Believe it or not, you really can build your own solar panel system for your home. DIY solar panels are a good option for those who enjoy building things with their hands, and would rather put in some work on their own time instead of outsourcing a professional company to build and install their solar panels for them.

DIY solar panels definitely have their pros and cons. I’ll list out some of them for you to consider.

Pros of Building Your Own Solar Panels:

1. Saves You Money!

The most obvious advantage of using DIY solar electricity by building your own solar panel system is that it is going to save you a great deal of money off of your monthly energy bill. Exactly how much you cut from your utility bill is hard to say, because it depends on the size of your home, the size of your solar panels, and their efficiency. Most people cut at least 10% off of their bill with a small kit, and can end up eliminating their electricity bill by expanding their DIY solar panel system.

The really cool thing about a large solar panel system is that you may end up actually using less energy than you produce, and the electric company would end up having to pay you for putting extra electricity back into the grid. How awesome is that!?

2. Be Kind to the Earth!

Solar energy is one of the few energy sources on our planet that is 100% clean and limitless. Most electricity today is created by burning coal and other fossil fuels, which put harmful pollutants back into their atmosphere. Solar energy will never end, and will never harm the Earth.

Cons of Building Your Own Solar Panels:

1. It Can Be Difficult

If you don’t know what you’re doing, it can be really hard to find all the necessary parts, assemble them correctly, and then wire everything correctly so that you’re actually able to use the electricity that is produced.

2. You Have to Start Small

Unless you are extremely ambitious, you should probably start by building a small DIY solar panel system, which isn’t going to create a great deal of electricity. Although, you can always add on to it in the future.

Approximate cost of a DIY solar panel system: 0 or below. You can build a solar electricity system for under 0, easily.

Where to find the necessary parts and instructions: I suggest going with a good DIY solar panel guide. There are a lot to choose from, and most can be purchased online for about . I would recommend going with Green DIY Energy or Earth 4 Energy. Those are the two best DIY solar panel guides today. They have everything you need to get the job done right. I personally purchased and used Green DIY Energy; it worked well for me.