Solar panel installation

Okay so you've completed building your solar panels and now you are wondering how you can hook it up to power up your needs. Just like building your own solar panels, DIY solar panel installation is also pretty straight forward.

You will need:

• Working Solar Panels
• A Charge Controller
• Batteries
• Power Inverter
• Proper wires and cables

General Warning: When dealing with circuits, practicing safety precautions is expected.

Installation overview:

Solar Panels > Charge Controller > Batteries > Power Inverter > Appliances

Charge controllers is use to protect your batteries from excessive voltage and regulates charges. This is necessary because sometimes, when the sun is extremely bright, your solar panels will produce excessive voltage that could damage the batteries.

Note: When getting a charge controller it is suitable for the power that your panels are producing.

Batteries are use to store the power generated by the solar panels. You should use a few batteries to consistently provide you power throughout the night when there is no sunlight.

Note: AGM type batteries are the safest and most efficient.

A Power inverter will be the heart of your solar energy system. It not only converts the low voltage DC to the 120 or 240 volts AC that runs most appliances, but it can also charge the batteries if connected to the utility grid or ac generator.

Note: For smaller installations, use Modified Sine Wave Power Inverter (Suitable for camping cabins). For home installations, use True Sine Wave power Inverter. If you want to add some free solar power to your utility grid, Grid Tied Power Inverter is the way to go. Voltage of your inverter needs to match the voltage your battery bank and solar panels.

This is a very brief guide on DIY solar panel installation, if you don't have a good electrical background, you should probably get a detail guide.