The sun is shining, and the only cloud in the sky is the latest utility bill that seems to rise every month…

The answer may be that you need to seriously examine how to build your home solar panels, and here are a few tips that just might help!

1. Check out online specials for materials and save on construction costs

There are many suppliers who will offer everything that is required to complete the job, as well as plans and advice on assembly.

The tools needed to build your home solar panels will probably already be found in the workshop and include hammer, saw, soldering iron, screw drivers and a knife.

The list of material is a little long but most people would probably have some timber to make the frame for installing the panels on the rooftop and the screws and wood panels etc. to make the housing for the batteries.

Buy pre tabbed photovoltaic cells and the tab wiring to connect them. Some eva glue, solder and flux, plastic sheeting to cover the lid of the housing as well as blocking diodes to stop current reversal, and the project can be started.

2. Plan and decide on where the panels are going to be sited

Things you need to consider may include: a south facing slope of 30 that is not shaded, or in the path of natural pests is required, and if possible one that will allow wiring to be easily conducted into the area you choose to house the storage batteries.

3. Make space for the project

When starting out to build your own solar panels, allow a weekend and clear a space on the workshop floor that is clean and dust free. The project essentially involves the assembly of the materials once the cells are attached to a backing board in rows, usually of 6×6.

4. Make the unit efficient

Join the cell tabs with the wire and add the blocking diodes and cable to connect up to the storage battery and cover with the plastic lid. Lock the whole unit with the silicone grouting.

Mounting the panels on the rooftop should be done after insulation is applied to the back of the housing, and to make the unit even more efficient, paint all the housing black, excluding the lid though!

5.  Consider buying a solar panel kit

This may be a two person job, not just because it is heavy, but because it is awkward and made more difficult when working at heights. If the whole process seems a little too overwhelming for the DIY skills, you can buy a solar panel kit or even a complete unit.

Lastly, before you buy the materials, check out someone who has already gone down the same track, or at least try to see a solar powered unit in action.The is a fund process, as learning how to build solar panels for home use is a survival project that can provide the homeowner with the independence when power supply can be unstable.