Product Description

The Solar Electricity Handbook is a practical and straightforward guide to using electric solar panels.

Assuming no previous knowledge of solar panels, the book explains how solar panels work, how they can be used and explains the steps you need to take to successfully design and install a solar electric system from scratch using photovoltaic solar panels.

Accompanying this book is a solar resource website containing lots of useful information, lists of suppliers and on-line solar energy calculators that will simplify the cost analysis and design processes.

Why buy the Solar Electricity Handbook?

* The Handbook is a simple, practical guide to using electric photovoltaic panels.
* The book is suitable for enthusiastic novices and professionals.
* Clear examples, diagrams and example projects are given to demonstrate the true capabilities of these systems.
* The Handbook is updated yearly, providing a up-to-date reference for anyone planning to use electric photovoltaic technology.
* It is the most comprehensive book on solar electric systems available today.
* It is backed up by the most powerful online calculator tools available, to make your design and calculations as straightforward as possible.
* With comprehensive detail in the book for both North America and Europe, the Handbook provides you with information that is relevant to you and your project - whereever you live.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #5852 in Books
• Published on: 2009-06-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 150 pages

From the Back Cover
Solar electricity is a wonderful concept - take free power from the sun and use it to power electrical equipment. No ongoing electricity bills, no reliance on an electrical socket - 'free' energy that doesn't harm the planet.

Of course, the reality is a little different from that. Yet generating electricity from sunlight alone is a powerful resource with applications and benefits throughout the world.

But how does it work? What is it suitable for? What are the limitations? How much does it cost? How do I install it? This internet linked book answers all these questions and shows you how you can use the power of the sun to generate electricity yourself.

The web site that accompanies this book includes on-line solar calculators and tools to simplify your solar electricity installation, ensuring building your solar electric system is as straightforward and succesful as possible.

Now is the time to get on board with this exciting technology. Whether you simply want to learn the basics of how solar electricity works or if you are planning to install your own solar electric system, then this handbook will provide you with everything you need to know.

About the Author
Michael Boxwell has designed and installed a number of solar electric systems over a number of years.

Specialising in off grid electric applications, Michael has designed photovoltaic electric systems for projects as diverse as powering on-street vending machines to charging electric vehicles.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
93 million miles from Earth, our Sun is 333,000 times the size of our planet. It has a diameter of 865,000 miles, a surface temperature of 5,600°c and a core temperature of 15,000,000°c.

Directly or indirectly, our sun provides all the power we need to exist and supports all life forms. The sun drives our climate and our weather. Without it our world would be a frozen wasteland of ice-covered rock.

Solar electricity is a wonderful concept - taking power from the sun and using it to power electrical equipment is a terrific idea. No ongoing electricity bills, no reliance on an electrical socket - `free' energy that doesn't harm the planet!

Of course, the reality is a little different from that. Yet generating electricity from sunlight alone is a powerful resource with applications and benefits throughout the world.

But how does it work? What is it suitable for? What are the limitations? How much does it cost? How do I install it? This book answers all these questions and shows you how you can use the power of the sun to generate electricity yourself.

Along the way I will also expose a few myths and show where solar power may only be part of the solution - and although undoubtedly there are some significant environmental benefits of solar electricity, I will also be talking about where its environmental credentials have been oversold.

If you simply want to gain an understanding about how solar electricity works then this handbook will provide you with everything you need to know.

If you are planning to install your own solar electric system, this handbook is a comprehensive source of information which will help you understand solar electric power and a practical guide to projects you can undertake yourself.

If you are planning your own solar installation, it will help if you have some basic DIY skills. Whilst I also include a chapter that explains the basics of electricity, a familiarity with wiring is also of benefit - and essential if you are planning a larger project such as powering a house with solar power.

I will keep the descriptions as straightforward as possible. There is some maths and science which is essential to allow you to plan a solar electric installation, but none of it is complex, and there are plenty of short cuts which I'll cover which are invaluable in keeping things simple.

The book includes a number of example projects that are useful to show how solar electricity can be used. These range from the very straightforward - providing electrical light for an allotment shed or garage, to fitting a solar panel to the roof of a caravan or boat, through to installing photovoltaic solar panels to a house.

I also show some rather more unusual examples, such as discussing the possibilities for solar electric motorbikes and cars - showing what can be achieved using solar electricity alone with a little ingenuity and determination.

Throughout the book, I have used one main example throughout - providing solar electricity for a holiday home which does not have access to mains electricity. I've created this example to show the issues and pitfalls that you may encounter along the way. It is based on real life issues and practical experience.

There is a web site that accompanies this book, with lots of useful and up to the minute information, lists of suppliers and on-line solar energy calculators that will simplify the cost analysis and design processes.

Customer Reviews

An excellent book on solar power
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.

This is what a solar energy book should be!
"The Solar Electricity Handbook 2009" is a small size but very comprehensive book on solar energy.

Many of the existing books on solar energy just talk around the subject but do not give you any real substance. "The Solar Electricity Handbook 2009" is different: It gives you all the information you need in plain and simple English. It covers introduction to solar energy, designing solar electric systems (calculating solar energy, surveying your site, component selection and costing, detailed design, installation, trouble shooting, maintaining your system, etc. It includes 2 sections (10 chapters), a very detail "Table of Contents" so you can locate the information you need quickly, and very useful appendixes: Information on related support website, Table of Solar Insolation and Table of Latitude and Sun Height for most if not all of the cities in North America and the UK (I can even find the small city in California that I lives in on the Table), Typical Power Requirements for household and office appliances and devices, Information on Living Off Grid and Other Solar Projects, and a helpful Index at the end.

"The Solar Electricity Handbook 2009" has 150 pages and some simple and straight-forward line diagrams. It gives you most if not all the information you need to design and install your own solar system. It is what a solar energy book should be!

Gang Chen, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, Author of "LEED GA Exam Guide," "Architectural Practice Simplified," "Planting Design Illustrated," and other books on various LEED exams, architecture, and landscape architecture

A wonderfully direct and helpful book
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.