Before you start searching for the cheapest solar electric panels, systems and accessories such as an inverter, generator, battery or batteries (for off grid storage). You need to first calculate your energy requirements in watts. You can do this in a number of ways, you can go round and look at the wattage of all your appliances and add them up, or you can look at your electric meter and determine how many kilo watt hours you use per day on average and then multiply that figure by 10% to 25% just to give you a little to play with.

Once you know that figure then you can go and look for the cheapest products. You can get a 1.2 watt panel for $32, and you can get a 210 watt panel for $836, and there is a whole range of different sizes and prices in between.

However, when looking for the cheapest system you must remember that buying the products only accounts for half the cost. The other half of the cost is fitting the systems, paying contractors to install and wire them up to your home. If you do this job yourself, then you can make considerable savings or if not do it yourself then control the project. You might then want to spend a little more on getting more efficient panels and so generating more power for your buck.

Remember that you do not have to purchase and install all your panels at once. You can spread it over time, start small and inside your budget, and as you see the benefits in reduced energy bills and have new savings, then you can invest again and add another solar array or two. It is a fairly straight forward process of adding cells when you have the basic installation in place.

Build Your Own Homemade Solar Panel

Of course the ultimate way to save money is DIY. There are plenty of books around which will teach you how to make a solar panel and the pitfalls to look out for when building one. They do go into real detail so you can see exactly how to assemble the photovoltaic cell into an array and build a panel. They even explain where you can source the cheapest solar cells and find damaged ones which you can repair. Their efficiency won’t be as high as a factory made one though.

The down side here is that you’re exchanging time for money. If you have plenty of free time and are good with your hands then this could be a good option for you. This residential solar power system is sitting on your house and is exposed to all the elements, so it has to be made waterproof else they won’t last.

To summarize, the cheapest solar power systems are the ones you make yourself but they won’t be as efficient and you are exchanging time for money. Take your time and weigh up all the pros and cons.

Solar thermal panels are used for heating hot water which in turn can be used to heat your house, water for washing and showering and is a very green way of heating your swimming pool.

Most solar heating systems are used to heat water for washing and showering. The way the system is typically designed and installed is to have an array of solar collector panels on the roof of your home. These are then connected to a hot water tank and a fluid is circulated around the solar panels and the hot water tank. As the fluid passes through the panels, the suns energy heats the fluid up to a high temperature. However, the fluid that is circulated through your solar panels is used to heat the water in your hot water tank, it is not used for washing and showering.

These are not passive systems. They will have sensors to detect when the sun is hot enough to heat the fluid and will then start the pump working.

How Does the Fluid Heat the Water in the Hot Water Tank?

Inside your hot water tank is a copper pipe which is made into a coil so that you get a greater surface area in which to transfer the heated fluid in the copper pipe to the water stored in the tank.

This coiled copper pipe has an inlet at the bottom of the tank and an out let at the top. The solar panel outlet pipe is connected to the inlet on the tank and the outlet pipe of the tank is connected to the inlet of the solar panel.

What If the Solar Panel Does Not Generate Enough Hot Water?

If the solar panels, be it flat plate or evacuated tube type, do not heat the water to the desired temperature then you have a back-up system. You can get hot water tanks that are fitted with an electric heater element and a thermostat. Therefore the thermostat can detect if the water is hot enough, if it isn’t, the electric element will switch itself on until the correct temperature is reached.

Alternatively you can have your boiler plumbed into your hot water tank. This could be a back boiler which is fitted to a log burning or coal fire or it could be a gas boiler. So if the water is not hot enough, either of these systems will cut in as necessary.

If you have any questions about how solar heating works then ask it in the comment section below.

Solar heating systems have been around since the beginning of time; when man first realized that the heat from direct sunlight would heat up water in a container. Centuries later , a solar heating system would still consist of putting water in a tub or bowl, and then allow enough time to pass for the temperature of the water to warm up enough to take a bath or wash clothing. This was great in the summertime when the sun was at its highest point in the sky. However, often in the wintertime the sun was not strong enough to perform this simple task. Nothing much was thought about how to actually harness the sun’s energy until recently in the past 80 years or so.

Before the 18th century man could only dream of ways to collect the sun’s rays; they did not have the knowledge or the technology that we have today. Today, solar panels can be seen on the roof of many homes and businesses, conducting enough solar thermal heat to produce up to 75% of the buildings hot water needs. They can be seen in some homes for heating both the water in swimming pools and the homes hot water system. It seems that every year people develop new products pertaining to Solar Heating; panels and other items are continuing to get smaller and fit elegantly outside the house.

Issues of Using Solar Heating

Just in the past 50 years, man has advanced enough in technology to begin construction of Solar panels to first collect the sun’s thermal energy and to be able to store it. However, the cost of this technology was very expensive. There have been many private companies that have worked on the improvements of Solar power and the panels themselves. The panels were very large and bulky at first, taking up a large amount of space where ever they were built.

Today, the panels are not as big, and the costs are coming down all the time. The solar power packs are not the only items that a person needs to install. There are other necessary items that must be purchased separately in order to connect the Solar collector panels to a storage unit; such as a  pump, temperature sensors, air vents, pressure gauge, safety valve, expansion vessel and the connection pipes & gaskets. All of these items can be bought as a kit, and you can get different kits depending on your needs.

Solar Heating Works

Solar Heating has now advanced far enough that many people can purchase small Solar panels and packs that are so light-weight that they can be carried by one person. You can now find countries all around the world that have solar power stations which are connected to the power grid producing Heating for many homes and companies.

The Benefits of Using Solar Heating

Solar thermal heating is a lot more efficient and cheaper at producing hot water in comparison to electric solar panels or photovoltaic cells (PV). Conversely, the downside is they can’t produce electricity.

The world has seen what the fossil fuels have done to the earth’s atmosphere, and has just recently begun a world-wide program for cleaning up the pollution and restoring balance to the eco system. Solar Heating is contributing to that clean up. There are no harmful vapors or smog to contend with.

Governments around the world are offering credits and money back for people and companies that use solar heating which can help cover part of the cost of installation. In the very near future we will see many more solar heating units that are much smaller and much simpler to install. Technology will continually advance much faster than it has, and we will see theses changes in our life time.

RV Solar Panels are really inexpensive. Unlike in the past when solar power systems were not only bulky,they  took up a very large area. Since then, solar technology has moved on at a great pace, and solar panels have become much smaller, and less expensive. They help to reduce the amount of energy that is required from the utility companies grid. When driving an RV of course you do not have to pay an electric bill. However, if the owner of the campsite knew that your RV was fitted with solar panels, he might be inclined to give you a discount on your lot rent.

RV Solar Panels have become very popular in recent years. The system is fairly easy to install and maintain and some are fitted with a controller which tracks the sun automatically. Furthermore, many people are beginning to use small backpack solar products. They are great for running small appliances for many hours, such as routers, cell phone chargers, laptops, and other small appliances. These RV Solar Panels are not very expensive. However, you would want to choose one that is large enough to do whatever you want it to. Of course the larger the unit, the more amperage and wattage you will be able to use. A kit might include a solar panel, inverter, remote control, battery – however many kits do not include batteries because the type of battery you need is a deep cycle battery which is different to the one in your car. However, they are often found in forklift trucks! They can be discharged at a high rate and not damage the battery.

Different Sizes of RV Solar Panels

There are many different sizes of RV Solar Panels, which range from 30 Watts, that have a 12 Volt Power Pack or a RV solar charger that uses 5 Watts, 10 Watts, and even 20 Watts. They are lightweight and weigh 20 to 60 pounds, depending on the size that you choose. Of course, the larger the unit and the amount of amperage you want also affects the price.

There are some things you should know about older appliances in an RV. Older models of freezers and refrigerators that are over 10 years old use more power than the newer models. The old type hot water heaters and electric heaters also use much more electricity. Therefore, you may want to invest in newer energy efficient appliances. Furthermore, many appliances run on AC power where as the solar panel produces DC power – this is where inverters come in, they convert DC to AC. You can use an inverter for each individual appliance, or you can have one which caters for everything. Therefore, take this into account when you design your system.

If you plan on installing RV Solar Panels on your own RV, it is a great idea to do plenty of research over the Internet first. This way you can see for yourself how inexpensive they are, and what type you can purchase.

You can find some websites that have kits available of the shelf, and you can also obtain an installation guide to help you with things. It will tell you exactly what parts are required, what tools you will need, and how to calculate the size and number of RV Solar Panels you require.

If you are using solar energy to power your lights make sure you are using energy saving light bulbs to maximise your savings. If you are taking energy from the grid (and not generating your own power) you can save up to $1000 on your bills.

Most people think they are just as good as ordinary ones. However, only 50% of homes use them and of those 50% they are only used on average in 5 out of a possible 24 places. Quite a strange fact that and food for thought. Therefore, make sure you are using energy saving bulbs and get two wins from your solar lighting.