Solar Power in Building Design (GreenSource): The Engineer's Complete Project Resource (GreenSource Books) (Hardcover)

by Peter Gevorkian (Author)
Key Phrases: solar pathfinder, solar world, solar power cogeneration, United States, Los Angeles, Southern California Edison (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Design, Implement, and Audit the Most Energy-Efficient, Cost-Effective Solar Power Systems for Any Type of Building!

Solar Power in Building Design is a complete guide to designing, implementing, and auditing energy-efficient, cost-effective solar power systems for residential, commercial, and industrial buildings. From basic theory through project planning, cost estimating, and manufacturing methods, this vital resource offers you everything needed for solar power design success.

Filled with case studies and illustrations, this state-of-the-art design tool covers new solar technologies…design implementation techniques…energy conservation…the economics of solar power systems…passive solar heating power…and more. Solar Power in Building Design features:

Step-by-step instructions for designing, implementing, and auditing solar power systems

Expert guidance on using solar power in any type of building-from basic theory through project planning, cost estimating, and manufacturing

Complete details on Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), plus rebate procedures and forms

Inside This Cutting-Edge Solar Power Toolkit

• Solar power physics and technology • Practical guide to solar power design • Solar power design implementation • Energy conservation • Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) • Sustainable energy rebate • Economics of solar power systems • Passive solar heating power

About the Author
Dr. Peter Gevorkian, PhD (Glendale, CA) is President of Vector Delta Design Group, Inc., an electrical engineering and solar power design consulting organization specializing in industrial, commercial and residential projects. In the past several years, the company extended its expertise in the field of renewable energy sources such as solar power, fuel cells and micro-turbine cogeneration. Since 1971, Dr. Gevorkian has been an active member of the Canadian and California Board of Professional Engineers. He has taught computer science, automation control, and has authored several technical papers, in addition to the books Sustainable Energy Systems in Architectural Design and the upcoming Sustainable Energy Systems Engineering.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 476 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Professional; 1 edition (September 14, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0071485635
• ISBN-13: 978-0071485630
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.4 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 1.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #193,671 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Very Disappointed, May 3, 2009

By	Karl W. Gross "PE, Pilot" (USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The book is embarassing. I was looking for a reference text to update my knowledge of solar engineering, and what I got was a confusing conglomeration of project descriptions, uninformative, 'shallow' system descriptions, vendor data and pictures, green politics, and a lot of filler. The filler turned me off within minutes of cracking the book. Things like 25 plus pages of lat long data for cities around the world, and lists of 'sustainable energy suppliers and consultants' (that may have been useful when the book was published, but decays exponentially with time since.) The author presents 'facts' that are nothing but erroneous hyperbole representing political opinions rather than engineering concepts or application. Throughout the book, efficiency is a concept that no longer is mathematically or physically defined consistently. Thermal plants are inefficient because they obey the 2nd law (34%), but solar conversion efficiencies are not an issue (rarely approaching 20%)

Illustrations are simplistic, photographs are more artistic than technically illustrative. There are dozens of illustrations of how to bolt metal together or to roofs - none of which are useful. Entire sections appear to have been written for and lifted from 'gee-whiz' pamphlets or displays rather than an engineering reference book, things like information on half-flush lavatories and landscaping (pg 201) and museum displays and software to generate them (pg 78).

Look elsewhere for technically useful information. The net and a search engine will provide much more useful and current information. Luckily I still have my solar engineering course notes from the late 70s and because they provide much more useful information than this '...Engineer's Complete Design Resource.' Hopefully there is a good book out there for me, but this one isn't it.