DIY SOLAR CELLS GUIDE

When I moved to Spain I knew my home was going to be run via solar panels. There was no electricity connection so I had no choice.

Now, five years later I am surprised just how few people think that it is possible for a fairly low price. There are lots of ways to get them cheaply, including learning how to build a homemade solar panel or two. I purchased mine and they were a lot more expensive than they are now, which is great news for anyone thinking of living off the grid.

What you will be surprised at is that you can run a home simply with about four panels if you adjust your lifestyle a little. I use only four 80 watt panels to run my home and although a few changes had to be made, it works out well for the most part. I found that if I run the washing machine on a cold wash instead of a hot one then it saves a massive amount of energy and the clothes are still clean.

I also use a gas fridge and more importantly I use a gas cooker as electric ovens will see all your power going very quickly indeed. It is also very important to ensure that there is never anything left on standby as this wastes power. If you also use very energy efficient light bulbs you can use only a tenth or less of the power which conventional bulbs use.

All these things add up to being able to use solar panels to run a normal home. Sure, there are some compromises to be made, but it means that you can be free of having to find money for monthly bills for the power companies and can feel quite pleased that you are now generating power totally free. It really is worth at least investing in a few cheap panels to become at least partly independent in your energy use.