PV Gap

Lance Said:

can I easily build my own solar panels for my home?

We Answered:

It's possible, but not as easy or cost-effective as the sites selling information suggest.

You can build your own solar panels from individual cells or broken cells. Possibly you would end up with a panel that costs less than a commercial one, but it would not have the UL safety certification, and thus would not legally be allowed to be connected to the grid in any place that I know. So you would have to go with charging a battery, and that alone doubles the cost of the system. It could be a fun and educational thing to do, but would not be a money saver.

You could also build a solar water heater - plans and videos abound on the web. However, Denver gets hard freezes in winter, so you would need to drain your home built system during those months. There are solar water heaters designed to take sustained freezing temperatures, but unless you're an engineer, that type would be really hard to make.

The site http://www.nlcpr.com/Deceptions6.php has something to say about various scams, including solar.

Frederick Said:

I am considering putting either a wind mill or solar panels. My home is 30 years old and I am wondering which?

We Answered:

Solar panels would be effective in Texas. Unless you're on the Gulf, I wouldn't depend on wind as the sole source for a small-scale home project, but it can be an effective complement to solar energy. Here's a site that has a lot of information on both solar and wind power: http://www.otherpower.com/otherpower_win…

Francisco Said:

what is the average amount of equity that my home can potentially gain if I install solar panels on it.?

We Answered:

I am in Ontario, and I asked a real estate agent about that as I was seriously looking into adding this to my new home. Right now in my area, solar panels will not increase the value of the home. People are just not ready to pay extra for a house for this yet here, so if you are doing solar for resale, you will be loosing a good $20,000. Look into wind turbines...much more efficient, but a bet more expensive here.