Would like to know if the DIY Solar panel systems can be as efficient as a commercial grade panel.
They can be if you are well educated and skilled in their assembly and working functionality, provided you obtain the same high quality grade cells and do proper assembly. Chances are good however that your first several may be just a little below par until you really get the hang of it and become well practiced just as the professionals are. Does take a considerable amount of grunt work however so figure if this is best use of your time or if you'd do better to earn at your regular work and pay a professional to do that which they do best.
I would like to go with commercial grade solar panels.
On my website you can read my story of how my dad made solar panels at home and now he pays nothing to the electric company.
What kind of panel are you talking about? Solar thermal, as in for hot water/room heating? Or photovoltaic? In the end its a matter of how good your DIY skills are and from what level of DIY you are talking about. eg, if you are buying the panels and installing them yourself, then there should be no difference. If you are fabricating the panels then you better be good at what you do. Creating photovoltaic cells is not a simple task. Soldering purchased cells together to create panels is tricky as they are easily damaged. Efficiency should not be a problem, but finish might be as well as robustness. It would be safer to buy complete panels and just mount them yourself and set up the batteries ans switch gear. But use good gear and follow instructions very carefully. With thermal panels you might not get the same levels of efficiency by using cheaper materials, std glass instead of non reflective for instance, but if space is not an issue, then you can get more heat out by going bigger and still save overall.
