Good grief, I had no idea what those guys charge for that! I thought the photovoltaic shingles looked cool and blended in well, but besides the price, my roof isn’t at a very good slope to get the best effect. Turns out the solar shingles are most efficient when the sun strikes the photovoltaic cells perpendicularly (if that’s a word). I’d be paying a small fortune and not even get the full effect.

Solar power panels seemed like a good plan since they could be set to match the same angle as the latitude of my house. That way the sun’s rays would hit at close to a 90 degree angle to the solar array most of the year. I could even have them adjustable to track the sun over the seasons if I wanted to produce the maximum electricity. But once again, I was looking at thousands and thousands of dollars and it would take years to pay off with the savings on my electric bill.

Then I found this guide that showed me how to build and mount a photovoltaic system myself.

Before I downloaded all this information, I didn’t really know a whole lot about how electricity is produced from solar energy. I mean, I’ve seen all those small panels powering roadside signs, and a few houses and businesses with them, but I really had no clue about how they work. Turns out they’re not all that complicated. I learned so much my neighbors think I’m some kind of expert, and maybe I am!

The parts I needed were fairly cheap and easy to find. I got everything I needed from Home Depot, eBay and Craigslist. Some of it was even free!

I did hire an electrician to do the final hookup to the electrical panel, but I did the rest myself in a few weekends. I saved thousands of dollars, it looks great and it’s already starting to pay for itself. I started small, but I think in a few months I’ll go back and add some more panels. If I put up enough to produce more electricity than I’m using, the meter will start to run backwards and my utility company will actually pay me. Sweet!

I’m pretty sure that if I can do this so can you. I’m a retired school teacher, so you definitely don’t need to be a professional handyman to get this done.

Click here to learn more about the complete training system I used.

Good luck and have fun!

Grid-tie systems are the most common type used by businesses and homeowners and are connected to the utility network. Grid-tie systems offer the benefit of selling unused energy back to the local utility and it is possible to receive incentives from government programs. An inverter is used to convert the DC current into AC current and the unused energy can then be fed into the grid to be used on cloudy or stormy days.

Off-grid systems are stand-alone and are designed as remote or back up applications. A set of batteries is required by these systems to store electricity to be used during cloudy periods.

Hybrid off-grid systems work much the same way as off-grid systems. However, instead of storing excess electricity in batteries, gas powered generators or wind power is used to supplement electricity shortages.

Whatever application you need, there is a photovoltaic roofing system that can be used to cut electricity costs and take advantage of abundant solar energy.

Photovoltaic roof shingles mount directly on the roof structure in the place of asphalt shingles. They not only produce electricity but also offer the same protection as traditional shingles. The photovoltaic cells are made of amorphous silicon and once installed look like ordinary shingles. A typical PV shingle can produce 17 watts each day under full sun. The greater the area of your roof covered with PV shingles the more power the system will generate. The system is connected to the utility grid through an inverter and produces electricity on the customer’s side of the meter. By finding out how much electricity you would like to produce, you can get a good estimate on how much you need covered with PV shingles. A good professional can help with this process as well as ensure proper installation of the system, which you can then benefit from with little maintenance for years to come.