Product Description

A straight-talking book tells grid-connected homeowners how to use free energy from the sun and wind to reduce or even eliminate their electric bills, and what to expect from this independent, thoughtful lifestyle. Whether you live in the sun-soaked Southwest, or windy North Dakota, alternative energy has come of age with affordable modern technology. Now with rebates and incentives from most states, installing a home system is an economically-attractive and environmentally-responsible option. Chapters include: - Why invest in alternative energy for your home? - Is it legal and safe? - How solar electricity really works - Batteries or not? - Sizing a system to fit your home and your needs - Got Wind? - What does it cost? - Does your state offer rebates or incentives? - Permits, Paperwork and Financing - The Nuts & Bolts: what to look for, what to avoid - Who does the installation? - Extensive appendix with resources, manufacturers, sizing worksheets, glossary, and more

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #223584 in Books
• Published on: 2005-06-15
• Released on: 2005-06-15
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 160 pages

From Booklist
Learn a new vocabulary! Take a refresher course on the electrical power of the sun and the wind! Although the enthusiasm of renewable-energy experts Ewing and Pratt might get a bit wearing, they've developed a nontechnical reference and guide for home owners thinking about pulling the plug on their utility connections. In fact, after a look at the table of contents, the appendixes just might be the right place to start figuring out whether photovoltaic panel installation makes sense geographically and financially and which states offer rebates or incentives. A host of resources is also offered. Sidebars (e.g., special meter or no?) and trivia (e.g., the watt is named after its Scottish-born inventor) plus numerous charts, illustrations, and anecdotes help demystify the science and math. No windy authors here. Barbara Jacobs
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review
GOT SUN gets it right. Clear and concise, all the information needed by anyone who wants solar or wind energy. -- Jeff Wolfe, Global Resource Options

GOT SUN gets it right. Clear and concise, all the information needed by anyone who wants solar or wind energy. --Jeff Wolfe, Global Resource Options

About the Author
The authors know firsthand how these systems work: Rex Ewing, author of "Power With Nature" and "Logs, Wind and Sun," has lived off-the-grid in the Colorado Rockies since 1999; and Doug Pratt, former technical editor of the "Solar Living Sourcebook," lives in a northern California grid-tied home and has been on the front lines of the renewable energy revolution since 1985.

Customer Reviews

realistic, practical guidance
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.

Got Sun, a great first book.
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.

Good Start
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.