After you have built the Do It Yourself (DIY) solar panel, the next step is to install it on the roof of your house and start to connect all the components together.
What type of wire should you use for the solar panel?
The type of wire recommended is the BX wire which is really just 12 gauge wire with a wrapping of sturdy aluminum to protect it from the harsh external environment.
BX wires are typically used in household wiring and it is very common in any hardware store. Using a 12 gauge wire is adequate for a small home solar power system.
When wiring the solar panel, remember, the black wire is for the positive run of the solder Photovoltaic (PV) cells. The white wire will be negative and to be connected to the negative run.
Finally, the green wire is the neutral and will be connected to the solar panel and acts at the grounding wire.
To begin the wiring process, start by stripping about an inch off its end. Next, connect the positive and negative run wire from the solar panel to the respective wire on the BX wire.
Use a pair of pliers on the ends and give it a good solid twist on the exposed copper wire. Finish it off by placing a wire nut on the connections.
Here’s a tip. Be very careful when installing the solar panel. Even though it is just producing about 18 volt of electricity, it still can give you a nasty shock. The shock will not kill you but it might just unbalance your footing and cause you to fall off the roof!
The final stage of installing your homemade solar panel is to connect the wire to the charge controller and let it run.
Home Solar Panel Installation Guide
Do you need some help installing the solar panel on the roof?
If you do, check out John Peyton’s Solar Installation Video Course.
The course comes with step by step instructional videos for installing solar panel on rooftop, ground and also pole mounting.
With over 90 minutes of High Definition (HD) video instructions, you’ll be able to see how a professional installation is done and what steps are involved.