Ever wish you could harness the power of the sun? Believe it or not, it is fairly simple to take advantage of the energy displaced by the sun for home use. This brief guide should get the wheels turning – from coiled black hoses to small solar panels, take advantage of the worlds most abundant renewable energy source!

A simple project for the DIY enthusiast is a solar cooker. By simply lining a box with aluminum foil, you can create a slow but effective grill or broiler. Not much technological know-how is required here, but it is an easy way to amaze the neighbors at the next summer block party.

Heres another easy one: small solar panels made of a black painted radiator set can easily be used to heat water for showers or even a pool. Make sure the thermal panels are facing the sun at an angle of 30 degrees.

Water then slowly trickles through copper tubing attached to the back of the unit. With just a small pump this heated water can easily be stored for home use in a well insulated tank.

You will be surprised by how much heated water you can get out of such a system. Most washing purposes – kitchen faucets, showers, etc – can be supplied on a continual basis, even if the sun does not always shine strongly.

The evacuated tube collection system is another easy and perhaps more effective form of homed solar energy. Similar to the small solar panels mentioned above, this system actually houses a vacuum tube with a heat conductor attached to capture even more of the suns energy. The water should move in a similar fashion to the flat plate collector listed above. Although this system is a bit more expensive, the storage and release of energy can be much more controlled and effective.

Ready to convert your home to a solar based system? Click here to learn how to do it yourself!

Of course the ultimate goal of homemade solar energy is to convert sunshine into electricity with the help of photovoltaic cells. This is truly one of the cleanest and most efficient forms of renewable energy, not to mention the strong positive environmental effect.

Even small solar panels combined with a little technical expertise will provide a surprising amount of energy. In fact, this is often enough to cover most of the energy needs of an average household during the course of a year. Linking bigger and more cells together will increase the amount of energy collected.

From the get go, you must realize that even small solar panels will demand some alterations to your home, and will change the look of the house a bit.

Roof installation is probably the best approach. You shouldn’t need to reinforce the structure, just make sure to avoid shade and the possibility of overhanging tree branches.

Many green enthusiasts are very proud of the small solar panels they have added to their homes. They have been incorporated into sculptures in gardens, rooftop artwork, and other clever arrangements.

Over the last decade, advances in homemade solar energy have been astounding to say the least. These are no longer expensive toys or gimmicks for enthusiasts, but a very real way normal people can save money on their utility bills. Originally, photovoltaic cells were often unreliable and dependent on constant sunlight. Today, even small solar panels gather energy year round – and at 50% of the cost they used be!

But if we really think about it, ancient cultures used solar energy for thousands of years to dry meat and grains for out of season use. Maybe there really isn’t that much new under the sun after all!

Make your own energy at home! Click here to learn how to take advantage of the suns rays.

Tags: cheap solar panels, diy solar panels, small solar panels, solar panels for electricity