Anyone know much about solar panels?

Gary_M · 7 May 2006

Hi,

I'm about to build a garden cabin, and wondered if anyone knew if it is feasable to use solar power instead of running electricity from the house.

I am not overly familiar with solar power and wasn't sure if a reasonably priced and sized unit would deliver enough energy to meet my needs. I suspect that the maximum load I would be using at one time would be: portable television and light.

Thanks in advance.

Steve · 7 May 2006

I presume you'll be using the light at night . . . . in which case you will need somewhere to store the electricity - usually accomplished with a battery or 10.

breezer · 7 May 2006

solar panels are very expensive the better they are at converting light to electricity the more they cost. it will probably be cheaper to pay an electrician to run in a supply for you than to use solar panels

Spark123 · 7 May 2006

I spotted these in CPC a while back, don't know if they are any good? They require a leisure battery or a car battery.
http://cpc.farnell.com/jsp/endecaSe...e&manufacturerDisplay=true&N=411+9607&Ne=1000

Gary_M · 7 May 2006

Thanks for the replies chaps. I think on reflection that the best route for me to take will be to get mains taken from the house - at least then I have an option of a bit more power, should I need it.

These little panels capable of powering a light or two (from Spark123's link) look pretty handy for a garage or shed.

Thanks again,

Gary

jpatrick · 2 Aug 2009

I was wondering about building my own panels, came across this article today about this. I cannot afford to buy one, so I have been looking for some sort of instruction on this. Has anyone heard of this guide on making them, and should I try it. I posted a question on this topic earlier, but I just noticed this question. Sorry. Here is the link to the article, any input would be helpful, Thanks
http://www.goarticles.com/cgi-bin/showa.cgi?C=1825577

electronicsuk · 2 Aug 2009

jpatrick said:
I was wondering about building my own panels, came across this article today about this. I cannot afford to buy one, so I have been looking for some sort of instruction on this. Has anyone heard of this guide on making them, and should I try it. I posted a question on this topic earlier, but I just noticed this question. Sorry. Here is the link to the article, any input would be helpful, Thanks
http://www.goarticles.com/cgi-bin/showa.cgi?C=1825577[/QUOTE]

If you can't afford to buy solar panels then I suggest you don't waste $50 on buying a guide to building them. The site reeks of a scam, absolutely no information on there to give it any credibility, it's an 'all will be revealed once we receive your money' affair.

What's more, there are a number of sites set up such as this one which are apparently offering "independent" reviews of the guide, with the intent to convince you that the whole thing is not a scam. They are clearly written by the same person who owns the site selling the material, but he's not stupid, as all these sites have one thing in common - the owner has chosen not to have contact details published on WHOIS records, so it's impossible to prove they are all owned by the same guy.

If you do actually manage to find any truly independent reviews of the earth4energy guide amongst all the other sites full of false claims that seem to saturate the first page of search results, you may find some rather different opinions as to whether or not it's $50 well spent. This site appears to offer a credible opinion.

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Anyone know much about solar panels?

Gary_M

Steve

breezer

Spark123

Gary_M

jpatrick

electronicsuk

DIYnot Local

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