FXSTD – Alternative Energy Center

By: Lina Tiwa
Why should you build your own solar panels? Did you ever try to price solar panels for your home? If you did, then you probably had an immediate and intense feeling of hopelessness. How can it cost so much? The average homeowner isn't getting anywhere near conventional solar power for under $50,000. Sure there are tax rebates available, but even with those the cost is astronomical and well out of reach for most of us.



Making your own solar and wind power for less than $200

Solar energy is free, clean and unlimited once the equipment is installed, but they sure don't make it easy for us to get there. The technology has been around for many decades and it is improving, but the prices haven't come down like they do on almost every other technology after it is first introduced. In fact, we can expect solar prices to increase as interest and demand grow.

Here's a little secret that won't be a secret much longer. Homeowners all over are beginning to realize that the materials needed for building their own solar energy systems, including the panels are readily available, inexpensive and easy to assemble. In fact, more and more average people are quietly building their own solar panels, mounting them to rooftops, tying them into their home's power supply and reducing their consumption of commercial energy by substantial amounts. 



Making your own solar and wind power for less than $200

And why not? After all, home energy costs continue to rise and the availability of public utility power is coming into question with rolling brownouts becoming more common each summer. Home heating costs go up and down like a yo-you but always seem to end up higher than they were last year. Solar power is a reliable alternative and do-it-yourself solar makes a lot of sense.

Get this. You can actually build a solar panel for under $200. In a lot of cases, this can equal only one tenth of the price of a single panel purchased from and installed by an energy contractor. Multiply that by the number of panels you'd need to totally convert your home and you're talking about a significant savings and a total cost that is much closer to being reasonable for the average family budget.

That's not the only place you save either. Every watt you generate with solar is a watt that you don't have to buy each and every month for as long as you own the home. Think about how much money that will save even if you only converted a quarter of your consumption to solar. The best part is that with a little planning and design, a system can be built over time by building one panel and adding to it as you go. 



Making your own solar and wind power for less than $200