Well like all things DIY, DIY solar panels are not the ultimate solution. For what it's worth, you should check out my tutorial on how to build solar panels:
http://thesolarpowerexpert.com/diy-sola ... de-part-1/
The biggest advantage that home made solar panels provide is that you can make them a custom size or out of materials. For instance, the ones I built were made out of plexiglass that made the panels much more rugged than normal glass. This was desirable as they were being used in a marine environment with the possibility of getting stepped on.