Do It Yourself Solar Energy

Growing up as a child in Southern California, I helped my step father build one of these for our pool. The result was incredible. We were able to keep the pool temperature to an balmy 87 degrees, without using the expensive pool heater, all year round! All from a single pool solar panel we crafted in our garage.

The first panel we built worked so good, the garden hose melted. We took the black Plexiglas off  the top, and that did just the trick.
Directions:

1. Purchase the following materials from your local hardware store; 3 8’ 2x4’s, 1 ½ “ 4x8 sheet of plywood, black paint, half moon fasteners, some screws, 50’ of heavy duty black garden hose, black paint and some Thompsons Water Seal.

2. Cut 1 of the 2x4x8’s in half. Cut a notch in one of the cut 2x4’s near the end, which will allow the garden hose to enter the solar heater and exit the solar heater. The longer the hose, the hotter the water.

3. Screw the planks onto the plywood border. Paint the wood frame black. After the paint dries, be sure to apply several coats of Thompsons Water Seal for weather protection.

4. Snake the 50 foot hose through the notch in the frame using as much as the 4x8 plywood flooring as possible. Be sure to tack the hose down with ½ moon brackets. Paint the brackets black as well.

5. Optionally, you can cover the entire structure with thick black plastic, plexyglass or some other black material. This helps to keep the heat in, and can be especially useful in colder claimants.

6. Mount the structure on your roof facing the direction of most sunlight. Connect the structure to a garden hose, connected to your outside water spicket. Connect another hose to the exit coupling of the black hose, running the water into the pool.

The advantages of solar power are far-reaching. Although solar power is a relatively new energy source, it may easily become the most important energy source of the future. This is because of the many advantages of solar power:

•Solar power is a renewable resource. This means that we are not in danger of depleting its reserves. Though it may disappear behind clouds momentarily and is unavailable at night, it generally returns in full force.

•Solar power is non-polluting. Unlike oil, solar power usage does not emit any greenhouse gases, nor does the acquisition of it harm ecosystems through spills or dredging. This is probably one of the primary advantages of solar power.

•The energy and heat from the sun is free. Once solar panels or solar thermal collectors are set up, there are no electrical expenses necessary to power them.

•Solar cells require very little maintenance, greatly because there are no moving parts that must be maintained.

•Solar cells can last a lifetime.

•Solar power is incredibly versatile. A variety of inventions may be powered by it, including cars, water heaters, fountains, buildings, and satellites.

•In remote locations, solar power may be a more realistic energy option than running large lengths of electrical wires to connect to a grid.

Overall, it seems that solar power is simply a more harmonious energy resource. To obtain other energy sources, there is a requirement of harvesting fossil fuels, animal matter, or plant matter. Meanwhile, sunlight continually hits the earth in large amounts regardless of whether it is being utilized as an energy resource or not. Focusing solely on the application of solar power, instead of its application in addition to seeking out and obtaining the raw resource, omits an unnecessary step.

Solar power is also an attractive investment due to the added value it gives a home. With the housing market slowing down considerably a solar power system definitely helps add to the desirability and resale value of a home. A home with a fixed electric bill from solar is less expensive to live in, and thus is very appealing to potential buyers.

Along with the advantages of solar power, it is worth remarking upon the disadvantages. These include sunlight not being a readily available resource in some areas of the world. Also, solar cells are still not particularly cheap. Of course, technology for this is improving, and it will continue to improve as the cost of other forms of power increase.