Off Grid Home › Forums › Technical Discussion › Building Solar Panels › Re: Building Solar Panels
AnonymousDIY solar PV building is a total waste of time and money, since you’ll end up rebuilding them every couple of years when the materials you use to frame them fails due to UV and temperature/moisture. They’ll also be unlisted (UL) and therefore illegal under NEC code in the USA. The NEC is there to prevent injury and fires, and it’s the law that all systems comply with it in all 50 states. Solar PV power is electricity, which demands full respect, even at low voltages. A single 6 volt deep cycle 6 volt batter can easily deliver 6000 amperes when shorted – 36,000 Watts – enough to melt a wrench in a flash, spraying you with molten metal before you can even react.
Solar water heating, on the other hand, hasn’t changed much since Bill Bailey patented his Day and Night closed loop anti-freeze flat panel/integrated storage system in 1913. It’s accessible to almost anyone, safely, once basic solar thermal design and plumbing is understood.