is to run part of your home straight DC. Then there is no need for a DC converter. You can get DC flourescents which only require about 4 watts of power. DC fans, are the same, they require very little DC current to operate. Basically anything you have in your home that runs on batteries, a laptop for instance, can handle the DC current.
You can have an electrician re-route some of the wiring in the house to your solar system. Lights, ceiling fans, and a few outlets for DC appliances. Eventually you could convert the entire home to DC, but just getting the lights and other smaller appliances on DC will same you a lot of money. With a DC system you only need a few solar panels to do the whole job, not a roof full.
You will still need a bank of batteries which are a little on the expensive side. If you are running DC however, you only need a few batteries to support the system, instead of 8-10 batteries. The batteries will need to be a deep cycle battery that are made to be recharged regularly. Car batteries do not work very well. The batteries you need are like the ones used in golf carts, fork lifts, etc. You can purchase reconditioned batteries at a reasonable price ($30-40 a piece) in most parts of the country, and usually they will give you a warranty if they are reputable.
Anyway, I tried not to be over detailed here, so I could keep this fairly short, so I hope you get the basic idea.

Solar Powered Rain Barrel Pump Kit

Crocodile Creek's Dinosaur Lunchbox $6.74 School lunches can now be more fun than ever with this beautifully-designed, well priced lunch box. Lunch box is 10"w x 7.5"h x 3"d. Special attention has been given to make certain that the lunchboxes currently offered by Crocodile Creek do conform to the current U.S. & European Consumer Product Safety Standards. Crocodile Creek lunchboxes are lead safe, 100% Phthalate and PVC free....

Green Solar Cone Digester Composter Complete Kit $165.00 The Green Solar Cone Digester Composter is ready to accept all of your food waste and start composting it. This composter will help to reduce your waste output, save money, eliminate all food waste from your trash by turning your waste into water, carbon dioxide and a small amount of solid material. How it works: this composter digests your waste by using sunlight. The double walled solar cone cre...

Coghlan's 8794 Film Can Shaker Lids - Pack of 2 $0.99 2 - Pk. Coghlan's Film Can Shaker Lids. What a clever, eco - friendly idea! Make salt and pepper shakers from 35 mm Kodak film cans! Great for backpacking, picnics, lunch box or camping! Just snaps right on. Spill- and moisture-proof. Order Now! Coghlan's Film Can Shaker Lids...

SE Wireless Motion Sensor Light - 10 Super-Bright LED $8.50 Instantly add motion-activated light for security and safety - indoors or out*Infrared technology senses both movement and heat for fewer false activations*Compact (3" x 3") and lightweight (4.3 oz) lets you install almost anywhere; easy-mounting slot *10 super-bright LED cast pure white light, last for 100,000 hours, sip battery power*Wire-free installation, operates for months on 3 AA batteries ...

Jump-N-Carry JNC300XL 900 Peak Amp Ultraportable 12-Volt Jump Starter with Light $62.99 Ultra-portable jump starter can be stored virtually anywhere and weighs just 9 lbs. Delivers 900 Peak Amps of jump starting power 27" #4 gauge cables provides efficient power transfer to vehicle's battery Built-in flashlight is great for emergencies and everyday use 12 Volt outlet to power accessoriesA great balance of power and portability, the SOLJNC300XL packs the punch of 900 Peak Amps of sta...

Quake Kare Emergency Thermal Blankets (4 Pack) $2.89 This compact blanket provides warmth (retains and reflects up to 90 of body heat), a waterproof and windproof shelter barrier, and a covering to help reduce shock when someone is injured. Emergency thermal blanket to be used as emergency shelter. Also great for camping, hiking, and surviving the cold outdoors. Excellent as liner of sleeping bag....

A Complete Guide to the Installation of Off-Grid PV Solar Power Systems $49.49 This DVD set is a 4 hour, 16 chapter comprehensive course on the installation of Off-Grid photovoltaic solar power electric systems. It is designed to take the complete beginner to full competency. The course is taught by Bob Nagy who is the teacher in over 40 videos on high-tech subjects. Bob's bio includes 20 years at the University of Texas, ABC TV, and NASA. His clear and friendly style bri...

Do It Yourself Solar Panels for Swimming Pools, Spas & more $34.95 Solar Panel Instructional DVD & Plans for water heating. A simple step-by-step, DIY, easy to follow solar panel construction DVD. No special tools required. Sleek design, professional look and ease of fabrication. Heating system fully integrates into your existing pool piping network. 3500 watts (12,000BTU) of free solar power per panel. 10+degrees F increase in water temperature in one day. Engin...

Sanyo Eneloop Ni-MH Charger and 8 Rechargeable AA and 4 Rechargeable AAA Batteries $31.79 New, improved eneloop kit in colors eneloop - ready to use rechargeable battery. Since its launch in November 2005 eneloop has become well-known around the world as it has revolutionized the consumer-use rechargeable battery segment with its unique features: * rechargeable approximately 1,000 times * coming pre-charged, making it usable immediately after purchase * its unique design departing from...

Energizer Rechargeable Batteries ...

Our Amazing Solar System Kit $27.49 Construct and explore our solar system with the realistic scale planet models in this kit. This kit has everything you need to build, paint, and then display all the planets in the solar system as you learn about them in the included Fun and Fact booklet.

Glow-in-the-Dark 3-D Solar System Kit $19.13 Bring a splash of science to your decor with these gleaming planets and stars 3-D Solar System kit. A special phosphorescent formula gives your universe long life while inspiring imagination.

Standing Girl Pond Fountain with Solar Pump Kit $82.49 The off white cream-like color goddess Aphrodite Standing holds a pot made of polyresin material. The hand-painted color accents and antique finish further add to the depth and richness of the artwork.

Mad Science Solar Balloon Kit $6.49 Fill this six-foot balloon up with air and let it sit in the sun, then watch it rise. This Amazing Science kit makes a great school science project.

Kneeling Girl Pond Fountain With 2-watt Solar Pump Kit $85.99 The creamy off-white statue of goddess Aphrodite kneeling is made of a polyresin material. This fountain is extremely detailed and the bottom is furnished with felt for the protection of your solar water pump.

Boy Garden Pond Spitter 5-watt Solar Water Pump Kit $85.99 The outdoor poly-resin Boy Pond Spitter adds sparkle and sound to ponds and water gardens. Exquisitely detailed with stone-like finishes, this pond spitter is outdoor safe, sun and weather-resistant.

Bronze Girl Kneeling Holding Pot 2-watts Solar Water Pump Kit $121.99 This statue features the goddess Aphrodite (Venus) holding a pot made of poly resin material. With a bronze color, this water pump kit creates a gentle fountain effect for your garden or patio.

Deluxe Spa Step Solar Light Kit $49.99 Brighten up your deluxe spa step with this optional solar light kit. The kit contains four LED lights and two solar panels to light up your spa step area for added safety and security when entering and exiting your spa/hot tub.

C&G Portable 40-watt Solar Panel Charger $208.99 Materials: Mono-Crystalline 40-watt portable solar chargerCapacity: 40WDesign: Foldable

OEM 10-watt 16-volt Solar Panel with Charger Kits $69.83 Use the 10-watt 16-volt solar panel by Oem to power a convenient appliance with free green energy from the sun. With an amorphous crystal design, this solar panel performs both in the bright sun or partial shade.

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