Due to the recent hot trend of “going green,” homeowners all across the US and the world are looking into building their own solar panels and generating all their own electricity. But you have to be careful when doing this, because there’s a lot of bad information out there about how to build solar panels, how much they cost, and how long they last.

The first, and biggest, myth of all is that solar panels are extremely expensive. This is only true if you buy them through a large company and get a professional installation service – if you do that, it might cost over $20,000 to take your house completely “off the grid”!

But if you do it yourself, it won’t cost nearly that much – there are 2 solid approaches you can use to get your own solar panels at much lower price.

The first method: you can buy broken or not 100% functional solar panels, on eBay, from the companies themselves, or by calling local stores and anyone else who has solar panels they need to get rid of (like the highway patrol!).

Why highway patrol? Well, solar panels are used along many highways in the US, and traffic accidents often result in broken solar panels – so this can be a great source for making your home 100% green. And it’s something not too many people know about.

The second approach: You can build your own panels by buying individual solar cells – either on eBay or from your local hardware store. Just search or ask for “chipped” or “broken” cells, and you’re in business. The advantage is that these cells are very, very cheap – but the disadvantage is that it will take a weekend or two to assemble everything.

The second big myth about solar panels for the home is that you can completely eliminate your electric bill with them, all the time. This is nice to think about, but the truth is more complicated than that.

One big problem with this is that not everyone lives in the ideal area for solar power – if you’re in Alaska, or your house is in the shade, you’ll have a tough time extracting much power from your solar panels.

Another problem is that you need hundreds or thousands of individual cells and many, many panels to completely power your house – you use thousands of kilowatts of energy each day, and the average cell just doesn’t produce enough to work very well.

However, even if you don’t make your electric bill vanish, you can still greatly reduce it. And if you build multiple solar panels or also use wind turbines, you really can take your bill to $0.

Another big misconception is that DIY solar panels break easily. It’s true that nothing lasts forever, but a properly constructed panel is more durable than you might think.

It starts with proper construction: prevent moisture from getting in by using silicone, and then use flexi-glass on the outside to prevent water, dust, and debris from settling on top.

And then there’s maintenance – you need to clean your panels, check the wiring, and clean out moisture at least once a year. Do this, and your solar panels will last for years and power your house long into the future.