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.

Whether your home solar power project is a Do It Yourself (DIY) or readymade kit, you will require an inverter to convert Direct Current (DC) power into Alternating Current (AC). Reason being, most modern household electrical equipment runs on AC.

Inverters can be very expensive and are therefore an important factor in your project. If the solar system is to provide power at a remote location as a small farm or “new forest house”, then you need to buy one that suits your needs.

Begin by looking at the type of appliances and what the charges will be. Check the power requirements and continuous discharge current. You can find cheaper modified square wave inverter to do the job instead of sine wave units which are more expensive.

While you can buy cheap inverters, most people would agree that you get what you pay for, so here are 9 tips when comparing units.

1) Safety measures

Many people put this as a final consideration, however, you must consider the security aspect of the unit you intend to purchase. You need to know if the inverter complies with all relevant safety standards and RFI in the country you live in.

2) Power output

Check the power output of the inverter unit. Note that larger units may not meet your household energy needs. Find an inverter that provides information about the continuous, intermittent (30 minutes), and overvoltage category. Larger inverters can be less efficient at very small loads than smaller inverters.

Lightweight transformerless inverters cannot have the capacity to handle peaks load period. Look for units that fit your needs for energy rather than capacity.

3) Type of wave

The best power inverter produces a pure sine wave. Many inverters that are cheaper are called “modified” square or sine wave unit. While the square wave units are cheaper, some devices such as fans, washing machines, stereos, digital clocks and timers do not work as well and will run slower, hotter or louder than a pure sine wave unit.

4) Power pending

The inverter has a standby or autostart. This can significantly reduce their energy consumption, without this feature, the unit can take a lot of energy from your battery bank. Also check the amount of power used when the inverter is waiting to detect a small charge.

5) Input management

When your solar panel system is in operation and the batteries are charging, the output can vary from a low of perhaps 10 volts to 15.5 volts. A good inverter must operate with input voltages between 10 and 16 volts.

6) Distortion

Make sure that the inverter maintains its output frequency by 0.01% and less than 4% harmonic distortion. You should also check that the inverter can maintain its output voltage AC within 3 – 5% of the desired tension.

7) Efficiency

Ask how efficient the inverter is given the specifications of “maximum efficiency” or demonstrate how it is done with small loads of 50 to 100 watts to rated power.

8) Diagnosis mode

What on board diagnostic does the inverter has? You can identify low and high battery, overload and overheating with certain internal diagnosis system.

9) Warranty coverage

What kind of warranty on the unit and what the service agreements are? Try to look for inverter manufacturers with service centers as close as possible. Also, look for a long period of warranty and local service.

Are you looking for a high power output inverter for your home solar power system? If you are, check out the Power Bright PW1100-12 inverter from Amazon.com/. It has a power output range of 1100 watt which pretty much can power all your electrical equipment. Click on the button on the right to buy the PW1100-12 from Amazon.com now!

I recently purchased a few e-books on the subject of DIY home solar power systems, one of them being Ben Ford’s Homemade Energy Guide (more information can be found at www.homemadeenergy.org).

My first impression of Ben Ford’s solar panels construction e-book was fairly positive – in addition to his main web site is presented in an immaculate and professional manner, his manual has also been featured in popular publishing media outlets such as Popular Science and Popular Mechanics.

Who Is Ben Ford?

Ben Ford is a 52-year-old “average Joe” from California. However, one thing sets him apart from the usual Californians: rather than paying the utility company for electricity usage, the company is paying him!

How does he do it? Unlike the traditional set-up, Ben’s home system utilizes renewable energy sources such as solar and wind power. When this natural energy generated is greater than the net consumption of power needed to run his household, he sells the excess energy credits back to the utility company. Smart, isn’t it?

In his e-book the Homemade Energy Guide, Ben teaches readers how to live off the grid and get the electricity company to write you a check each month, rather than the other way around. According to Ben, the solar system can be set up for less than a mere $200.

Building Your Own Home Solar Power System

As with other renewable energy guides available online, this small budget is intended for systems that use only one solar panel. Based on my personal research, a homemade solar panel is typically capable of generating approximately 18 volts and around 75 watts of DC (Direct Current) electricity.

Based on these findings, how much should one expect to spend on a complete solar power system capable of meeting the average consumption in a household? The answer: Be prepared to invest upwards of $1000.

Where do all of these extra expenses come from? Keep in mind that in order to have a complete working system, one must purchase other solar components such as meter gauges, charge controllers, deep cycle batteries, power inverters, and so on.

The main cost of the system lies in the battery bank. If a household uses a myriad of various electrical appliances that require a lot of power to run, a larger battery bank may have to be constructed to make up the difference and support the energy requirement. A larger battery bank equals a higher cost.

In any case, a residential solar power system that costs around $1000 is still much more affordable compared to a system installed by a professional solar energy contractor. The bill for engaging a contractor can easily cost upwards of $40,000 or more!

However, if you are looking for ways to reduce your home electricity bill and are interested in greener energy sources, exploring the idea of using solar or wind energy may be of interest to you. If you are the builder type and want to save even more money, research the Do It Yourself (DIY) route.

One only needs to be proficient with hand tools to be capable of building a system of their own – a design blueprint and a step-by-step manual is all that is needed to get started.

If you are looking for a decent instructional manual available on the web, check out Ben Ford’s solar panels Homemade Energy Guide – if you are not satisfied, the e-book comes with a 60-day money-back guarantee.

==> Click here to visit Ben Ford web site now!