Are you considering a DIY PV system for your home? Good for you!. It is important though, that you take the 5 essential steps to success a for DIY PV system for your home. You might already have done some of them. Be as detailed in your research and in collecting your results as possible and write it all down. You will need that information when the time comes for the details of the design and building of the solar PV system.
1. What is your goal? Do you want to be totally off the grid and self-sufficient? That will require a fairly large system and a big battery bank. I don’t want to discourage you, just be aware of it. Do you want to install just enough solar photovoltaic capacity to reduce your electric bill by 40%, 50%, or more? To achieve the optimal combination between reducing your electric bill and having an affordable system is going to take a few iterations between size, cost, tax credits. Are you interested in a DIY solar kit to quickly and easily install at your remote cabin? Then you might not need to read this entire article, unless you are new to solar PV systems. Instead, do some research online, specifically searching for kits for cabins, maybe even RVs . Call the manufacturers and distributors and ask them lots of questions. Come back here if you get stuck.
2. Next, let’s look at the electric load of your home. PV panels are are expensive and they do use water and energy to produce. Therefore, you want to minimize the size of yourPV panels, which means first you have to minimize the electric demand of your home. A free and easy option is to turn of lights and equipment, including the stand-by power, when they are not in use. Then, take out all incandescent bulbs and replace them with LEDs. I do not recommend mercury-containing CFLs. A bigger step will be to replace your low-efficiency appliances with new, high-efficient appliances. If you plan to install the PV solar system in a new home, then make sure to purchase only high efficiency dishwasher, refrigerator, washer and dryer.
3. Get out the old calculator for step 3. Or you can use one of the many free online tools to calculate how much sunlight, ideally direct sunlight, the PV panels will receive at the location where you plan to put them. You can also ask a photovoltaic panel manufacturer if they can do those calculations for you. Whatever option you choose, you will need to make allowances for trees and/or neighboring houses that might cause shading on your PV panels.
4. Local codes and utility requirements for connecting your solar system to the grid must be checked and complied with. They might require you to install a very specific meter or other piece of equipment. While you talk to them, check what utility incentives for PV systems are currently offered. In addition to the federal tax credits for solar systems you might be able to take advantage of state tax credits for solar photovoltaic systems.
5. Just one more thing: education. Knowing about all the hows, whys, wheres and whats will minimize errors. At the minimum, you will be able to better notice whenit is time to ask for help. You will see when something is not as it should be.Sit in on a couple of classes about solar photovoltaic systems. Many ebooks and books have been published. The government’s Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy program published a huge amount of very educational and useful information on their site (www1.eere.energy.gov/solar/). It might also be very helpful for you to invest in a set of videos which show you step by step on how to go about planning and building a DIY solar PV system for your home.
Done with the preliminary work. You should now have a very good idea about your goals, where to mount the PV panels, what tax credit and incentives are available and you almost have a PhD in solar PV systems. You are ready to move on to the details of designing and building your own DIY PV system for your home. Should you decide in the end to forgo the do-it-yourself part and hire an installer, you will be an educated consumer who knows what s/he wants.
Before you start a DIY solar PV system for your home, do the 5 steps and learn the secrets of how to successfully build your own solar PV system.
categories: diy solar pv,diy pv system,diy solar power,solar energy,alternative energy,energy conservation,global warming,climate change
