The Solar Power Journey Continued

As my research continues into solar energy and creating our own solar panels, as well as the option to purchase solar power kits, I have researched a number of different options.  There's a great list of top selling and highly rated solar panels on Amazon, as well as a variety of DIY kits available.  For our purposes, the kits are fantastic because my husband is very mechanically minded and can save a lot of money by making the panels himself out of solar cells.  For the extra ambitious engineer, there is even a wealth of information available on creating your own solar cells to start from the ground up.  Check my recently published Squidoo lens on DYI solar panels and top selling solar panels for more info.

1. Learn to Build Solar Panel Kit
2. Learn How to Mount a Solar Panel
3. Solar Panel Kits
4. DIY Installation
5. Basic Solar Panel Kit
6. Pre-Configured Solar Panels

Great Solar Power Option for Beginners

I recently learned of a type of solar panel that is basically "peel & stick" - Unisolar 128 Watt Flexible Solar Panel PV Laminate.
Great for metal roofs and RV's, etc.  It's a great value and definitely worth the investment.  Check out my Squidoo lens for more info.

Learning Solar Power

So Adam, my husband, purchased several solar panels for a few dollars from eBay to try and learn how to harness solar energy.  His first attempt was very successful and he was able to hook up three panels together into a circuit and light a light bulb as well as run our cell phone charger.  I was very impressed.  It was a small step, but a step in the right direction and proved that he knows what he's doing with solar panels.  I'm very excited to purchase more panels when we are settled in our own home.  Our goal is to run our lights and small electrical appliances off of a few solar panels to start.

Welcome to the Journey!

Recently, my husband and I decided to try to live "off the grid" and as self-sustaining as possible.  Unfortunately, this is a lofty goal and somewhat unrealistic at this point as we are currently renting a house and don't own our own home.  However, we are obsessed with research and making small changes now so that when we buy our first house (hopefully, this year!) we will be ready to make the big changes needed to really reduce our carbon footprint and live sustainably.

For the record, some of our goals include:

• Planting a vegetable/herb garden
• Canning fruits and vegetables
• Running a self-sustaining hot water heater
• Build a windmill for electric power (my husband as already built one so he is past the worst part of the learning curve)
• Composting

I started this blog to document some of the changes that we have made and are making and to track our progress as well as to share some insights and hopefully gain new knowledge and tips from others on this exciting topic.