Cleaning Home Solar Panels – Remove Dirt For More Power




Solar power as alternative source of energy can greatly reduce the electricity bills and provide great savings over times. But in course of times the dirt and residue accumulates over the solar cells and thus the cells don’t work as efficiently as they used to.

Thus for optimal performance these dirt and grime should be removed periodically and the panel should be properly cleaned. So, every household having a solar system in place must know the appropriate methods to clean his power panels.

The solar cells are quite delicate so the panels need to be cleaned with care. The cells transform solar energy to electricity when they are clear; so cleaning them increases the efficiency but if any scratch occurs in the process, it not only wastes the time involved in cleaning process but also proves costly to replace the damaged cells.

Anybody interested in reducing the maintenance cost by cleaning the solar panel himself, he should follow the proper procedure for the do-it-yourself (DIY) to avoid any unpleasant situation where any such cleaning not only get wasted but also proves a burden on the wallet in replacing damaged solar cells.

The first step of do-it-yourself to clean your solar panel begins with regular inspection of the solar cells. By regularly inspecting them, you will able to find out when they get dirty enough and the accumulated dirt starts affecting the efficiency of the cells.

In some areas like desert, where lots of dusty storms took place, more regular inspection and cleaning are required. While inspecting solar panels you should ensure that solar cells do not have any cracks and all the connections are tight and there is no sparking in any connections.

Cleaning the solar cells is just like cleaning the window as the cells are protected by outer glass layers. You simply need warm water, mild detergent, soft sponge and soft drying cloth. Ready-made cleaning liquids can also be used which are readily available at the stores.

The simply best and cost effective method to clean solar panels are spraying warm mild detergent water on the surface and carefully sponge off the dirt and grime. And then again spray simply warm water and clean with soft drying cloth.

Once all the grime has been removed one should ensure that there is no soap left on the glass surface as any soap leftovers might result in forming of streaks affecting the performance of solar cells. In using ready-made solar panel cleaners, you should be careful in reading the instructions before cleaning with them.

However, if you feel uncomfortable in doing yourself you can always hire a professional to do the job for you in a bit more professional way without any worry of applying wrong product on your solar panels. There are a lot of professional companies that specialize in cleaning household products.

And finally whether you hire any professional or do it yourself, you should spare some time to make sure that the solar panels are thoroughly cleaned and there is nothing hampering the solar cells from converting solar energy to electricity for you.

LED Light Bulb – Simple Solution To Reduce Home Energy Bill


These days our home electricity bills have gone through the roof and the amount of energy we consume keeps increasing by the day. If you are a home owner, you will definitely be keen to reduce energy consumption and thereby lower your monthly energy expenses.

In these days of financial difficulties, people tend to make cuts on spending wherever they can. Private companies worldwide are keen on innovating new lighting products that can cut costs and at the same time provide good quality light to consumers. Their efforts are solving 2 challenges at the same time. Kudos to them!

The use of the traditional incandescent bulbs and halogens is fast disappearing. The use of compact fluorescent lamps is also on the decline. These bulbs and lamps are high on energy consumption. It is only a matter of time before they are discontinued in the market.

So what will be the next lighting product revolution? The use of LED light lamps is on the rise. Consumers have found that these new lamps have a very low operating cost and help to reduce energy consumption.

The abbreviation LED stands for “Light Emitting Diode”. These LED lamps are extremely durable and last a very long time. They last at least 20 times longer than your standard incandescent bulbs. That saves you a lot of money in replacing those fused out bulbs. This makes them extremely consumer friendly as well.

Most of them can even operate at very low voltages and when other lamps have stopped working, these magical lamps continue to outperform them all. The level of efficiency of the LED lamps is amazing. They are 80% more efficient than halogens and normal bulbs used this far. This means there is less wastage of energy and that in turn means energy saved.

When all the incandescent bulbs in your home or your office block are replaced with LED lamps, the effect on your energy savings is stunning. Your energy bills really would come down rapidly.

Another aspect about these LED bulbs is that they are ecofriendly. They cause less damage to the environment as they last longer and thus less of them are needed worldwide. This saves valuable resources for the whole world. They are easy to dispose and do not contain any toxic waste products.

Accumulation of hazardous toxic waste is the number one cause of environmental degradation. Compact fluorescent lamps or CFL’s are also used widely. They produce good quality light but the energy savings effect is not the same as that of LED lamps.

But they are definitely more efficient than the traditional incandescent bulbs. They are about 25% more efficient and consume less energy and hence are quite sought after.

LED lighting product contains mercury vapour which is used to stimulate light emission from the phosphorous coating inside. They are also more durable than standard household bulbs.

The latest trend in lighting is the sensor light bulb. These light bulbs operate with an inbuilt sensor. These lamps are actually CFLs but have sensors along with them. They switch on and off automatically in response to the increase and decrease of natural daylight. They help to save energy as no energy is wasted when lights are turned off when not required.

Hence they are also called “Dusk to Dawn Lights”. They provide excellent light and can emit light equal to that of a 100 watt bulb by consuming only 20 watts of electricity. All these are energy saving bulbs and the world is gradually adapting to a more eco-friendly lighting technology.

If I seem to be promoting LED lights, that’s because I am. It is a simple device and adopting it at home is so easy. Take a quick look at your household energy bill, do you want to reduce the amount? If you do, head over to your local hardware store and get a couple of those LED lights right now!

Using Your Creativity To Make PV Panels On A Budget




Making cheap DIY Photovoltaic (PV) panels is not that difficult. What you need to have are some used solar cells and an interest in creating something useful out of scrap. If you search around, you will get enough solar cells to satisfy your needs. Some just need reconditioning but other may require total dismantling and reassembling.

If you have basic knowledge of PV panels and have basic work skills, you can make relatively inexpensive panels which will work satisfactorily. When others spend thousands of dollars on a new home solar kit, you can have them at very low cost or no cost at all if you use used solar panels to make homemade PV panels.

The greatest advantage of utilizing reconditioned method is that you can make them yourself. First, collect as many used or broken PV panels as you can. Dismount the solar cells from the base on which they are mounted. Then check the cells for their condition.

Fix the loose connection by soldering them. If the diodes are unfit, replace them either with diodes taken from other used solar panels or with new ones bought from a dealer of electrical supplies. If there are loose cell connections or malfunctioning diodes, your reconditioned panel will not produce energy when it is set up.

If there are damaged solar cells, replace them with either old cells from other used solar panels or with new ones which you can buy from your local hardware store. Even if you don’t replace a few damaged cells, it doesn’t matter much because the panel will still produce electricity albeit a smaller amount. Photovoltaic cells on a solar panel are arranged on base. Even if you do away with this base, your reconditioned PV panel will work for a few years.

There are a number of benefits in building a reconditioned solar panel via Do It Yourself (DIY) approach using components from used solar panels. Firstly, a reconditioned panel will cost you practically nothing. Secondly, it is very easy to get second hand solar panels free of cost.

Another benefit is that you can gain experience in assembling and mounting the panels without the fear of damaging expensive components of a new solar panel.

But remember, there are some disadvantages also. A reconditioned solar panel doesn’t last long. The power produced by the reconditioned panel will be less than the output from a new one.

However you try, you won’t be able to correct all the faults of a used panel and it will need recurring repairs. If you are very careful while rebuilding your Photovoltaic panel, you can minimize the chances of a total failure of your rebuilt panel but you can’t make it work like new.

However, if you consider the amount of money you can save by reconditioning used solar panels, it is worth the trouble. You can also be proud of having made something useful out of waste materials.

To get raw materials for your DIY project, you can ask the home solar system repair services of your area or you can directly contact some home owners who might give you used and broken solar panels free of cost. A little bit of creativity, patient and hard work will go a long way in setting up a residential solar power system without spending a lot of money.

For more information on how to get started on a DIY PV panel project, check out the Power4Home system by John Russel. Read up on the Power4Home review on this blog for more details.