If you’ve always wanted to build a solar panel but have held back because you were afraid it was too technical, take heart! Kids all over the world are now building and utilizing their own solar panels as a matter of everyday education. And if 5th graders can build their own solar panels, odds are, you can too!
Many Schools Have Started Teaching Kids to Build a Solar Panel in the Classroom –
From New Zealand to Florida, educators are finding creative ways to teach kids about solar energy. Classrooms the world over are building solar hot water heaters, solar hot-dog cookers and solar panels. Considering that changing the way the world uses energy isn’t going to happen overnight, this educational movement is critical, and serves as inspiration for those of us who would like to make the move to solar power in our own lives.
You can Build a Solar Panel Using Readily Available Materials –
The most technical portion of a solar panel is the solar cells which are used to transmute light into electricity. While you can make homemade solar cells yourself, it is much simpler and faster to simply buy them used or new. Once you’ve acquired your solar cells, the rest of the materials needed to build a solar panel can be found at your local hardware store.
A Few Things to Consider When you Build a Solar Panel –
While building and installing a solar panel is a relatively simple process, you should keep in mind how you want to use the solar panel to build one best suited to your needs. For instance, do you want to make it portable so you can power your guitar amp or camp stove on the go? Or do you want to build a solar panel system strong enough to power your home? Do you want to get off the electricity grid entirely or do you want to sell energy back to the power company?
While answering these questions ahead of time will help you build a solar panel which is perfectly suited to your needs, it’s not necessary to know exactly what you’re going to do with the panel before you build it. Sometimes, the best way to figure out what you want is to just dive right in – and if kids can build a solar panel, so can you!
