Is my house suitable for home made solar?
Home made solar systems are great to reduce you energy bill and reduce your carbon footprint. If your house gets sufficient direct sunlight and has south-facing, you´re good to go.
There are four aspects that determine whether your home is suitable for a the installation of a home made solar system..
1. The amount of sunlight
The amount of sunlight that the area where you life receives determines the size of your home made solar installation. The National Renewable Energy Lab publishes maps that allow you to see the amount of energy (in kilowatt per hour) the sun provides per that per square meter of south facing home made solar panels. The more reddish your area is, the more energy the sun provides. This helps you determine the size of your home made solar installation to provide sufficient electricity for your daily need. . .
2. South-Facing Area
The amount of (roof) space you have available on your house to mount your home made solar panels is an important factor. As the sunlight is and the relatively inefficient transformation of sunlight into electricity, you would need a relatively large surface to mount your home made solar panels. The surface you would need is 8 to 10 m2 (86 to 105 ft2) per kilowatt of installed home made solar panel power. As an average house would need a 3kW system, then you would need to have an area available of 24-30 m2 (250 to 315 ft2). The home made solar panels don´t have to be placed on a roof, they can be ground or pole mounted, but the panels have to be south facing and would need to get no less than 5 hours of sunlight daily.
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3. Home made solar Panels require direct sunlight
The main obstruction for the sunlight to reach your home made solar panels is the shade of a tree or of other houses nearby that limits the amount of sunlight to shine on your panels, especially if that occurs when the sun provides the greater part of its energy between 12 and 4pm. . .
4. Roof Structure
Branded solar panels (like those of Sharp and Sanyo) and which are often used by the professional solar contactors, can be quite heavy. These large manufacturers have to guarantee the life-time of the panels of up to 25years. Therefore these panels are set into metal mounting brackets and can way up to 20kilos per panel. As for a 3kW system you would require 23 panels, your roof has to have a supporting structure capable of handling more than 400 kilos and the roof would need a adequate structure for attaching the panel mounting brackets to. Extra bracing therefore could be needed, which would be an additional cost to a system installed by professional solar contractors. A better alternative here is to install a home made solar panel. Home made solar panels require a much lighter structure of wood that is treated to keep the moisture out and to keep it from rotting. The weight of these panels is minimal and you won´t need to redo you roof structure. These home made solar panels can be directly fitted to your roof (considering the roof south facing, otherwise brackets to position the panels to the sun are required). . There are some great manuals in the market to help you make home made solar panels and that provide excellent step-by-step instructions to help you build them yourself. And you really don´t have to be a high potential DIYer!! .
