It is indispensable to switch to renewable sources of energy. Solar power is a good alternative which provides a perpetual supply of energy. You can connect your home appliances which are run on electricity to the solar panel. This source of energy is capable of drastically reducing your electricity bills. The steps below will tell you everything that you wanted to know in order to install the solar panels.
Difficulty level : moderate
Time Taken : Approx 3 hours
Estimated cost : Reasonable
Resources required
1. Solar panel
2. plexiglass
3. Copper pipes
4. Black paint
5. Saw
6. Drill
7. Screwdriver
8. Wood Screws
Procedure :
1. Select a site where your solar panel will receive maximum sunlight. Thereafter, you have to decide a place where you want to set up your solar panel. Placement and orientation are the single most important considerations. After you have found a location with direct sunlight, the next step would be to search a place for its installation.
2. Seal the panel with plexi-glass in order to make it water tight. The black pond liner is the highest quality solar ray absorber. This black pond liner can be utilized to paint the panel so that it becomes waterproof.
3. Thin cylinders are most efficient and popular type of panel. These thin cylinders have greatest ratio of surface area to water volume so they are preferred. An alternate option for the thin cylinder is to build a plywood tank.
4. Fix the electrical appliances that you want to alight in connection with the solar panel. You can connect bulbs, fan, cooler, heater, blower etc. with the solar panel depending on the panel’s size. In case you want to run more number of electrical appliances, you should install a large solar panel. You can also use the solar power to lighten the lamp posts in your garden or on a personal pathway of your home compound. This way you can save a lot of unnecessary electricity bills as well. Plumbing fittings and pipes are required for the installation of a solar water heater. These pipe-works pass on water from the household to your solar water heater, that was supposed to flow into the normal water heater. Join the pipes from the upper part of the solar water heater which will in turn run back to the normal water heater in the house. The normal water heater can be used to store water that has been warmed by solar water heater.
5. The next step is to paint the inside of the panel entirely black. You should paint the pipes completely with several coats to stand the intense sun. The color that absorbs maximum sunlight is black and hence it traps heat to the utmost. So for a fast transmission of heat and electricity, black is best.
6. Now you should cover the panel with a section of plexiglas acrylic plastic. For normal solar appliances, the panel is ready to use. For a solar water heater, carefully drill small holes into the edge of the plastic and make sure that the holes are bigger than the screw because acrylic is fragile. Now mount the holes with narrow wood to the top of the panel varnishing the pipes inside. When the plastic is connected, the panel is prepared for installation. The top pipe is for the input and the lower is for the output.
7. For self made solar panels, glass is generally considered a suitable glazing.
Things to watch out for
1. The panel should be facing towards the south, so that it can be exhibited to ultimate sunlight.
2. Remember not to touch the panel for two hours straight after the dusk. This rule should strictly be followed because the panel is extremely hot for this time being.
3. To run normal electrical appliances on solar energy, the panel is just required to be set on the on or off mode. Once you have switched on the output button on the panel, you can use it to run the electrical appliances. Installation of solar water system does not require a pump as the pressure of water coming from the normal water heater is sufficient to let it flow in the solar water heater.
