DIY Solar Kit - Do-It-Yourself Solar Power Conversion

DIY (or Do-It-Yourself) solar kits include everything that do-it-yourselfers need to build their own solar powered system for lights, radio, fans, small TV, computers, and even heating water, among many others. While converting an entire house to solar power using solar panels might be cost-efficient in the long-run, installation can be an expensive project depending on the level of electricity needed. However, converting to solar power can be more affordable with DIY solar kits that are available from 20 Watts and above. A 20 watt solar panel, for example, receives five hours of full sunlight per day to generate 100 watt-hours of energy.

A DIY solar kit usually includes:

• A solar panel varying in watts - This high-efficiency solar module converts sunlight to direct current (DC) power for use in everything from battery charging to powering lights and other appliances.
• A solar charge controller - This regulates basic overcharge protection for batteries during solar charging.
• A sealed battery - This is a rechargeable, sealed dioxide battery that is usually leak proof and maintenance-free. The rechargeable battery stores the power converted from sunlight to use with solar powered-applications.
• A DC to AC power converter converts direct current (DC) electricity from the battery to alternating current (AC) electricity that can be used with electric-powered appliances including a coffee maker.

Also available are DIY solar power kits that you can use to make your own solar panels inexpensively. These include a solar cell sample pack, a soldering iron, solar cell test leads, a digital multi-meter, flux, reverse diode, and soldering and wiring diagrams.

Once you begin with a DIY solar kit, you can expand relatively easily as your needs grow. You can use any number of similar modules and wire them together as long as they have the same wattage. Unfortunately, inverters cannot be connected to other inverters. Therefore, they cannot be configured to operate at higher input voltage. However, batteries can always be added. For example, an 800 watt AC power source can get its power directly from the battery.