PV Gap

Vivian Said:

I want to power my low energy room with solar panels that i can make myself to get this room off the grid?

We Answered:

This looks like about 300W of loads, similar to a small cabin. I'm going to assume the fan runs pretty much all day long, and the laptops, maybe 4 hours, and the light, 8 hours. We end up with about a 3-4 kWh / day requirement. That's an 800W array in a place like southern California, Nevada, or Arizona, considering losses including battery charging and inverter. $4-5k, assuming you do the work yourself. And it's a pain to maintain batteries.

It's hard to make a system this size pay for itself, if grid power is already available. But it could be a cool thing to do.

Edwin Said:

anyone know howto make a solar panel big enough to power my computer a light and my cell phone?

We Answered:

You might well study up on solar power. The subject is a bit more complicated than just providing a solar panel.

I suggest you take a look at "solar panel' in the green search box above on this page, and on the Internet. This should prepare to ask more questions.

Let me assure you that you would have to be ready to spend thousands of dollars.

Audrey Said:

What items or materials will I need to make a set of solar panels to power a few appliances?

We Answered:

You should probably start by looking at what you need to power first.
Add up the total watts/amps of the items you want to power. Find an inverter that will handle that much power. Get enough batteries to power the inverter/s. Make/buy enough solar panels to keep the batteries charged.
Some items like a toaster will run right off of the batteries without an inverter. That will save you a bit because inverters are notoriously inefficient. An electric heater will run off batteries if you replace the AC motor with one that runs from DC.

Sherri Said:

Why can't we make affordable Solar panels?

We Answered:

The Asian market is coming up with some cheap alternatives. Proberly, these better options will outcompete domestic ones that aren't as evolved.