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77 of 80 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An excellent book on solar power, September 1, 2009
This review is from: Solar Electricity Handbook: A Simple, Practical Guide to Solar Energy-Designing and Installing Photovoltaic Solar Electric Systems (Paperback)
As a newbie to solar power, I was worried that this book would be too technical for me, but I have been pleasantly surprised. I bought this book along with another one and this is definately the best for its clear descriptions, level of detail and general readability.
The book gives a lot of practical advice and from the very beginning it is obvious that the author knows what he is talking about. The book covers the subject very well and I feel confident that I will be able to install my off-grid solar electric system easily based on the practical experience shown in this book. The authors web site also provides a lot of really useful information including a superb project calculator that should be the first stop for anyone considering solar power.
Highly recommended.
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67 of 69 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Not really a handbook but a simplistic discussion., March 30, 2011
This book is not a handbook and not a "step by step guide". That is pure hype. It is more like an introduction but not a very good one. Buy the book you will learn a little but it is just not what is claimed. This book discusses the author's system, has some tips about obvious things like safety, keeping the system clean, etc., but lacks detail. Important things are left out. For example though the author mentions inverters several times you will wind up knowing little about the application of an inverter. The author says he did not put an inverter in his system but it is the inverter that converts the DC current from the panels to AC for your use. If you get only DC you need DC appliances. Inverters are a major component usually. There is no sense of authority in this book. There is nothing on the author's background either. This author mentions many things but you need more that a mention. To build a solar system you need to make many decisions. To even start to build a system you will need better details on panels and types of inverters, batteries, wiring standards, generator integration, different types and use of voltage controllers, etc. For example, this book says next to nothing about the construction, charging guidelines, characteristics of batteries. Other books and periodicals do. The author mentions different types of panels but mention is about it, little detail. Also 30 of the pages are just charting of solar panel angles at various locations in the U.S., Australia, England and Canada and this is of no real value unless you are in a RV or other mobile situation. You probably would just need the data for your location and that can be found on the internet or easily calculated. There is no glossary. About the term "Handbook". Usually a handbook is a guide with extensive data and methods to get the job done. The book lacks discussion of how the various components work. Showing simple labled blocks with connecting lines is just a start. You need graphs and charts about loads, discharging, overcharging, and so on.
Also there is a lot of empty space in this book, blank pages, partial pages, larger than normal top and bottom margins, spaces between subjects and the type is slightly larger than usually found in most books. The page count is, to me, misleading as to the amount of content.
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36 of 37 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A wonderfully direct and helpful book, July 31, 2009
This review is from: Solar Electricity Handbook: A Simple, Practical Guide to Solar Energy-Designing and Installing Photovoltaic Solar Electric Systems (Paperback)
I love this book! The information is unbiased and to the point. It explains what solar electricity systems are currently available and how they work. It lists the advantages and disadvantages of solar energy components and systems and walks you through how to select, cost, implement and maintain the best system for your needs.
It's associated web site provides nifty calculators which do all the complicated math for you.
It explains electricity and solar electricity so simply and concisely that I am planning to use it to teach my 10 year old daughter about electricity.
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