BUILD 3 GREAT SOLAR PROJECTS: Plans, Instructional Videos & Self-Reliance

Welcome Solar Projects Enthusiast!

Want to build your own useful solar energy projects? You’ve come to the right place. I’m Steve Maxwell, course creator and instructor, and this popular course of mine uses video, plans, instructions and illustrations to teach you how to build three outstanding solar projects. Each design is simple enough that any handy person can build, with detailed, field-proven plans that make all the difference. The three solar projects in this course include:

• SOLAR GENERATOR: make electricity without fuel or noise.
• SOLAR FOOD DRYER: preserve fruits, vegetables and meat without electricity.
• SOLAR HEATING: learn to warm your home and domestic hot water.

This course works, too! Many people around the world are building their own solar projects right now using this video course and you can, too, risk-free. All my courses come with a money-back guarantee. Examine the course risk-free for 90 days and if you’re not completely satisfied just let me know. I’ll refund your money and you get to keep the course.

Interested in Building a “Gasless” Solar Generator?

This is one of the most popular of the three projects in the course, so I want tell you about it in detail here. A solar generator is just one of three projects you can build with this course, and it’s quite popular. It’s a portable device that creates and stores emergency power directly from the sun. I’ve been teaching people to build their own solar generator from high-quality components since 2016, and folks love the energy independence these things provide. You can read comments and see photos below from one of many people I’ve helped build their own solar generator. Whether you enrol in the course or not, you’ll find valuable information about building your own solar generator coming up.

Not up to building your own solar generator? Click to learn more about factory-built solar generators.

Solar Generators: What Are They?

Solar generators are an up-and-coming portable energy technology that lets you make modest amounts of electricity without connection to the utility grid and without burning any fuel or making any noise.  They generate power from the sun to charge a battery, with a built-in inverter transforming that direct current power (DC) into a usable form of alternate current (AC) for plug-in appliances. Solar generators need no fuel and they just keep on working without oil changes or tuneups. Think of them like small, portable, self-contained versions of the kind of photovoltaic system off-grid people might put in their homes. It’s a great idea if you want to get into solar power, but there’s a problem.

These days a lot of companies are selling ready-made solar generators that sound great on paper, but don’t necessarily perform well in real life. I know because I’ve checked out the situation closely.  This article shines a light on the most common deficiencies hidden by some of the companies that sell-ready-made solar generators, and it explains some of the typical design limitations and false claims you’ll find in plain language. I’ll also tell you about the build-it-yourself solar generator I designed that delivers much more value for the money. I have no reason to recommend the specific components  you’ll read about here. They’re simply the best I know of for this kind of project.

Solar Generator Problem#1: Ready-made models often deliver way too little power

Some of the most heavily publicized solar generator models I’ve seen claim 1800 watts of output. That sounds impressive, but there are two problems with the claim. First, 1800 watts is not that much power. One measly toaster oven uses 1500 watts; a water well pump needs more than 2000 watts on start-up; even a simple coffee maker needs almost the full 1800 watt output.

The second problem is that an 1800 watt rating says nothing about how long a factory-built solar generator can deliver that much power. Most can’t sustain their rated maximum output for more than 30 minutes. What good is an 1800 watt solar generator when it won’t cook more than a couple of pans of bacon or make a pot or two of coffee before dying? There are ways to do better, but you need to understand how. The output of a solar generator is a function of the size of inverter it’s equipped with. 2000 to 3000 watt inverters work well for build-it-yourself solar generators. The Go Power GP3000HD inverter shown here is one I recommend for people taking the solar generator course.

Solar Generator Problem#2: Many ready-made models recharge way too slowly.

The claim to fame of solar generators is that they need no fuel, make no fumes and create no noise. This is completely true. Trouble is, when it comes to ready-made units it’s only a half truth. What the sneaky sales pitches never explain is how long it takes to recharge the internal batteries in the solar generator so you can use it again. For example, if you make a pot of coffee and fry a pan of eggs, many solar generators will be dead until it recharges again. The crazy thing is, it will take 9 or 10 hours in full sun to make that recharge happen. Many ready-made, factory-built solar generators take at least 15 times as long to recharge as they do to deplete. The problem is the solar panels that come with ready-made units are way too small. Although it’s less convenient to have a large solar panel, the bigger the panel the faster the recharge time. The trick is to make your panel easy to disconnect from the solar generator unit when you want to move it. The Windy Nation adjustable panel mounting system shown here is one of the items I recommend for my build-it-yourself solar generator design.

Solar Generator Problem#3: Ready-made cost much more than their components.

One of the slippery tricks of solar generator marketers is to talk about them as a black box, revealing nothing about what goes on inside. But the fact is, there’s nothing technologically new or innovative about a “solar generator”. It’s a marketing term. Solar generators are nothing more than a combination of four components the world has had for a long time. These include a photovoltaic panel to make power from the sun, a battery to store that power, a charge controller and an inverter to change DC to AC power. The thing that interests me about building my own solar generator is that you can mix and match the best quality components from reputable manufacturers and keep spare parts on hand. The cost for high quality components is roughly 60% to 70% of what you’d spend buying a ready-made unit.

Solar Generator Problem#4: Most ready-made models can’t be repaired

While it’s true that manufactured solar generators include the four main parts I mentioned, they’re combined in a way that stops you from fixing them. One part breaks and you’re toast. Not only do you not have power, but you’re out a pile of money.  The really valuable part of building your own solar generator from parts is that you know the system inside out. It probably won’t break if you use good components, but it if does go down you’re the best one to fix it. Building something is always the best way to become an expert on fixing things.

Lack of expandability is also  related to the lack of repairability. When you buy an ordinary, ready-made solar generator you can’t upgrade the inverter, you can’t add a bigger battery, nor can you increase the photovoltaic surface area or install a better inverter. The Renogy Rover charge controller shown here is an excellent option for a build-it-yourself project. The design even increases battery life by modulating the charge current. This is one of many examples of how off-the-shelf, brand-name components can offer the best quality, reliability and performance. With a little bit of hands-on assembly work, you’ll end up with a much better solar generator than anyone can buy off the shelf.

Building a solar generator isn’t the kind of project just anyone can tackle, but if you’re handy and interested, it’s a great way to get better energy performance and security at a better price than ready-made units. This week I’m offering a special on my solar courses. Get all three mini-courses at a 65% discount off individual prices. This trio is a great way to get small-scale experience with solar energy. The courses leave you with three useful energy projects, and it’ll give you the experience needed to see if you’d like to equip your home with a larger off-grid energy system.

PORTABLE SOLAR GENERATOR is one of three projects you can build with this course. The solar generator section of the course includes detailed plans and materials lists, 5 instructional online videos, a reasonable price and money-back guarantee. My design has been built by hundreds of people around the world and all the construction decisions have been made for you. Specific component recommendations plus tips on wiring and construction make it easy to succeed.

This is the most complete set of plans and instructions in the world for building your own solar generator, plus two other projects. It also comes to you without risk. Examine the mini-course for 90 days and see for yourself. If this guide doesn’t deliver full value, just let me know. I’ll refund your money and you get to keep the guide.

Click here to learn more.

TESTIMONIAL FROM SOLAR GENERATOR COURSE LEARNER, Bill Vye

The diagrams, instructional videos and written instructions in Steve Maxwell’s Build Your Own Solar Generator course were very helpful for understanding and constructing my own generator.  I tested the unit, charged the battery and had a”eureka” moment when it produced 110 volt power from the sun.  Hopefully hurricane season on the east coast will not press it into service, but if so, it’s ready to go.  

Bill Vye – Bedford, Nova Scotia, Canada

Here are some photos Bill sent me of the solar generator he built from my mini-course. And don’t forget, you get this course plus two more solar energy courses with this course package.

Click here to download the BUILD YOUR OWN SOLAR GENERATOR video course risk-free.