How to Self-Install Solar Electric

Installing your own solar-powered electric system will help to save you the costly installation services of your solar provider. Although the job is difficult and requires a high level of expertise and knowledge of electrical systems, it is within the grasp of the typical do-it-yourselfer. As with any other electrical project, working with electricity is potentially dangerous and can be lethal. Consult a licensed electrician if at any point you feel that you are in over your head.

• 1

  Calculate the total ampere rating of the appliances that you want to run from your solar panels as well as the number of hours that each appliance will run throughout the day. This will help to determine the number of deep-cycle batteries that your system will need. Calculate the ampere hours needed for your system by multiplying each appliance's amperage by the number of hours each appliance is used daily. The total should equal about 50 percent of the total capacity of your battery bank. For example, if you plan to use your appliances for 200 ampere hours on a daily basis, your battery bank should hold a charge up to 400 ampere hours.

• 2

  Mount the solar panels on your rooftop (or other suitable location) by using a power drill and the mount kits that came with the panels. Solar panels should be mounted to face south and should be angled to match the latitude of your location. In other words, if you live at a latitude of 35 degrees, the panels should be mounted 35 degrees from horizontal. If your kit includes the ability to change the angle at which the solar panels are mounted, you should add an additional 15 degrees during winter times and subtract 15 degrees in the summer, when the sun rises higher in the sky for a longer amount of time.

• 3

  Solder electrical wiring to the two output wires from the solar panel. One wire should continue from the negative terminal of the solar panel's output and the other should continue from the positive terminal. Hold the soldering iron beneath the wire joint until the joint is hot enough for solder, which is indicated by the iron starting to move into the joint. Apply the soldering iron and solder to the top part of the joint. Add more of the soldering wire to the joint as it melts.

• 4

  Expose one inch on the end of each wire by using a wire stripper. Twist the wires together using a lineman's joint, which begins as an "X" where the middle of the stripped ends cross. Twist the first wire's end along the length of the second wire until the first wire's end is completely wrapped around the second wire. Repeat the same process for the second wire end so that it is wrapped around the length of the first wire. The finished joint should not be much thicker than the original wire.

• 5

  Cover the joint with solder until the exposed wires are no longer visible. Wrap adhesive-lined heat-shrink tubing around the joint and heat the tubing with a heat gun until it covers the solder and the tubing begins to bubble out from the sides.

• 6

  Solder the ends of the extended wiring coming from the solar panels to a charge controller. The charge controller will prevent the deep-cycle batteries from becoming overloaded and should be stored adjacent to the batteries. The charge controller also has labeled inputs indicating negative and positive ports for their respective wires.

• 7

  Strip the ends of the wire coming from the charge controller's outputs. Expose three inches of the electrical wire to connect it to the battery bank. Wrap the end of the positive output wire from the charge controller around the first battery's positive terminal. Wrap the end of the negative output wire from the charge controller around the battery's negative terminal. Continue to connect the rest of the batteries using electrical wire, wrapping the terminal and exposed wire with electrical tape. Many solar power systems utilize a parallel circuit for their deep-cycle batteries, which has the advantage of doubling the amperage. Connect the positive terminals of each adjacent battery with each other as well as the negative terminals of each adjacent battery.

• 8

  Screw on the wires leading from the AC inverter, which are equipped with screw-on joints to mate with the battery terminals. The inverter will change the direct current (DC) from the batteries to alternating current (AC), which is the form that home appliances utilize. The voltage coming out from the deep-cycle batteries should also equal 240 volts. If the voltage is only 110 volts, stack two inverters together in a series circuit, which will double the voltage. A series circuit is wired by connecting one component's negative terminal to the positive terminal of the adjacent component.

• 9

  Plug the AC inverter into the appliances that you want to run from the solar panel system. Run an extension cord from the AC inverter if you set your battery bank up in a location where you cannot access the AC inverter's outlets from inside your home.