Solar Panels for Beginners

When surrounded by the nightmare of rising energy costs, solar panels for beginners saved me from financial ruin. Just when I was ready to give up and file bankruptcy, my husband came up with what I now realize was a brilliant idea- solar panels for our home!

Standing at my kitchen sink, tears started to run down my cheeks. Looking at the confusing bill in my hand, two words stood out: disconnection notice. We had to pay our entire bill of $800 in the next month or lose electricity. “No!” I said as I thought about my two young children. “We’re already barely heating the house at it is!” Sliding down into a kitchen chair, I laid my head on the table and wept out of despair.

My husband had already been to the local churches and agencies that provide energy assistance. Evidently we either had “too much income” to qualify or there was simply no money left to help our family. Asking family members for help was out of the question, as they were in the same boat as us due to their energy bills.

Faced with the real possibility of being without heat in the dead of winter, my husband and I sat down with all of our bills. Reviewing our budget, we were already paying the lowest amount we could for everything. We were both working full-time jobs and taking overtime as often as we could, and we still couldn’t pay the bills. Even with work-out plans with our car loan and mortgage companies, the unreal energy costs were breaking us.

We were already living paycheck to paycheck, had drained all of our savings, and had done away with any unnecessary spending. Suddenly, my husband had an idea. “What if we made our own electricity?” Staring at him in disbelief, I gave him a shove and went to the living room. Our financial problems had truly caused him to lose his mind.

The next day, he presented me with information about cheap solar panels.  Insisting that building solar panels was the solution for us, he told me he had stayed up all night researching the dizzying array of options. With no other choice to solve our problems, I reluctantly gave him the go-ahead to build solar panels.

Immediately he ordered Earth4Energy and began building. With his minimal carpentry skills and lack of technical knowledge, I tried to be supportive but still had reservations. With a total investment of $300, this was our last-ditch effort at saving ourselves from drowning in debt. If it failed, we would be ruined. But if it worked, we just might make it.

Six months later, we’re not buying any electricity from the power company. We’re selling it to them! Our new solar panels are so effective that we actually have electricity left over. Sharing with the neighbors about our discovery, we’ve even started a small business selling solar panels that we make. Thanks to the website http://www.earth4energy.com and their solar panels for beginners, we are now living a life free from the demands of a power company, without any worries about blackouts or power outages.

Solar power is quickly becoming one of the most popular forms of renewable sources of energy. It’s a fantastic way to conserve the earth’s natural resources, but also provides one of the cleanest, most effective forms of energy available today. For those that are not familiar with this type of energy, you need to get a little information on solar panels for beginners, so that you know the important aspects, terminology, and a little bit of the science behind it all.

How Solar Energy Panels Work

Solar energy panels contain photovoltaic cells. This is where the energy from the sun is converted to electricity. While there’s quite a science behind it all, here are the basics. Silicon plates are used to allow electrons to flow freely through it. The silicon doesn’t have either a positive or a negative charge, so other elements, usually phosphorus, and boron are combined with the silicon, so the sun’s energy can be captured by the silicon. The photons from the sun bombard those silicon panels and this captured energy is converted into electricity that can be used to power household appliances, small shops, or even a entire home. Solar panels are looped together to create more energy. This is why you see many panels on the roof of a solar powered home.

Building Your Own Solar Energy Panel

One reason why people often build their own panels is because it is much cheaper to do than to buy new solar panels. For beginners, there are a number of different ways it can be done and you’ll find most what you need at your local home improvement store. You can build a small one over the course of a weekend for about $200-$300. It will power a small shop or appliance. However, you can also loop these together to create more energy.

Are You Ready to Begin?

If you think that you’re ready to learn more about solar panels for beginners, you can find a wealth of information online. There are several guides that will help you build one from scratch or that will provide you with what you need to know before you buy a new one. There are many applications for solar energy including, powering homes, boats, cars, and even things like laptops and hot water heaters. More uses for energy are sure to be discovered within the next few years. The hope is that the world will come to rely on renewable sources of energy and get away from using fossil fuels to power the world!

Solar Panels for Beginners Tip #1

Don’t think you can build one solar panel and power your entire home. It won’t happen. However, you can run a small appliance, a light, or a small electric engine for several hours with one average sized panel.

Solar Panels for Beginners Tip #2

If you will have solar panels installed professionally, make sure it’s by a reputable company. There have been many people that have reported problems with less than reputable solar companies that never deliver as promised. Check with the Better Business Bureau in your area to find out which companies have unresolved complaints.

Solar Panels for Beginners Tip #3

Before you build a DIY solar panel, make sure you have enough roof space to correctly install the panel. Solar panels are not small and you certainly don’t want to end up with one too big for the area of the roof where it will be installed.