How to Build a Solar Panel

Solar panels are becoming more and more popular recently mainly because of energy saving benefits they provide. Generally a solar panel is a device that collects sun energy and transforms it into any other energy you need – heating (producing hot water or any other fluids used for home heating) or electricity.

Solar panels used to be pretty expensive in the previous years; however there is a drop in their prices and some experts even predict their prices will decrease more in the coming years. Regardless of these facts there is still cheaper way to get a solar panel for your home. We will now describe how to build a solar panel.

First of all let’s see what tools and materials are needed. The good news is you don’t need any special tools but the ones you might already have at home - hammer, screwdriver, nails, screws, drill. For the panel itself you will need copper tube, aluminum sheet, timber, glass fiber wool, marine-ply sheet, and glass.

The construction of the solar panel should start with making the wood frame. It is best if you use durable wood for it in order to make it durable to any weather conditions. Once the frame is ready attach the marine-ply sheet at the back. Insert glass fiber wool inside to prepare the isolation for the absorber plate.

Clean thoroughly the aluminum sheet – it should be totally free of any oil. Coat it with zinc chromate or red oxide. This will form the absorber plate of the panel. When it is ready attach the copper pluming at the back of the plate. You can use copper clips or just make holes in the tube and the absorber plate and “sew” them together with a strong wire. Alternatively you can just solder them together however soldering aluminum is a task more suitable for a professional rather than DIY.

The next step in your guide on how to build a solar panel is pretty easy. All you need to do is to insert the absorber plate in the tray. You can use screws to attach it safely to the tray as well as cushion it with some aluminum baking foil.

Finally it is time to put the glazing. The thickness of the glass should be chosen in accordance with the size of the frame. Generally thicker glass is used for large panels while thinner can be used for panels sized up to 10 square feet. Get the glass cut to the size of your frame and place it inside. Seal it with any kind of sealant to keep it free of moisture.