im looking to get solar panels. what type should i get? who is the best company to buy from? do i need to have someone come to my house and evaluate it? and if it make any difference i live in southern california in tulare county

I am purchasing a home that includes 2 solar panels measuring 8 foot by 4 foot located on the roof. Neither myself or the home inspector located a box that the solar energy would transfered to. should there be a box? also what can i expect from the solar panels? Thanks for the help…

Many people when starting out with diy solar power kits ask the question, what do I need?
First a good DIY Solar Panel Guide is a must, having a professional walk you through the steps will save hours of frustration, time and money.

Before you start setting up solar kits for your home energy solution, you’ll need to be familiar with the following components. listed in the order they will be wired into your solar energy system.

1. Solar Panels – In most DIY situations these will be built by you. You can buy discount photovoltaic cells, and assemble them into 50W, 75W, or 100W solar Panels.

2. Array DC Disconnect – This simple device is basically just a switch. It allows you to cut the DC power from your system should system maintenance be needed.

3. Charge Controller – Good home systems will have a battery backup. The charge controller ensures that power sent to the batteries is consistent, and that the batteries don’t discharge over night.

4. Deep Cycle Batteries – To store the power from your solar panels. If you find reconditioned batteries, these can be obtained for fairly cheap. Better yet, you can get old batteries for free and recondition them yourself.

5. System Meter – This component is actually optional, but it is a good idea to know the status and charge of your syatem.

6. Converter – Solar panels produce DC power, and as your home runs on AC power, the converter makes the solar energy usable by your home.

7. Backup Power – Most systems will also include some sort of backup power. In an off grid application this would generally be a generator. In a city or town, the power grid itself provides the backup.

From there the system gets wired into your home breaker box. At this stage, its best to get a qualified electrician to do the install. However, you now have an idea of what will be needed to get set up using solar power kits.

If you haven’t done so yet, you should also consider downloading a copy of one of the top guides to teach solar panel DIY. Doing so will ensure you have all of the information you need to get the conversion finished right – the first time!

Solar power systems are, simply, electrical power gained by harnessing the power of the sun. And the sun doesn’t charge us anything for this green, renewable and planet friendly energy. There are many concerns about how quickly we are depleting the remaining fossil fuels, and the decline of our air quality, which not only makes turning to solar power systems an idea rapidly growing in popularity, but moreover a straight forward path for clean energy in the future.

By installing a home solar power system you can lessen your power bills so dramatically that some people find themselves almost completely independent of their local power company.  This is because we can virtually access the sun every day of the week, twelve months of the year. Even on dull and cloudy days solar energy produces.

With more companies doing more research and study into improving the way we collect and utilize the sun, solar power systems have undergone many changes. They have become more efficient as well as more affordable.One of the greatest discoveries in recent years is the use and development of solar photovoltaic power systems.  These have helped to not only make solar power systems better, but smaller, too.

How Solar Panels Work

Individual photovoltaic cells are placed on a steel frame to make a complete solar panel. Each of these cells collects a wide spectrum of sunlight.  They are laid out in an overlapping pattern to make them more efficient at collecting and producing power. Many new solar panel systems use not only photovoltaic cells, but amorphous silicon thin alloys technology, as well.

Solar panel systems are now being based on this new streamlined technology that allows for small, thin panels rather than large, bulky ones.  They are also much better at capturing sunlight.  Added to that they are also more attractive to look at, and are one of the many solar power systems that can be easily incorporated into a variety of buildings.