Today, many people are turning to alternative energy. Using DIY solar power or commercially available solar power helps you cut down on all your electricity bills and, even more importantly, become environmentally friendly. Producing electricity through Solar Power has become easier and easier since it was first discovered.  A lot of people are looking information on the pros and cons of solar power.  Solar power has been around for decades but with the huge costs involved and the lack of proper information, it's been limited in use. Now with the unlimited information available on the Internet, gathering information on solar power, solar cells, cheaper solar products is easy. There are three important factors that need to be considered when getting started with DIY solar power.

1. First, ask yourself how you would like to use Solar Power.  This could range from a portable system that can be broken down and taken camping, boating, traveling, a light duty system to power an RV, cabin or a workshop, a home system that is not tied to the circuit breaker (called as off-grid system), or a home system tied to the circuit breaker (called on-grid), alternatively with or without backup power.
2. Second, you'll need to find out how much power your solar system needs to produce.  This is based on the amount of watts used in a particular house or the power consumed by devices to be used. This may also vary according to the usage. To know how much power is consumed, just calculate the total units for each of the electrical appliance available in the house or look at the current electrical bill for a mention of total consumption  (listed as KwH or Kilowatt Hours). This will help you decide on the amount of electricity to be generated through your solar power system, which will also help determine the total number of solar panels required and the total number of batteries to produce the required amount of electricity.
3. Third, consider the cost. Remember, cost, quality and time do not always play nicely together. You can usually have 2 of these factors, but not all three.  If you learn what is required and do the work yourself, you will SAVE A LOT OF MONEY. The other option can be shelling out some extra money and get a person who has knowledge in solar power installation to have the work done in short order.  If you are interested in doing the work yourself, then use a set of instructions on how to build solar panels and then follow up with a recommended guide to ensure all of the pieces come together.  For those who wish to hire a professional contractor, start with a web search within your locality and do not forget to check the credentials on that particular contractor. You can also find rebates offered by the federal government and maybe even your local city.