Customer Reviews

Got Sun? Go Solar: Get Free Renewable Energy to Power Your Grid-Tied Home

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I've lived off-grid with a PV system long enough to recognize how realistic and practical Rex's books and magazine articles on solar living are. Now preparing to build on property already furnished with grid power, I wondered whether a grid-intertie system was a good idea or if it would turn out to be just a costly indulgence of my renewable-energy philosophies. Now that I've met Rex and LaVonne, visited their PV-powered home, and read this book, I'm convinced that there will be no regrets.

Where I live there are apparently no financial incentives, other than net metering, for grid-intertie installations. This book points out that many states and localities do have quite attractive incentive programs and suggests ways to find out. If you live in such a place, lucky you! Go for it!

"Got Sun? Go Solar" doesn't provide all the information you'll need. There are too many variables: personal preference, budget, climate, local politics and attitudes, and so on. Rex and his co-author, Doug Pratt, have instead compiled a guidebook with enough technical background to understand the nature of grid-intertie technology plus resources (many on the Internet) where you can acquire the rest of the information you need.

Don't be concerned that this will be dry reading. The only "dry" is the humor that fills the book. In the world of PV energy there are many funny stories and you'll get to read some of them.

I bought the Idiot's Guide and this book.

This book covers actual equipment and actual costs, a big plus
for me. I liked the technical information, maps, diagrams and
illustrations. You can find enough information in this book to
get started. It is complete enough that it may scare some people
into hiring a contractor to do the work.

There are some important technologies coming in the field of
solar cells. A friend builds satellites, and told me of PV
cell efficiencies of up to 26% and higher coming soon. Couple
this with the world wide shortage of PV cells, makes prices high
now.

All in all, you should have this book before you buy solar electric equipment.

If you are interested in solar power, then this book will get you started. It is a quick read and it will answer a lot of questions you might have at the very beginning of your journey towards a solar-powered home. Is it going to answer all the questions? No. But it will answer your fundamental questions, and after reading this book, you will know what questions to ask next.

This book is a quick read, and very informative as an introduction. The layout and progression of topics make it very easy to follow, and there is plenty of good, current information on how to get started on moving to solar power. Consultations with a couple of solar installers confirmed much of what I learned from this book to be true. The appendix and references are worth a lot on their own. Of course, you CAN find all this info on the web, but having it in one book to start out with is very handy.

Just keep in mind this is NOT a how-to. The author's purpose is to make you aware of what you need to know before you call an installer, not to tell you how to do it yourself, which he discourages for several reasons which he lists. But he does show you how to size a system and give you a fairly comprehensive look at the different options and configurations that are available.

Nice Job!

Are you connected to the grid but seeking independence from high energy bills? Looking to harness solar and wind power? Plenty of other books have surveyed the benefits of renewable energy or systems; but this is one of the few to add simplicity into the formula to make it possible for novices to convert. Chapters tell how to power an existing grid-tied home with renewable sources and how to make the conversion at minimum expense. From understanding a home's big energy wasters and how to contemplate either doing without or doing with less to sizing a system, obtaining permits for installations, and considering the pros and cons of manufacturers, Got Sun? Go Solar is a winning guide: specific where others just generalize.

Interesting to read AND has useful information. With humor and spirit, the authors give information about solar power, wind power, and how to implement it for personal use.

They include
-how solar power works
-the system behind solar power in a home, including costs
-remarks on the products they most recommend, including different portions of solar and wind systems*
-cost analysis
-things to look into prior to setting up a home system
*they include many brands -- they didn't seem biased.

I won't be getting a solar system (first I would need a home), but this book was a great source for information for those interested in solar power for themselves or just in interested in the topic, in general.

This book is an easy read and very informative about solar photovoltaics. And the price is right. It's written in layman's English so you won't get tangled up in highly technical jargon. There is also a chapter about small scale windpower. This book will tell you that 95% of solar PV installations are grid-tied and why. Yet it also discusses battery backup systems as well.
There are easy to follow diagrams for both grid-tied and battery backup systems. Of course some of the information has changed due to newer solar panels, inverters, etc. If you are considering a PV system on your home or just want information on PV systems, I would heartily recommend this book.

So you want to GO Solar - well this book is a good start. It will help you learn the questions you need to ask of yourself, family, and contractor (if you use one). Do not expect this or any book to answer every question - it won't happen.

Just what is a PV System? What do off-grid and grid tied mean - what is a KW vs MW? Do you know how much power that toaster uses? What about your microwave?

Get this book, read it, learn from it, but remember just be you Got Sun, you shouldn't Go Solar. This book will help supply you with the knowledge to decided if it is right for you.

I am very new to solar technology, and have found this book to be extremely helpful. It is very detailed in the proper areas, and is also a fun read. The authors have thrown a bit of humor into it as well, to keep it interesting. Reaserching this subject on the Internet is not only time consuming, but you have to determine who is being truthful, and who is only claiming they have the best. Without this book, my head would still be spinning attempting to determine who is being honest.
I highly recommend this to anyone wanting to learn more on this subject!

Prior to reading this book, I was not very knowledgeable at all regarding solar power for a home. This book was written so that I (a novice) could pick it up and learn the basics to build a solar powered, grid tied system on a home. Great book for a beginner to intermediate.