Expert Advice by: Sarah Gudeman, LEED AP, EIT,
Morrissey Engineering, Inc.
Location: Omaha, NE

Website: http://www.morrisseyengineering.com/
Phone: (402) 491-4144

Miguel asks: I am looking for a diy solar panel installation kit for my home. I want to do the job myself if possible is this crazy to do and what are the best kits for this if I want to install enough for 1 Mw of power? Is this cost effective? Thanks alot.

Answer: Miguel, I guess the question if you’re crazy to do it yourself really depends on the amount of experience you have in working with electrical wiring and how comfortable you feel around electricity. I for one feel like I would attempt almost any home renovation project if I had detailed instructions. Luckily we live in the age of the internet and there’s no lack of information when it comes to residential solar panels (including utility, state and federal incentive programs).

Even though you can’t expect to power your whole home off a solar, aka photovoltaic (PV) panel, if dabbling in renewable energy is something you’re interested in solar is definitely the way to go. Residential wind turbines have proven themselves a bit more over their small commercial counterparts (at least in my experience) and require less maintenance. So even though their power output has traditionally been less efficient on a cost per watt basis than wind, PV systems are quickly catching up and becoming a much more viable option.

Now on to the topic of a DIY panel… There are several options if you are just interested in experimenting. The Wattages of the diy kits are less than what you've inquired about, but are excellent for starters, and range from 60 Watt kits which can run a laptop for long periods of time, or 246 Watt kits which can easily charge a 12 volt car battery.

In terms of the size you indicated, I'm guessing that you must have a gargantuan roof if you’re planning a 1 MW installation. Also, if this is the case it totally negates my comment about not being able to power your whole house. For that matter, a 1 MW panel could easily power the LEED Platinum office building I work in as well. I’m starting to wonder if this was a typo, because 1 MW is a million watts. This is enough to power about 175 homes, or 20% of a 1.3 million square foot Wal-Mart distribution center (http://www.environmentalleader.com/2010/01/19/at-1-mw-wal-mart-completes...).

So now I’m assuming you meant 1 kW, which is enough to run a 20-inch tv for 20 hours, a portable stereo for 100 hours, a laptop computer for 40 hours, or a 12-watt compact-fluorescent light bulb for 80 hours (at my aforementioned office building we’re planning on installing a 44.1 kW PV system). But I’d be prepared to pay about $9,000 to purchase the system and pay fees to the utility company (assuming you’re tying this into the grid). And, this doesn’t include installation of course – which if you’re doing it yourself would require being able to read electrical drawings and do wiring.

But if you’re just looking to offset your carbon footprint, almost all utility companies include an option to buy renewable energy credits. This is a great way to support renewable energy without the threat of electrocution or incurring maintenance costs around the house. My local utility, for example, offers a tiered program depending on how much green power you want to purchase on a monthly basis:

· Supporter - $4.50/month - Represents powering your home for five days.

· Promoter - $7.50/month - Represents powering your home for eight days.

· Patron - $15/month - Represents powering your home for 15 days.

· Sponsor - $30/month - Represents powering your home for an entire month.

Advice provided by: Sarah Gudeman, LEED AP, EIT, Morrissey Engineering, Inc.
Location: Omaha, NE

Website: http://www.morrisseyengineering.com/
Phone: (402) 491-4144