Self-contained temperature regulated solar powered dehydrator

[Nix]

Okay, just had a quick look at the links, thanks.

Two ways of looking at these basic kits.

a) stay well clear. Unless you are a keen DIY enthusiast, you're going to hit many a brick wall assembling this lot from scratch. The delicate cells and their connections must be soldered together in a suitable housing that is 100% sealed and protected against the weather and environment otherwise they'll break down in no time. You'll have to provide a heck of a lot more than you realise. Mate of mine who is a dab hand at DIY tried something like this for his boat and it worked, for a little while, and then it went tits up cos the weather got in just enough to start the corrosion. He spent a lot of time, effort and money and ended up regretting it. They are without warranty and I love the way they say "Good luck!" at the end of their summary!

b) great if you want to learn about solar panels from scratch and have a workshop and plenty of time and resources at hand. It will be a learning experience that perhaps, one day, will put you in good stead ie if you get a free panel cos it isn't working and you manage to fix it.

Whichever way, definitely go for the cheap kit first and see how the cookie crumbles. "Good luck!"