Warning about "build your own solar panel" scams

[garybeck]

hello folks

After seeing and researching through a few of these "build your own solar panel" websites, I want to urge extreme caution to anyone considering spending even $1 with these. They are virtually ALL SCAMS.

A few months ago these ads were all over the place, through Google ads and others. I sent several complaints to Google, and I'm sure other people did too. They seem to be waning a bit but they're still around, and many of the websites that support the scams are sitll up.

I have read all kinds of outrageous claims, like for just a couple hundred dollars you can start running your meter backwards, or get most of your power from solar. This is pure BS! There is no way. Even if you got all the materials to make your solar panels for free, you still need an INVERTER to connect to the power company, which will cost you at least $2000. In order to sell power to the power company, youwill need to use UL listed equipment and your homemade panel will NOT be UL listed. Even if you don't want to sell power back, you still need an inverter to get AC power and there is no way anyone is going to build their own inverter unless you're an electrical engineer.

I could go on.

This is clearly a case of "if it's too good to be true, it probably is."

You might be able to build your own solar panel as a hobbyist and get some power from it to run a fan, charge a battery, or something like that. But to power your home? No way, it just isn't going to happen. Anyone claiming you can do something like this for a "few hundred dollars" as some of these ads claim, is blatantly lying. Even if someone handed you free solar panels that were UL listed, that would only be about half of your system and the rest would cost several thousand dollars.

Don't waste a dime on these scams. Most of them will just send you a book and you'll find it to be useless. There are even some of these scammers here on this forum posting on threads and sending private messages. Don't bite.

[MAX-SOLAR-POWER]

It is not that easy to make a decent solar panel that can last as long as the factory assembled ones.

[Aussie Bob]

Right on Gary. I agree with you 100%.

http://diysolar.com/

That's a great site.

[garybeck]

Right on Gary. I agree with you 100%.

http://diysolar.com/

That's a great site.

Hey Bob, yes, that site is a prime example of what I'm talking about and it should be shut down for fraud. Anyone who knows anything at all about solar would laugh at the claims, like this on their home page:



That is nothing short of a blatant lie. Even if someone gave them 100 free solar panels, they would still have to spend at least 3 to 4 thousand dollars on an inverter, disconnects, and installation by a qualified electrician before they could connect to the power company.

So BEWARE everyone, this is not just exaggeration. It's FRAUD and LIES and don't waste a penny on these guys or anyone else making similar claims.

[lile001]

DIY Solar Panels

I and a buddy had a great amount of fun making two small solar panels with DIY cells off of Ebay. It was worth the cost of a handful of those DIY cells and an old window. However, when it came time to test them, my panel registered half the power of his. They were made from the same batch of cells, all soldered well, same kind of glass. This high variability made me wary of doing any more - and the tendency of my homemade projects to early failures made me leery of investing any real money in the idea. OTOH, I have a nice 18V 24 watt panel, that may end up on a little fountain pump or at a solar fair or something. His will be used to top off batteries when he's camping. It certainly wouldn't do to make a whole roof full of these - too much risk of failure and too much labor.

[buxer]

Hey Bob, yes, that site is a prime example of what I'm talking about and it should be shut down for fraud. Anyone who knows anything at all about solar would laugh at the claims, like this on their home page:



That is nothing short of a blatant lie. Even if someone gave them 100 free solar panels, they would still have to spend at least 3 to 4 thousand dollars on an inverter, disconnects, and installation by a qualified electrician before they could connect to the power company.

So BEWARE everyone, this is not just exaggeration. It's FRAUD and LIES and don't waste a penny on these guys or anyone else making similar claims.

I agree with you guys. But I also found one website, where the author wrote his "story" of how he with his dad build solar panels without applying to any professional companies. What do you think of this? It looks legit... I can't believe that is a fake story! Here's the website: *diysolarelectricity.org
Your opinions??

[ DO NOT post clickable links to scam sites ] - Mod

[Mike90250]

I agree with you guys. But I also found one website, where the author wrote his "story" of how he with his dad build solar panels without applying to any professional companies. What do you think of this? It looks legit... I can't believe that is a fake story! Here's the website: diysolarelectricity.org Your opinions??

Total rip off

The grammar is "off" (the father, when talking about his own dad)
The parts described (PV, battery, charge controller) do not reflect a GT system
3 or 6 panels will never zero out a normal USA electric bill
DIY panels will never be approved for Insurance or Grid Tie installs
DIY panels seldom last more than 5 years on a rooftop.

I could con on, and on, but it's a rip.

[garybeck]

total BS

I agree with you guys. But I also found one website, where the author wrote his "story" of how he with his dad build solar panels without applying to any professional companies. What do you think of this? It looks legit... I can't believe that is a fake story! Here's the website: *diysolarelectricity.org
Your opinions??

[ DO NOT post clickable links to scam sites ] - Mod

that site is just as bad as all the other scams. just because it is disguised as a personal story about a guy and his dad makes no difference. You can't do it. Period. Where did they get an inverter? Did they tell their power company that they were doing this or did they just hook it up without telling anyone (illegal in most states). there's a photo of a guy installing a module on the page there. I would bet $100 that is a manufactured module, not home made. note there is no mention of an inverter. I sent him an email to ask if he built his own inverter or if not, how did he connect his panels to the grid? note, you have to size your array string to the particular inverter, you can't just get any old inverter or build something and connect your panels to the grid and add more whenever you feel like it. I doubt I'll ever get an answer from this person who probably doesn't even exist. it's total BS.

[green]

It's a shame that there are so many scammers out there. Building your own panels and small systems like water pumping, fans, solar thermal heaters, lights is awesome fun for a tinkerer like myself. It's my hobby, so any money I spend isn't so much an investment as it is an expenditure from my hobby budget. I'm not saving a dime with my systems, quite the contrary actually. The only thing that "saves" me any money is the fact that I can build a small 10, 20, 30 Watt panel for way less than a factory one costs. People may argue that a factory built panel will last way longer but the thing is, at that Wattage the products are WAY overpriced.

So.. for me it is a hobby and great fun. People that think they can power their house with a DIY system are crazy or high or just plain stupid.

[SunEagle]

It's a shame that there are so many scammers out there. Building your own panels and small systems like water pumping, fans, solar thermal heaters, lights is awesome fun for a tinkerer like myself. It's my hobby, so any money I spend isn't so much an investment as it is an expenditure from my hobby budget. I'm not saving a dime with my systems, quite the contrary actually. The only thing that "saves" me any money is the fact that I can build a small 10, 20, 30 Watt panel for way less than a factory one costs. People may argue that a factory built panel will last way longer but the thing is, at that Wattage the products are WAY overpriced.

So.. for me it is a hobby and great fun. People that think they can power their house with a DIY system are crazy or high or just plain stupid.

Green

I agree with you that when you are only talking about low wattage panels the DIY is probably the less expensive way to go. It is a learning process and I would expect kind of fun to do.

Unfortunately some people are crazy to think they can make even big wattage panels for less than factory yet have the same quality as the factory. They learn the hard way.

[garybeck]

It's a shame that there are so many scammers out there. Building your own panels and small systems like water pumping, fans, solar thermal heaters, lights is awesome fun for a tinkerer like myself. It's my hobby, so any money I spend isn't so much an investment as it is an expenditure from my hobby budget. I'm not saving a dime with my systems, quite the contrary actually. The only thing that "saves" me any money is the fact that I can build a small 10, 20, 30 Watt panel for way less than a factory one costs. People may argue that a factory built panel will last way longer but the thing is, at that Wattage the products are WAY overpriced.

So.. for me it is a hobby and great fun. People that think they can power their house with a DIY system are crazy or high or just plain stupid.

like i have been telling everyone that asks about this for years, DIY is great if you are experimenting, having fun, learning about solar panels, or putting together a small system to charge a small battery and run a light bulb for your garage or something like that. For these applications, YES!. But for powering your house, it is a complete waste of time and every single website or book that claims you can do it is a complete fraud.