For those of you who are DIY professionals or even semi skilled, a DIY solar panel installation home kit is something you may want to consider. There are many solar panel kits that you can buy, allowing you to do the installation on your own, and save some money in the process. You will learn some great key skills in the process and if confident enough, go on to fit solar panel kits for friends and family and maybe even earn some extra pocket money.
With a DIY solar panel installation kit, you can expect to spend between $10,000 to $15,000 in cost, as opposed to hiring a contractor, who is likely to charge at least double this, for the installation, and for the service charges to actually install the panels.
So, when considering the DIY solar panels for home use, there are a few steps to consider when building, in order to ensure you build DIY solar panels and the system properly.
DIY Solar Panel Installation Will Save You A Fortune
When doing the work, making sure you follow the solar panel installation instructions, and the steps is key to quality installation; regardless of which DIY solar panel install guide you choose to follow, or which panels you choose to buy, it is critical that you follow the basic steps to construct the system.
With a do it yourself solar panels system, the following steps might make the entire process a bit easier for those who are building the panels and installing it over their home (or for a building).
The Steps For Building Your Own DIY Solar Panel Installation For Your Property
First off, is burying the conduit from the house or building it is going to be installed in, to the area where the solar panels will be installed. Once this is completed, you will next build a platform made with concrete pillars (about 4 X 4), in order to provide support for the panels.
Step two in the solar panel installation process is going to be mounting the panels. Here you will mount the panels to the platform, and angle the brackets (which are going to be used as mounting points), then the front feet of the mounting points will be laid down. Prior to securing the feet, they should be squared and centered.
Step three in the process is to secure the legs in the rear. Making sure you first find the proper angle (using meteorological data), is going to make for the right angles, and will help keep the feet, and the solar panels in place.
Next step in the DIY solar panel installation process is to wire the solar modules. You will join them at the junction connector (or fuse box connector). These will be stripped and wired in pairs, prior to connecting them to the fuse box.
Making sure you keep all safety precautions in mind when doing this electrical work is key to avoid injury, and to ensure it is properly done. Inside of the terminal box, the wires have to be properly connected and secured prior to moving on.
Once the wires are properly connection, they will then be fed through the junction box, and will be connected to the corresponding terminals (negative and the positive terminals).
Understanding the wire connections is step five in the DIY solar panel installation process. Now that everything is properly aligned and connected, it is time for you to connect the interior control panels.
Connecting the solar breaker to the circuit breaker disconnect comes first; energy will flow from the disconnect, down to the battery bank, which will in turn store the energy. The converted power will flow to the electric power, which will in turn provide power to the home (or building). It is wise to connect a back up gas generator to the solar panel system, which will be connected to the main electrical system, in order to ensure everything is properly functioning.
Connecting the cables to the control panels is the next step with the do it yourself solar panels. Running the cable from the solar array in to the home through the conduit is the initial step.
You can use a nylon rope to connect the cables, and pull the conduit through the inverter panels. You will then connect the cables at the fuse combiner box (at the base of your solar array). You will connect the green cables to the ground strip, and the red ones to the PV positive terminal.
The seventh step is to ground the entire system. You can tap a grounding rod near the array, leaving a long rod extending out about 6” above the ground. You can then run copper wiring from the rod to the fuse box, and then from the solar panels to the fuse box, in order to keep everything in place and grounded.
The eight, and final step for the DIY solar panel installation is to make internal connections (in the home or building). You will run the cables from the array to the inverter panel disconnect. You will then connect the wires (red to the positive terminal, green to the grounding wire, and black to the negative terminal).
Always Take Great Care when Completing A DIY Solar Panel Installation Job
The batter bank is then installed above the loft area (over the new control panels). From here the conduit is run through the ceiling and to the inverter wire. You will then feed the heavy duty battery cables (2) to the panel disconnect (the opposite ends of the cables are connected to the battery pack).
Ensuring the battery system is installed in a series (alternate the positive and negative to hold things in place), is something to make sure of. And lastly, when everything is in place, you will check the systems, to ensure it is properly working.
Although there are many different kits that one can choose from, when doing a solar panel installation, you will find that this is the basic pattern and layout which most instructions and guides are going to offer for you to follow.
Although you will not get the same exact set of directions with each kit, it is critical that you follow the solar panel installation guide exactly as instructed (in the order), and that you test everything prior to moving on to the next step. You can install your own panels at home if you have the time, patience, the right materials, and if you are able to follow the instructions exactly as laid out, to ensure things are properly completed.