Anyone who has been attracted to solar power and how it works has at one time or another thought of installing a system on their own home. One goes through the motion of reading up on as many articles and posts on forums as feasible, in order to get you up to speed on the subject. I, for one have been fascinated with solar power since I was a young (like 50 years ago!) and I'm still learning.

After you have figured out what type and size of system you need, it's time to begin selecting the specific brand and model of all the equipment and supplies you'll need to complete this project. Make sure you know who you are working with. In other terms, don't just go with one certain brand because it has a well known name. Bigger won't always mean better.

Once you've made your selections and have all the equipment, it's time to pull out the multi-meter and test each and every solar panel; do not just check a few, and figure the rest are the same. I've read of horror stories where this simple test was not completed, and ended up in having to disconnect all of the modules, and do the testing while they're remounting them back onto the module racking. Believe me; they did not enjoy doing it!

All solar module racking systems require their footings to be bolted to the roof, penetrating through to the roof joist. You must make sure to seal liberally around all of the bolts. It doesn't take much of a leak to cause a lot of damage. Also, make certain you have completed your homework in regard to positioning the correct angle at which you need to align your mounting racks to achieve the best light reception.

Next up on the agenda is to attach your solar modules to the racking system. This is another step you really must be careful with; depending on how your wiring needs to be set up, (whether all in series, parallel or a combination of both) check your voltage after every 3 or 4 panels to make sure all is well. While you are making all these connections, make certain you are running through each module, the bare copper wire you are using to ground the entire array. You would be surprised how many individuals overlook this very critical step!

Once you've made all of the proper connections, it's now time to take the final readings of your total array before the entire system connections are made. Only if you are very well versed in the field of electronics, any type of final wiring and hook up must be done by a either a qualified electrician (Journeyman) or as mentioned earlier, someone who is very familiar with and experienced in the field of electronics.

What you surely can do is physically mount the power inverter and disconnects where they will be easily accessible, and make a space available where the back-up battery bank can be located, if you are installing an stand alone solar power system.

And finally, be sure to remember to do all of your homework well before you get started, and take your sweet time with the whole project as it will pay off with huge rewards both emotionally and financially!