How to Build a Solar Panel: For Kids

Now that summer has arrived, your kids are most likely home a lot, and could get bored fast. While summer breaks are often filled with playing with friends and sleeping in, sneak in a project every couple of weeks. It’ll keep their minds stimulated and fill their lazy days right up.

But what to do…

We’ve got an idea! Help you children build their very own solar panels.

We’re constantly telling you to get your kids involved in learning about solar energy. Seeing as how kids are our future and so is solar energy, it seems fitting that they know about the renewable sources they will hopefully one day depend on. These items can all be found at a hardware store, so gather the materials and start saving energy today!

Start by heating a copper sheet over an electric stove stop for about 30 minutes on high. This process creates a copper oxide layer on the sheet, imperative for your solar panel. The copper sheet will slowly begin to turn black, but don’t remove it from the heat.

After a half hour, remove the copper sheet carefully from the stove and let it cool for about 20 minutes. Most of the black will go away and the sheet will return to its copper color. However, if any black spots remain on the copper sheet after it has cooled, very delicately removed them with tweezers. Be careful not to scrape anything off the sheet itself, as you could damage the heat-created oxide layer.

Place the heated copper sheet and another non-heated copper sheet into a plastic cup, facing each other. Pour two tablespoons of hot water and two tablespoons of salt into the plastic cup. Mix the salt/water solution together gently until just combined.

Take a spring-loaded clip and attach it to each of the copper sheets. Then attach a microampere meter to both of the clips. These last two steps are essential in collecting heat and generating it into solar energy.

Set the plastic cup in the sun for about another 30 minutes. When you check the microampere meter, there should be a good amount of solar electricity gathered from the cup!

This is a great project to do with your kids, as it doesn’t take much time and you can show them results in less than an hour. While you’re working, take the time to explain to your children what solar energy is and why we will need it to essentially keep our planet alive one day. Have fun!!

Climate Factors That Can Affect Your Solar Panels

We’ve talked in the past about how important it is for your solar panels to work at the peak of efficiency, and we’ve talked about what you can do to make sure your panels work like they should. However, there are some things you can’t control when it comes to the efficiency of your solar panels, the major issue being weather. 

And we don’t just mean cloudy v. sunny days. There are plenty of other climate factors that people experience, and it’s important to know that these things can alter the performance of your panels.

Smog/Dense Air

If the air near your home is dense, your panels won’t be able to work as efficiently as they were made to. Light scatters in dense air, which means less of it reaches your panels to convert to energy. This goes the same for smog. Smog is caused from pollution in the air, and all that dirt and dust will definitely block the sun from reaching your home. To check if you live in an area with dense air, see how blue the sky is on a clear day. Dense air will cause the sky to look more white than blue.

Fog 

If you live in an area that is notorious for being foggy in the morning, you might think solar panels can’t be in the picture for you. Not the case, actually, just take this tip to ensure your panels can soak up some sun. Position your solar panels a little more to the West; this will optimize the output and still be in the right place for when the fog clears and the sun comes out!

Temperature

Believe it or not, heat is not the magical ingredient for solar panels. In fact, if you live in an incredibly hot part of the country (like Phoenix), it’s possible that heat can sometimes damage photovoltaic solar panels. The semi-conductors in PV panels actually work at their best when it’s cool and clear out. 

Snow

Hardly a surprise here, but if you live in an area where it snows, make sure you install your panels with winter weather in mind. There might be a spot on your roof where snow doesn’t gather as heavily, or melts quickly due to a heater/chimney near by. When it does eventually snow, just make sure you use an extension on a soft brush and wipe the ice off the panels.

Wind

This last type of weather could come as a bit of surprise. You may not think that wind can cause much harm to heavy glass panels that are attached to your roof, but it’s been known to do damage. If you live in an area with strong winds, it’s a good idea to ensure that your panels are installed using heavy-duty and extra strong mounts. Solar panels are all about saving money, but you’ll be shelling out more than a few dollars if you have to repair damaged panels, or worse, have them replaced. 

None of the climate factors are reasons NOT to get solar panels for your home. We do, however, recommend you keep factors like these in mind when deciding the placement of your panels. 

Solar Costs Per State

Ever wonder how solar energy costs in your state compare with others all over the United States? Well, we have just the map for you.

Ways to Maximize Energy Intake by a Solar Panel

We talk time and time again about how great going solar is for your wallet, home, and the environment. Solar panels are incredibly energy efficient and can help save your family a lot of money for years and years without an issue ever arising.

However, to keep your solar panels working at their maximum ability, there is a bit of planning and maintenance you must take on. We’re here to give you some tips that will help you maximize the potential of your solar panels and make sure you get the most environmental and economical return on your investment.

Keep Them Clean

We’ve talked about this before, but keeping your solar panels clean is vital to their efficiency. Remember to give your panels a quick cleaning on a regular basis, for example, every two weeks or so. A simple rinse will do just fine most of the time, unless there has been a recent storm or a dust blow-up where you might need to physically remove debris from the panels themselves. Every couple of months, do a deeper cleaning using soap and soft brushes. 

This is incredibly important to keep up with; if anything is covering your solar panels at any time, the amounts of sunlight the panels can soak up with diminish dramatically. Take into account the environment in which you live and use that to determine how often it is necessary to clean your panels. 

Proper Panel Placement

Another factor to consider when installing your new panels is where they’re going to be placed. This is important for homeowners to discuss with the panel installation company, as proper placement is essential for maximum performance.

Make sure there are no obstacles that would prevent sunlight from making it to the panels, like a tree or some other permanent structure. Keep in mind that the angle of the sun changes throughout the day, therefore, so will shadows. Even take to pruning back some tree branches if needed. You won’t even notice the difference, and your panels will soak up the sun just the way they need to.

Use Reflection to Your Advantage

Even though you can’t control the amount of sunlight that radiates from the Sun, you do have the power to control how much of that energy is soaked up by your solar panels using special techniques, like reflection. Place a long mirror in the front of your solar panel so it can reflect the sunlight that hits the ground back onto your panels. Now, even though you can’t control how much sun is hitting Earth, you CAN control how much of that sunlight is reaching your solar panels.  

Tips: For the most effective results, be sure to use a mirror that’s twice as long as the height of your panel. Place it so the angle reflects back onto the panel itself, and make sure to clean the mirror when you clean your panels. 

Tracking

Last, but definitely not least, did you know that there is a way to get the maximum amount of sunlight all day, no matter what time it is? You’d think the problem with solar panels would be that they are less effective at certain times during the day and year when the sun isn’t it’s most powerful when it’s directly over your home. However, you can actually use tracking kits that automatically adjust your solar panels to follow the sun throughout the day. These tracking kits ensure that no matter where the sunlight is most abundant, your panels will be able to soak it all up. 

Not everyone can afford a tracking kit, and that’s ok. You can manually set your panels at different angles in different seasons. For example, in the fall and spring, set your panels at an angle equivalent to the location. Turn the panels 15 degrees down during the summer months, and angle them 15 degrees up during the winter months. 

Just having solar panels on your home doesn’t necessarily ensure you’ll save as much money and energy as possible. However, with these tips, you should be getting the biggest bang for your buck, and all while producing a ton of solar energy. Good luck!

Nano Ceramic Window Covering

Did you know that the average high summer temperature in Phoenix is 104 degrees? With temperatures that high, staying cool indoors can be a challenge. The solution? Nano ceramic window coverings!

Nano film for windows is a great way to combat the Arizona heat while protecting you and your family from harmful UV rays. Nano window film will reduce the infrared heat build-up in your house by up to 96% and it will eliminate more than 99% of UV rays. In addition, it will help protect your upholstery from fading from the Arizona sun. And since nano ceramic window coverings provide an extra barrier between your home and the sun, you’ll notice they also help to lower your energy bill by 8% every month.

Stay cooler and save more with Nano window film from Stealth Solar. Call 877-997-6527 for a free in-home consultation.

What do you get when you combine all of Stealth Solar’s green energy products? 99%+ off your energy bill each month! Learn more here. 

 

Go Green on Memorial Day

Are you having a party this Memorial Day weekend? Chances are, you’ll either be attending one or hosting it yourself. And while we love a good party (and a 3-day weekend!) what we don’t love is cleaning up once everyone has left. 
 
However, we have some ideas for when it comes to throwing a party this weekend, or even throughout the summer. And in true Stealth Solar fashion, our ideas revolve around reducing before producing. 
 

A party isn’t a party without some festive decorations, but buying them at a party store can get expensive quickly, and most of the time, they fall apart, and you have to throw them away. Instead of literally throwing money away, use items you already have around your house to make your own decorations that you can use year after year. Paint empty soup cans in American colors and poke holes in for a patriotic candle holder, tie ribbons to chairs and around trees, and even make your own posters celebrating the holiday. Don’t forget the glitter!

When it comes to food, ease is the key. Serve not only finger foods, but easy to eat ones that people can simply pick up and pop in their mouth on the way to say hello to another guest. Not only will this keep your party moving, but it’ll reduce the need for lots of different plates and utensils. Of course, you will need SOME things for food and drinks, so make sure you buy plastic items instead of paper. Unlike paper products, you can stick most plastic products in the dishwasher, like Solo cups, and reuse them for other summer parties.  That’s a win-win situation in our mind. 

Lastly, try to buy as locally as possible for your party needs. Buying foods that are grown and shipped locally are not only better for you, but it supports small business owners, which we love here at Stealth Solar.

These are just a few ideas out of many which prove that our motto ‘reduce before you produce’ can be used in all aspects of our lives, not just when it comes to using energy! Have a fun and safe Memorial Day weekend everyone!

These are just a few ideas out of many which prove that our motto ‘reduce before you produce’ can be used in all aspects of our lives, not just when it comes to using energy! Have a fun and safe Memorial Day weekend everyone!