MakeHeat

This DIY’er walks you through his trials, tribulations, failures and successes in a down to earth, plain English fashion that is a great read.  Plenty of pics to show you what he’s done, and inspires the inventor/hacker (in the best sense of the word)/DIY’er in all of us.

“… To my opinion solar panels are very expensive. A panel of 100 Wp (Watt peak) costs around 400 Euro. I do not know the exact price but it will not be much lower and that is too expensive. This is a rough calculations (based upon dutch electricity prices) and will without a doubt be far from the truth, but still: 100 wp is about 80 kWh on an annual basis (a little less I think, but ok). This is with an energy price of 20 Euro cents about 16 Euro per year. So that would be 400/16 = about 25 year. Which would be too long for the lifespan of the panel (without maintenance). This is only the price of a panel. In addition an inverter is needed. This inverter will return the collected energie back into the electricity grid. Converters have different prices, and range from approximately 50 to 75 Euro per 100Wp. Also you’ll need some installation and mounting materials. Let it then be done by a “professional” and a price of 500 Euro per Wp is not unusual and then you would have a cheap installation. Note: these are all dutch prices. …”

Get inspired and read about his projects (three to date)!

Solar energy (panel) (DIY) – Main.

It sounds like something from Ronco, you set it up, plug it in, and it works.  No need to bring in an electrician to rewire your house, no muss, no fuss.

Good way to get your feet wet self aquainted with solar power in an easy and affordable way.  Note: Intertie is NOT UL LISTED – be forwarned, this could be illegal in your area, and MAY cause a threat to high power line workers.

GoGreenSolar.com — Plug N Play 250w Grid-Tied Solar Power Kit – #1 online destination for solar panels & wind power.