Browse Forums Eco Living 1 Jan 21, 2010 3:17 pm While searching for solar packages i came across a site that supplies an instruction booklet and other information on building and installing your own solar panels. There seems to be quite a few of these sites out there so i have found. Has anyone had any experience with this sort of thing and do they work. Everything organic,Clean and Green Re: Diy solar and installation! 2Jan 30, 2010 10:45 pm Hi there, yes this stuff looks popular in the US, and most sites I have come across are form the US. Key point, you cannot access the solar credits rebate (40% of the system capital cost) in Australia unless the system is not installed by a clean energy council certified installer (BSCE). I wouldnt do it for that reason. Australia has pretty much some of the cheapest solar in the world right now due to Solar Credits rebates and access to the feed in tariffs. Shop smart: find a module supplier that has been in the business at least 10 yrs, offers a 10yrs craftsmanship warranty on the panel (not just a 25 yrs on the power output), 10 yrs on the inverter and is BSCE certified. 1.5kW < $6000 doesnt fit the above criteria from what i have seen out there. Re: Diy solar and installation! 3Jan 30, 2010 11:05 pm My concern is whether the panels have been sourced from a manufacturer that ensures the manufacturing process is also environmentally friendly. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/co ... 02595.html Re: Diy solar and installation! 4Feb 14, 2010 8:43 pm I have also come across this DIY "special" from a link on facebook. It looks like you need to source vast quantities of individual solar cells, and place them all together on a frame, and solder them all together. Might be OK for someone for an off-grid battery-charging setup (assuming they have many many hours to kill, and are good at soldering), but don't even think about it for a grid-connected system. Even if you didn't care about the REC's, chances are your electricity distributor will require that the panels conform to minimum standards to even be allowed to connect them to the grid-connect inverter... Re: Diy solar and installation! 5Feb 22, 2010 1:30 am The information is a booklet based on the resources found on the Internet, e.g Wikipedia and "DIY fan" sites. There in not much to the actual panels apart from labor time and gallons of silicon. The only catch is getting cheap polycarbonate UV stabilised at an affordable price and something to cut it with. Dan http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Zy3ELxwdtE http://www.metacafe.com/watch/3229727/s ... ld_solar/' http://video.google.com.au/videosearch? ... en&tab=wv# 1 length of channel cut aluminum (for a door or something) 1 miter saw. Form work to create a square reliably. 1 backing sheet of perspex or something similar. several tubes of silicon 1 sheet of high impact polycarbonate UV stabilised. plastic to mount the panels on Soldering gear + liquid nails Angle brackets to mount them with. Solar cells.. http://www.everbrightsolar.com/ 500 x 1.3 watts =Sale price: $775.00 you get 650 watts http://www.everbrightsolar.net/500-ever ... d-500.html Shipping would be high using air so use ground based instead. 6gm ea x 500 = 30 kg. Australia post won't deliver but UPS will http://www.convertcenter.com/ https://wwwapps.ups.com/fctc/processfctcentry http://home.shop.ebay.com/Electrical-So ... solar+cell http://cgi.ebay.com/15-1-5-X3-NOT-BROKE ... 20af8215df http://cgi.ebay.com/6-GRADE-A-3x6-solar ... 27af90d207 http://cgi.ebay.com/24-solar-cells-3-X6 ... 23055e0a53 Buying the 1kw panel and mounting it yourself is cheaper.. DIY, Home Maintenance & Repair I mean, I install them/sell them for a living so I haven't done DIY, unless you count the first one I installed lol. (electrician by trade). Usually a 6-8 hour job for… 3 41552 Assuming the structure of your cabinetry is good then I would DIY everything as follows: - replace your counter tops entirely, - replace all drawer runners with soft close… 1 4784 |