How to Build a Low Cost Solar Panel System For Your Home Using Scrap Materials

Building your own solar panel system using scrap materials can be a great way to generate renewable electricity at a fraction of the cost of buying commercial solar panels. With some basic electrical skills and salvaged components, you can build a functional solar system to power lights, appliances, and more in your home.

Gather the Necessary Materials and Tools

The main components needed to build a scrap solar panel are:

• Photovoltaic cells - These convert sunlight into electricity. Salvage these from broken solar garden lights or solar phone chargers.

• Aluminum framing - Use recycled or scrap aluminum strips to frame the pv cells.

• Plexiglass sheet - A transparent protective front layer. Look for old plexiglass sheets from furniture or other sources.

• Silicone caulk - Used to waterproof the panel and adhere components.

• Wires - For interconnecting the PV cells in series. Salvage electrical wiring from old appliances.

• Diodes - Prevent electricity flowing backwards. Reclaim from circuit boards.

• Charge controller - Regulates power to batteries. Can buy inexpensive or used units.

• Batteries - Store power produced. Reuse old lead-acid batteries.

• Inverter - Converts DC electricity to AC for appliances. Buy an inexpensive inverter.

• Box/enclosure - Houses the wiring and electronics. Plastic toolboxes or tupperware work well.

You'll also need basic tools like wire strippers, cutters, screwdrivers, soldering iron, and drill. Multimeters help troubleshoot.

Design and Size Your Solar Panel

First, determine how much electricity you need your solar panel to produce. This depends on what you intend to power. Some common factors:

• LED light bulbs - 5-15 watts each
• Phone/laptop charging - 10-100 watts
• Power tools - 500-1500 watts
• Refrigerator - 100-400 watts

You can start small with a 50 watt panel, or build a large multi-kilowatt system.

Next, calculate the number of pv cells needed. Standard 6 inch square cells generate around 3-5 watts each. Wire 6-12 cells together for a 12-24 volt panel. For a 50 watt system, use around 15-20 pv cells total. Arrange the pv cells into columns and rows based on the aluminum frame size.

Wire the PV Cells Together

PV cells have a positive and negative side. You'll need to connect them in series to add up their voltage.

• Use flux and solder to attach jumper wires between the positive side of one pv cell to the negative side of the next one.

• Connect all the positive terminals together in parallel. Do the same for all the negative terminals. This gives the full current and voltage of the combined cells.

• Solder diodes across each pv cell to prevent electricity backflow.

Assemble the Scrap Solar Panel

Once the pv cell electrical connections are complete, you can assemble the full panel:

• Apply silicone caulk to the back of the pv cells and stick onto an aluminum backing plate. Keep gaps between cells to prevent short-circuits.

• Frame the perimeter of the pv cells using additional aluminum strips. This protects the edges and enhances structural rigidity.

• Cut a protective plexiglass front layer to size and adhere over the top with more silicone caulk. Let the silicone fully cure.

• Drill holes to pass the positive and negative wires through the aluminum backing plate. Add a weatherproof cable gland or rubber grommet.

• Seal all edges and gaps with silicone sealant to waterproof the panel. Let cure completely.

Connect to Battery Bank and Inverter

With the solar panel hardware complete, it's time to add the power management components:

• Run the positive and negative wires coming off the panel into a charge controller. Follow the wiring diagram for your particular model.

• From the charge controller, run additional wires to connect the solar panel to a 12V or 24V battery bank. Use several batteries wired in parallel.

• Install a DC-AC inverter to convert the battery power into standard 120V AC electricity.

• Connect the inverter output to your home electrical system through a dedicated breaker in your breaker box.

Now your scrap solar panel can cleanly power lights, appliances and devices!

Safety Tips

When working with DC electricity and batteries, be sure to take proper safety precautions:

• Wear rubber soled shoes and gloves when wiring.

• Only connect the system to batteries after completing all wiring.

• Use insulated tools and avoid jewelry when soldering.

• Check polarity carefully before making connections.

• Fuse all electrical connections and use a charge controller.

• Place batteries in a well-ventilated area.

Following basic electrical safety will allow you to safely build and operate your own affordable solar panel system. Power on!