Customer Reviews

Power with Nature: Alternative Energy Solutions for Homeowners

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Wow, I can only say I wish Rex Ewing had written Power By Nature five years ago when my wife and I were first planning our great escape to the mountains of Colorado. Our house site was a long way from the nearest power line, and we hated the idea of seeing power poles go up on our peaceful mountaintop. But when we started looking into solar and/or wind power, the literature available at the time was so technical, we felt like we'd need an engineering degree just to read the book. I'm pretty handy, but we finally gave up and, as Ewing so drolly puts it, turned ourselves over to Planet Power. If we'd had his book, I think we might have made a different choice, because he explains everything clearly and simply, gives you lots of practical advice on what to do and how to do it, and best of all, because he and his wife have done it already, he makes you confident you can lead a normal life with all those normal necessities we all have to have - from computers to VCR's and freezers. With no more bills to pay from the power company. Even more amazing, somehow Ewing manages to make even the most technical parts fun to read. There are plenty of anecdotes and stories, and the book starts off with a modern-day fable that will put a smile on your face. We're recommending this book to all our friends plotting escapes of their own - it's must reading!

Obviously some reviewers couldn't get past the fable at the beginning of this book. If you enjoy a good yarn, read the fable. Rex is a great storyteller. If you only read for the nuts and bolts, skip the fable. Rex covers the nuts and bolts, in detail. He has a wealth of hands-on personal experience with solar and wind systems. That makes for more useful descriptions of how to do stuff, and more honest appraisals of whether you need to. This is real-world experience talking. Learn from his mistakes. Rex has an engaging, folksy way of explaining highly technical stuff that's easy to understand, and fun to read. He covers everything you need to know about, whether you're off-the-grid, or selling your excess electrons to your friendly local electric utility. Lots of great pictures, graphics and sidebars to keep it interesting. This is one of the best, maybe THE BEST, renewable energy intro book available.

Rex Ewing's Power with Nature was the only book we needed to tell us how to power our vacation home in Costa Rica. Our home is about ten miles from the nearest electrical lines and we had decided to do solar electric. I prepared myself mentally for plowing through a bunch of technical details and began reading. I was pleasantly surprised. In addition to telling you all the nitty gritty about power, this book is witty and fun to read, quite user friendly. After reading Ewing's explanation of the different options for off-the-grid power, we decided on a roof-top solar array with a bank of batteries in the basement. Here in Costa Rica there is plenty of sun in the dry season. But in the rainy season we get lots of rain and the streams are all full. That's a problem because the cloudy conditions mean less solar energy. So we decided to supplement the solar with a water-driven Jack Rabbit turbine--something we didn't know existed before reading this book--in the stream that runs behind our house. I'm a complete dunce about electricity and my husband is just as bad, but Ewing's book tells it all in a way that even we could understand. We did exactly what he said and, guess what? Everything worked, just like it did for Rex and LaVonne. If you want to learn about alternatives to traditional forms of power, or do like we did and actually build it yourself, I highly recommend Power with Nature.

First, I want to give this book an extra star - I award it 6 out of 5 stars, it's that good.
The book itself gets off to an unusual beginning. The fable style takes you by surprise at first then, as you persevere everything clicks into place. That fable provides background for the rest of the book which is exactly what the author intended. To have a book that, by necessity provides technical information, yet lets you read it without even considering a lack of a science degree is a critical success factor.
This book is immensely useful and readable... and enjoyable. Whoever says conservation and science are stuffy subjects needs to have this book to reverse their view.
My wife, Mary, and I are going to retire to a home with solar and wind energy. We know that will be daunting task. Rex Ewing's book provides enough to remove the fear and trepidation of our plan. Thanks to you Rex and your wife LaVonne.

The author does a terrific job at filtering out the complexity of the issues surrounding wind, hydro, and solar energy yet there is enough detail to give a solid foundation. There is great 'real world' advice that people will find useful. I borrowed this book from the public library and then ordered a copy for my personal collection.

This book really clarifies the rather confusing world of components, electrons and energy. Power with Nature explains what all of the renewable energy components are, why you might need them, and then how to plug them together if you choose a renewable energy source. For example, in one of the many detailed chapters, Ewing explains the difference between inexpensive, modified sinewave inverters and the more expensive sinewaver inverters. The explanations are easy to understand and the book is enjoyable. (I laughed as I read the fable; it was such a nice change from the rather dry technical books of the past.) The appendix is also very helpful with all of the worksheets and tables.

This book is useless unless you find it helpfull to have someone tell you, "We bought a XBC Z-95 system for our cabin and it works just great!"

You will not, I repeat NOT, "be entertained by Cat of the Wind; Dog of the Sun-a primer charmingly disguised as a fable," as one editorial reviewer puts it. Somehow the author has got it into his head that a story is a great way to convey technical info. (Keep in mind this story is written by someone with no creative writing skills.)

The same reviewer continues, "And you'll be enlightened by page after page filled with practical, hands-on information...." Perhaps they reviewed another book by mistake. 'Hands-on information' implies that you would be able to build your own system after reading this book. At best, you might be able to pick up the phone and order your own system.

I guess it's great that one no longer has to build a home power system from scratch. But this book will only be useful for those who have several thousands of dollars to spend and require some very basic info. in order to make an informed purchase.

I'm sure people have said this before, but for the second edition, the author should have dropped the 75 page story at the beginning. I'd rather have a book which takes up less room on my coffee table or have more quality content. This is a general overview of renewable technologies and doesn't offer much more than you can find in 10 minutes on the internet. With that being said, if you are looking for a place to start with renewables, this might be it. Just don't be disappointed if it leaves you wanting more.

If you are confused by the components, their arrangement and connections, this is the book for you. The story in the beginning is a bit silly, but it does serve it's purpose - to anchor concepts in your memory. It is worth enduring. You will get a decent background in components and terminology from this book, very readable, and an excellent introduction to RE.

I just finished this book and I am glad to have bought it!
The author takes things down to the basics so that an 7th grader could even understand it. He brought the material in a very easy to read manner and knew what he was talking about.
The best thing that I find about this book is that he tells you what he and his wife actually have on his log cabin home. He doesn't just know the knowledge and made a book from it. He built the book from experience and that is why this book is a perfect choice for somebody who is interested in PV/Wind systems.