Better PV Solar Panels From Solar Home Energy Advances

Photovoltaic (pv) solar panels, unfortunately, have much lower levels of energy efficiency compared to other sources of renewable energy. In one sense this doesn’t matter very much because the source of energy – sunlight – is free. But solar home energy systems do tend to need a lot of space to produce useful amounts of electric power.  Do it yourself solar power systems are easy to make and install, and the materials don’t cost much. But it would obviously be a good thing if the system could be made smaller, and many solar electric companies, such as Mitsubishi, are rapidly developing residential solar energy systems that will produce pv solar panels with much greater efficiency and at much lower cost.

Costs are likely to be halved every eight years, at the same time achieving efficiency improvements of 25% to 30%.

One development uses a type of magnifying glass to squeeze more solar power on to each pv cell.  Known as the fresnel effect, it utilizes rows of optical lenses to concentrate light on to much smaller areas of pv material.  Already it has been possible to make pv cells one fortieth the size of current ones, and undoubtedly even better performances will be achieved.

There are pv solar panels now beginning to use a new range of polycrystalline cells which provide much higher efficiency ratings, up to 235 watts per typical panel compared to the present 190 watts.  Solar power for homes is getting better and cheaper, and it is not confined to sunbelt states either. The fact is that pv solar panels depend on available light conditions rather than direct sun.  They operate most efficiently in hotter parts of the world, between latitudes 40 north and south, which get the best average daily light levels, but also work quite satisfactorily at higher latitudes, as can be seen in countries such as the UK.

Expect developments like these shortly in a solar home near you.

Turning to the vexed question of investment assistance from state and local authorities, there is now a noticeable determination to be seen in many governments to put the funding of diy home energy systems on a sound footing. For instance, within the EU, there are now some very strong directives in place to force significant improvements in renewable energy systems, and these are beginning to have a very positive effect. As part of these improvements energy from photovoltaic sources will increase from its present average of about 1% of total energy production to a creditable 12% and, to enable this to happen, the feed-in tariff system has been introduced in many countries to encourage and sustain renewable energy investment. Several US states already have similar financial incentives.

The system shifts the emphasis from grant-based incentives, which seldom pay very much of the total costs, to a legislated price for each unit of energy fed into the national grid. This makes financial planning much easier for investors, and can only help improve developments and efficiencies in a typical home solar power system still further.

We have always believed in solar energy, and we know that diy solar power is already a viable and simple option to the coming energy crisis.  Certainly, current developments will yield more efficient pv cells for diy solar panels in the near future, but every second’s delay in building your own system NOW loses you more money as you continue to pour cash in to the utility company’s pockets.

It really is a good idea to plan to make a home solar panel or two. It is also a good idea to get some professional guidance and to use good quality plans, so we suggest you take a look at an excellent kit, which we believe to be the best presently available. It works very well, doesn’t cost much, and will give you an excellent return very quickly. Take our advice, and you will have no regrets.

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Tagged with: do it yourself solar power • how to build a solar panel • how to make a solar panel • renewable energy • solar home energy

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