Due to the ever increasing gas prices, people are looking for cheaper sources of energy. Within the last decade, solar technology has evolved quite a bit and now they are not that expensive at all.

Better, low cost and efficient solar technology is now available. More and more people are turning to solar energy for saving money spent on household electricity. Whenever you think of solar energy, the first thing that comes to your mind is the initial investment and the installation charges.

In fact it is not that difficult to setup a Do-It-Yourself (DIY) solar panel, provided you have the right knowledge and required raw materials. This article will provide you all the information needed to setup a solar panel of your own.

First of all you will have to gather the materials required to build the solar panel and also a box to house everything. You can buy solar cells at cheap rates from eBay. Apart from the photovoltaic (PV) cells, you will also need wires, diodes and a jones plug to wire everything. You can buy diodes from eBay and jones from a local electronics store.

In order to construct the solar panel box you will need lumber, screws and hardware, silicone caulk, paint and plexiglass, all of which you can buy from a hardware store. Some other basic tools will also be required to assemble the PV panel.

A cordless drill might be handy during the process. A soldering iron will be required while assembling. You can also get PV cells at very cheap rates from commercial solar companies. Normally these companies find it hard to store old cells when they replace a system with new ones.

They will be happy to get rid of those older ones that use up their storage space. You can approach some of these companies; it will save you some money for sure. You can also go for used or damaged solar cells. They are hard to find but if you do, it can save you a lot of money.

When you order solar cells, make sure you order a few extra ones in case of some damage during shipping or assembling. Another important thing to look at is that the size of all photovoltaic cell should be the same. Difference in size means difference in the amount of current produced.

Mixing different sizes can affect the efficiency and energy production. Before constructing your own PV panels, you should have a clear cut idea about the amount of power you need and also about the size of your system. One solar cell can produce one half volt and a series of 40 cells will give you over 20 Volts.

Power in Watts is calculated by multiplying the Amps by the Volts. If your cell can produce 3 Amps, then your system will be able to deliver above 60 Watts of power. If you want to increase the Wattage, you can use larger cells. Large solar cells can make the entire system heavier and may use up a lot of space. It is always better to start with a smaller one and then upgrade it when the need arises.

You have stopped using your air conditioner to cool your home and instead are using the normal fan or you have set thermostat at 66°during the night. All these efforts are laudable, but have you ever thought of using the alternate source of energy, could be because of paucity of funds, you cannot invest in the Photovoltaic (PV) array or hot solar water system.

The answer to all this is solar air heater. You must determine the window which you will allocate to build the solar air heater, a double hung window can be an ideal choice, it should face south to south west, and should get sun light for the greater part of the day.

You will have to build a frame which is 1 ½” than the clear opening and 36″ to 48″ tall, use treated wood for long life. Ensure that the solar air heater is fixed well and well secured in the window. You must seal all the joints very well, cut the rigid insulation back to fit the frame leaving a gap of around 5 ½” at the top.

Place two spacers in the middle and at the edges which should be around 2″, now add the horizontal rigid insulation between the arms and the bottom and one in the middle of the arms. Make it strong and secure using adhesives on all the four sides.

Cut the corner bead and secure with roofing nails to the insulation with fins pointing outside. Paint the entire interior of the solar heater with black spray paint; apply the compressible foam weather stripping along the face of the entire frame.

You may use silicon sealant that will prevent you to remove glass in future. Insert a piece of the weather stripping between the aluminum angle and the glass. Your solar air heater is ready to be installed. You must make it weather proof so that the heat is not lost.

Once you have opened the window and place the heater inside. Lower the sash and install foam weather stripping along the line where the sash meets the heater. Now cut the air conditioner foam weather stripping as per the width of the sash and insert the same between the sashes at the bottom of exterior sash.

The gaps should be filled between the heater and the window jamb with expandable foam. Now install insulating window film over the window, securing the bottom of the horizontal piece of decking. Now finally cut a piece of rigid insulation to fit the top opening of the heater to prevent any heat loss. You can use an old bath towel also for this purpose.

To keep water out you can also add a piece of aluminum flashing at the top of the solar air heater. Now this installation your solar air heater is ready and installed.

DIY Solar Air Heater Guide

Are you looking for a step by step guide on making your own homemade solar air heater? If you are, check out the Solar Heater Guides web site for a comprehensive manual on making your own DIY air heater using the power of the sun with a limited budget.

==> Click here to visit Solar Heater Guide now!

Everyone knows exactly how much a gallon of gasoline costs and how many miles one can drive one’s car when we fill its tank with gas. But how many of us know how much a Photovoltaic (PV) solar panel costs and what will be the total expense when one installs a system of solar panels to provide energy for the house.

We can get mileage from gasoline instantly but solar panels do not work that way. It takes a while to store energy before it is made available for use. This blog post tries to explain two aspects of installing solar panels as an alternate source of energy, namely the cost involved and the cost effectiveness of this system.

First, let us consider the cost involved in setting up solar panels. Solar panels are photovoltaic systems which capture sun’s rays and convert them into electrical energy. The cost of PV systems are calculated as so many dollars per Watt, $/W.

However there are other aspects to be considered when calculating the cost. Are we talking about DC Watt or AC Watt, or are we considering the cost as per Watt peak, $/Wp? Irrespective of all these considerations one must be aware that when we install solar panels, they not only produce energy for current use but also for future use. This certainly sounds good.

Let us now consider how much the set up will cost you. Since each home requires its own unique configuration of solar panels, the cost will differ from house to house. Every state and local body offers solar rebates, and also solar tax credits. These rebates and credits are not uniform all over the country.

This means that the cost of installing solar panels will not only differ from home to home but also from region to region. If you pay Federal income tax, you can claim Federal solar tax solar energy tax credit for 30% of the cost of installing solar energy system in your home.

Listed below are some resources which would help you assess the cost of installing solar energy system in your home. First on the list is the Open PV Project, which is a project of the National Renewable Energy Lab. This will give you information on how much PV systems will cost in different parts of the country.

According to this list, in 2010, on average the cost was $7.15/W. However, this is only a ball park figure since not all solar installation companies had participated in compiling this data. But the data provided by the Open PV Project will give you some idea of difference between states in the cost of installing solar PV systems.

For example, the cost solar panel system is $5.64/W in Arizona, but it is $7.64/W in New Jersey. Secondly, in certain states it is required that companies which install solar systems report to the state their installation charges. If the company which had installed your solar PV system had not done so, the state will not give you any rebate.

On account of this requirement, it is possible to have a good idea of what the installation of solar panels will cost. You will find that in Pennsylvania, the Sunshine Solar Rebate program reports an average rate of $5.32/W for domestic installations with 8 Kilowatts as median system capacity.

On the other hand, Go Solar California that is a joint project of California Energy Commission and California Public Utilities Commission reports an average cost of $7.19/W in its latest quarterly report on costs for domestic solar panel installations.

Thirdly, if all this confuses you, you can just follow the rule of thumb, and use a default value of $7.00/W for home installation of solar panels. Though is not an exact figure it will give you a good idea of what the project will cost you. Of course, this will reduce when you take into consideration the rebates and tax credits that you will be eligible to get.

Lastly, make sure you get quotations from three, or at least two, reliable companies that install solar panels for homes. You should be aware that since there is so much variability involved in installing solar energy systems in your home, you will get a proper estimate of the cost of installing a solar PV system in your home only when the installing company gives you a figure.

Anyway, going by the default figure of $7.00/W, it could cost you $35,000 for a system that would provide you an average of 5KW energy. When you take into consideration the rebates you will be eligible to get and the 30% Federal solar tax credit, your actual cost would be considerably less.

With the invention of Photovoltaic (PV) solar panels and its use, it has been established that using sunlight for generating electricity is quite safe and does not harm the environment. Using your own solar power system in your home not only preserves the environment but also provides neat, clean and renewable energy.

This in other words means that you can light your homes and run all those electric gadgets using solar power. Everything from cooking to watching television can be done with this energy without any interruptions.

Basically you must understand that how solar power for home works, it uses passive thermal heat which in turn is used in heating our homes and water, and you can also use Photovoltaic cells for lighting our homes and making our appliances to work.

There are many benefits using solar power in homes, the main benefit is that it does not harm the environment and can be used continuously because the sun is unlimited. The kind of material used in installing the solar power house, like solar panels and solar cells are very expensive. In the past, this has been the biggest deterrent for people because many home owners cannot afford the initial cost of the installation.

Now with the availability of solar plans and home PV installation kit, people can create their own solar panels without shelling out too much of money. The beginners may be interested to know how to install the solar panels without investing too much money.

Some tips given here can be of great help. A home solar plan should provide complete list of component and materials required to be used in installing the home PV panels. It should also provide list of stores and suppliers from whom these material and component can be purchased.

The suppliers should be listed as per the best deal offered for the convenience of a common man so that one does not to waste time in search of the supplier or stores. The plan should provide step by step instruction about the installation; it would be quite easy for the people to understand if video tutorials are provided.

There should be clear cut demarking in energy produced and energy consumed. Also clear guidance on the storage aspect would be of great help, especially in rainy days or cloudy days when sunlight is not available, how can this stored energy be utilized.

Have you ever thought of non-conventional energy as an effective alternative source, to save the nature from the wraths of atmospheric pollution?

A person, who is genuinely conscious of preserving our nature, will not hesitate to explore on such possibilities. Anyone, who is going to take on solar power system as an alternative for power production at their home, has to make some basic studies about solar panels and the battery system that has to be installed.

While arranging the solar panels either on the roof or on a ground post, the primary consideration has to be given on balancing the Photovoltaic (PV) solar panels output with the battery storage. If more number of panels with fewer batteries is aligned, the result will be wastage of energy. Imagine water is flowing into a small tank, where does the excess water goes? It will just overflow and get wasted on the ground.

If it is done vice- versa with less number of solar panels and more batteries, the batteries would not get fully charged at the required level that may result in power black outs during crucial hours. Can you see how getting the number of PV panels and batteries right is a delicate balancing act?

Solar panels should be capable of producing sufficient electric charge and the battery bank should have enough storage capacity throughout the day when the sun is shining. The energy generated can be used during night hours with enough surpluses as a reserve to meet the household energy demand on cloudy days.

Hence a realistic usage chart has to be worked out; taking all these factors into consideration and the battery storage has to be regulated accordingly. Another point is to correctly work out the efficiency rating, based on the assumption that the energy efficiency usually will be less than 20 percent of the watts stored.

The drop usually occurs owing to different factors such as size of the wire, distance of the solar panels from the batteries and the connections such as power inverter, charge controller and other electrical appliances. Therefore, to balance the power storage, the solar power system being installed, has to be made capable of producing 120% of the total energy requirements.

Sounds complicated to you? If you don’t have any knowledge or understanding on electronic science, it can be very confusing. In short, what you have to do is make sure the DIY home solar power system is capable of generating more excess power than you need.

Understand this; whenever you add on a new electrical equipment such as a fridge at home, the battery reserve will also drop down simultaneously. Hence it is necessary to anticipate these factors, in addition to temperature effects in the ambience, the cycles of the refrigerators and the freezers and the possible consumption of energy by such appliances in watts.

Normally a refrigerator taking its cycles for seven minutes in every 15 minutes and thus 28 minutes in every hour draws power for 11.2 hours per day that would require 2016 watts daily. Hence the batteries are to be charged fully at least once a month, to fulfill the energy needs.

When a power system of 12V capacity shows 12.4V in the charge controller, after the sun has gone down, the factual state of charge may very much vary from what the charge controller indicates. Many contributory factors affect the actual state of charge of the solar power system, of which, the priority attention needed is on proper upkeep of batteries. This is essential to maintain the battery life cycle with full charging efficiency.

For this, the terminals on the batteries are to be cleaned with corrosive and anti-corrosive cleaners and the water levels are to be checked and supplemented at regular intervals. The batteries should indicate a quarterly check report.

The deep cycle batteries may not work at 100% efficiency during their life time. Generally, batteries continue to work in weakest capacity but the risk is that they end up in draining other healthy batteries also.

The assessment of battery storage and reserve needs minute care and attention for the fact that an old battery drains with quicker speed, when the discharge and the volt level drops down, while the ampere goes up to maintain the same watts level that the system requires to function.

So, to have a functional home solar energy system, first, you must get the balancing of the PV panels with the number of battery correct. Then, you must also maintain the batteries so it is at its peak performance efficiency.

It would really be an ambitious project to generate your own electricity for your general household usage. Though it is difficult but not at all impossible. This might be quite challenging particularly if you don’t have much knowledge or experience on renewable energy sources such as solar.

To power your entire home by solar energy requires time and also serious investment on your part, but if you are dedicated to the idea, it can be done. Here are 3 things to consider when you are planning to generate homemade solar energy.

You must have patience.

This is one element many DIYers lack when they are planning to hook their home up with solar power and that is “patience”. There is no way you can get your home off the grid after building a single Photovoltaic (PV) solar panel.

What you’ll need is multiple numbers of solar panels linked together in series to generate sufficient electricity for your home. To do that, you have to spend a lot of time meticulously arranging and soldering all the connecting wires together.

When you have completed that portion of the project, you can start using solar panels to reduce your monthly power bills. When you feel that your power bills are almost zero, this is the time when you can actually get the power disconnected from the local grid. But for all of that to happen, it will take some time.

Getting the power requirement calculations right.

Before you know how many PV panels are needed, you have to be aware of the total power consumption of your entire home. Don’t worry, it is quite easy to make the calculation.

An American home requires an average of 588 Kilowatt (kWh)-hours per month, this can vary as it depends upon the size of your home and other power needs. Nonetheless, that figure can be used as the benchmark.

This number also depends upon the climatic conditions because in summers, many homes consume double the power as the need of air conditioners increase. Such calculations will help you to arrive at the total energy requirement per month.

You can now calculate how many solar panels are required to power your entire home. When you have that number, you can now arrive at the right total units of solar cells needed.

Again there are other parameters which you will have to keep in mind, as the electricity generation by the individual solar cell can vary. This depends large on factors such as size, location, time of the year, clouds coverage etc.

If you are hitting a road block and can’t calculate the numbers, you may need to get professional help from solar suppliers who can supply you the reliable number of average watts produced per solar cell per day.

Next, you will have to calculate how many batteries you require to store the power produced by the Photovoltaic cells during day time. During evening and night time, your power needs can be met by the power stored in the batteries.

Wet batteries which are basically lead-acid batteries are not suitable for solar power. What you will need are marine type deep cycle battery to make up your home battery bank.

Batteries which are based on deep cycle gel known as AGM are more expensive, but they can last much longer. It is a heavy initial investment but it has a longer lifespan thus saving you money in the long run.

When you’ve calculated the total energy needs of your house on a daily basis, now you can choose the battery type as per its storage capacity. This calculation will give you a fair idea about the total number of batteries you will need to power your home.

Reducing your household power consumption.

Lastly, to make a DIY home solar power system a success, you have to start thinking about reducing your home energy consumption. When we use electricity from the grid, we don’t think of energy wastage because there is an ample supply of power.

However, to go off grid, you have to take the limited power availability from your battery bank into consideration. Firstly, you have to ensure the solar panels are in peak power producing condition.

Next, you have to start thinking and adopting ways to reducing your household energy usage. A large portion of the work here is to change your family members’ power usage habits. Gone are the days where you can leave the lights on in a room with no occupant.

Shifting from grid power to solar power requires a change in your lifestyle. Because there is a finite amount of power in the battery units, your home lifestyle now revolves around the availability of power in the batteries.

When there is no sun light to activate the solar cells, you would have to forgo some conveniences at home. It is a tough decision but there are tremendous financial benefits to living off the power grid. Anyone can make the shift to be self-sufficient but it does require a lot of scarify.

There is an increasing awareness among people about climate changes and how emissions of harmful gases are polluting the atmosphere. This recognition is because several institutions are advocating cleaner, pollution-free and environmentally conducive living conditions.

People can do their bit for this important cause right at their homes by using a solar power water heater instead of conventional electric water heater. Solar power is energy generated by converting sunlight using Photovoltaic cells (PV). It can also be generated indirectly, using lenses or mirrors to focus a large area into a small beam, in a concentrated solar power (CSP) system.

The function of a water heater is to provide hot water to homes, business offices and other institutions. Water heaters are very useful in winter season or places where it is generally cold. One drawback with water heaters is that it consumes a lot of electricity.

The power consumption in a home with four members of a family can work out to around 6,400 kilowatts per hour per annum. Another disadvantage of using electricity generated by power plants is that along with power for operating a water heater there will be emission of around eight tons of carbon dioxide. This is nearly twice that of what a car would let out through exhaust pipe.

It is from the realization that a waste gas is emitted by conventional electric water heaters, the concept of solar powered water heater has emerged. There are several distinct advantages with solar water heater.

Advantages Of Solar Water Heater

As solar power is generated by conversion of sunlight, a solar water heater does not release carbon dioxide as byproduct. As solar water heater utilizes solar energy and not the electricity generated by fossil fuel, the energy used is a ‘clean energy’.

Another major advantage of using solar water heater is that it contributes to considerable savings in power costs as energy utilized is generated by the solar panels installed at home; with the result there is no need to get power from the grid.

While the charges for the power supplied by the local grid are revised upwards quite often, the solar power generated at home is free of cost. In other words, energy utilized for solar water heater is available for free.

Moreover solar power is a renewable form of energy generated by conversion of sunshine, which can be tapped free in any part of the world. In addition, in many states in the US and in most countries, the governments offer attractive incentives and rebates for using a solar powered water heater.

Governments these days are very strict in implementing environment protection laws and would like as many homes as possible to use eco- friendly water heaters. Solar water heaters are, generally, long-lasting.

Many leading companies manufacturing solar water heaters try to ensure that their branded product is of highest quality, designed by incorporating the latest relevant technology.

As all solar water heaters are not alike in terms of quality, durability and efficiency in performance, it is better to seek the assistance of an experienced distributor not only to select the most appropriate solar powered water heater but also to provide help in properly installing it.

On the whole, a good solar water heater not only reduces energy costs but also ensures that the surroundings are free from harmful carbon dioxide.

A digital multimeter is most sought after instrument if you are planning to start your own home solar power project. It is the most useful and multipurpose instrument which can really be boon for you, provided it is from a reputed company and has a good model.

In fact the multi meter has three devices which are built in one instrument. It has voltmeter to measure the electric current in volts, the ammeter measures the amount of the current and digital multimeter measures the electric resistance of the device. Electric resistances is measured in terms of ohms, the modern good quality multimeter are designed in such way that can be easily operated.

The good quality multimeter has a plastic case and has easy to use selector knobs with a screen on the top part which shows the digital reading. Before purchasing a multimeter, some precautions are absolutely must; you should look for a large screen, quite big, so that you can see the readings easily in the sunlight. Most the times when these multimeters are used in sunlight, the reading is not clear.

Below the screen is a large knob called the function switch, this switch will help you to select different modes of the operation. With this switch you can easily shift between voltmeter and ohmmeter with the turning of the dial, this is the reason; you should look for the large switch, which is easy to operate.

The function switch have normally eight positions, with the V marking which are normally three in umber are used to measure the voltage. Both measurements can be done i.e. AC/DC; you can obtain the measurements in miilivolt range.

There are two more markings A~ and A=, A~ measures AC current and A= measures DC current both in amps. The marking which is of horse shoe upside down Ω measures resistances in ohms, if you have to measure voltage, the digital multimeter has to be turned on, it will again go to startup procedure.

Normally when the digital readouts light up, the device goes through the self-diagnostic mode, after this it is ready to be used for various functions. The function switch V= is to measure the DC volts, the black and red leads when connected to multimeter at the right places can start the function.

Simply connect the red lead at the point marked as VΩ and black lead at the point marked as COM. To measure amps, the leads need to be connected differently by setting the function on switch A= position and connect the black lead to COM terminal.

Red lead has to be connected to the terminal marked as 300mA, now your device is ready for different functions. The result you will get in milliamps as you are connected to 300mA terminal.

The third functions of the device is its ability to measure in ohms, it is the measurement of the resistance in an electric circuit. It must be remembered to disconnect your multimeter after you use it, and should be safely stored in your tool box.

You must also keep it safe that the battery does not get drained, it is such a wonderful device and you must ensure it is properly handled. There are many good brands of multimeter available in the market, choose the best one.

For more tips and suggestion on how build your own DIY Photovoltaic (PV) panel on a small budget, check out the Power4Home guide by John Russel. Read up on the Power4Home reviews on this blog for more information.

Today shops are offering you convenient tools for you to choose from according to your home DIY job requirements. Thus buying a tool that you require is easy, but at the same time it is important that you make the right choice that suits your homemade solar power endeavor, lest ruin your project. Here are some of the tools you will need in your garage.

The humble cordless drill.

The primary job a drill as the name suggests is to drill holes into materials, but they can be used to fix or attach things by putting in screws, i.e the Plexiglass cover on the Photovoltaic (PV) panel. Because of operational ease, most of us like to use a cordless screwdriver, rather than one with a cord for power supply.

This is a handy tool for taking out screws because of their magnetic tip; there are no spilled screws and the interchangeable heads like the common flat headed one to the Phillips head. This also reduces the number of tools required to do a job. With the cordless screwdriver, you don’t have to worry about a loose fitted screw anymore.

The edgy saw.

Saws are a much required tool for anybody working with wood and no matter what type of wood you are working with; there is a definite need for some kind of a saw.

Be it cutting the beam in to the right size, cutting the edges, cutting firewood, cutting limbs of a tree or to make a hole in the centre of the wood without disturbing the edges, there is a type of saw to do the job.

Due to the shearing power and razor sharp cutting edges, saws are one of the dangerous tools which has to be handled with great care for your own safety and who works besides you.

The artsy router.

I like specialized woodworking tool such as a router when I am working with timber. I can trim the wood or create distinct patterns in the wood giving form to my imaginations. With some add-ons, you can create a great piece of art work.

But there is difference of opinion about the user friendliness of router tools. Once you have mastered the way to use them, you will simply adore it; on the other hand if you don’t know how to use them correctly you will think that you can do your work without them. With their efficacy and simplicity, you can complete your residential solar energy project easily and faster with a sander.

The smooth sander.

For a neat and smooth finish it is necessary to use a sander first, before painting a surface. There are various shapes and sizes of sanders to choose from as per the job requirement and they are available at a comparatively lesser price. You can use either sand paper or sand discs in a sander.

The sandpapers are available in various grades ranging from very coarse to a super fine grade. It is important that before making a selection, from a wide variety of tools, make a good study about their usefulness in your job.

Do not make a hasty decision of buying a tool that you come across first. By purchasing a tool that is versatile which could be adapted for your various projects, you can reduce the expense of purchasing a tool every time you want to do a project.

Referring to the testimonials available from the users will help you to ensure that you are buying exactly the tool which you have in mind.

Getting Started On DIY Solar Panels

Are you planning to buy readymade PV panels or save money by building them yourself? Since you have the tools, you might as well construct them yourself. What you will need is a good instructional manual.

To get started, head over to Michael Harvey’s Earth4Enery download page and get his PDF guide together with the High Definition (HD) instructional videos on how to build a solar panel on a shoestring budget.

==> Click here to visit Earth4Energy now!

Overheating of Photovoltaic (PV) solar panels is a very common problem faced by many home owners who has invested in a residential solar power system, particularly in hot regions. Every solar panel is designed to work in an optimum range of temperature.

During the hottest parts of the day, it may so happen that the temperature exceeds this optimum range. The result is a drop in voltage output in the PV panel. This is a typical phenomenon and gets rectified once the system is cooled down.

Normally the panel is designed in such a way, that some drop in the voltage will not affect its efficiency. For example an 18V PV cell at 25 degree Celsius will work in the range of 17 – 18V. So even if the atmospheric temperature is high and the efficiency of the cell falls, you may expect to get a voltage of 12 V.

But if the efficiency falls further, be sure that there is no problem with the electrical wiring connections. If your panel does not regain efficiency after cooling, the fall in the voltage of the cells may be caused by corrosion and expansion due to high temperature.

Under such circumstances you need to cool down the panel by putting the array under a shade. Cover the panel and pour water on it. These simple measures should be sufficient to cool down the panel and give the right voltage, if there is no other problem with the circuit.

But if the voltage output does not improve, there is definitely some fault in the electric circuit and you need to fix it immediately. Use a selective shading test to identify the faulty cell. This will help in identifying the faulty cell or wiring by smaller parts.

After you have shaded 3 to 4 cells, the output should be reduced by half. Disconnect the panel and monitor the output of the cell with a multimeter. If you do not have a multimeter, you may use a test load such as a fan to monitor the output.

If after shading a part of the panel and the voltage remains unchanged, this is the part which has the problem. Once you have detected the faulty part, check the tabs and the wiring junctions around the affected area.

Look for any corrosion that might be the cause of the problem. Increased resistance of faulty solder increases the load and resistance and leads to continuously overheating the cell and consequently the panel will get damaged. You need to rectify this problem immediately.

Moisture is a big problem for solar panels. In places close to a sea, salty and moist air corrodes electric connections and aluminum frames very fast.

Wood also get distorted and twisted with moist air causing breakage of tab connections. It may also result in the formation of crack in a cell. All the corroded and oxidizes metal parts must be replaced under such circumstances. It is worthwhile to go for aluminum or perspex sealed panel if you want to avoid these problems, though it may involve some extra cost.

Another problem, though not very common is the damage of blocking diode. Blocking diodes are used in solar panels to prevent the discharge of the batteries during the night time. Damage of blocking diode will result in no power output. So if you are getting no power from your panel, and you have eliminated all other possibilities, carry out a diode test.

If you find the diode to be faulty, replace the diode. If immediate replacement is not possible, take out the diode from the circuit.

Make sure to disconnect the panel at night, otherwise the battery bank will get discharged. Some people use a number of smaller diodes that will sum up to the required amperage. This may help in reducing the cost, but invariably is an invitation to e bigger problems.

As current flows in the path of lowest resistance, so when a number of smaller diodes are used, it will flow through the smallest diode and will continue to do so, till it fails, then the next higher ones will follow.

Thus one by one all the diodes will fail and finally the entire system will blow out with a risk of fire. Remember, if properly maintained, solar panels are very reliable, even in cloudy or snowy weather. Keep your panel sealed to protect it from moisture. If you follow these simple rules, your solar panel will keep working, free of any problem.