Summaries and Customer Reviews are supplied by Amazon.com

Average Customer Rating:

got sun, go solar	Customer Rating:
i liked this book. i learned some things from it. this book was worth the money (i think).

Great exploratory book.

Customer Rating:

I was thinking about making the move to solar so I decided to purchase this book and do some online research. This book does a great job explaining how solar works and what you can expect with respect to wattage from a solar array based on the size of the array, where you live, time of year, etc. It explains the different types of solar installations and helps you decide which one is best for you. It also shows how to pursue local, state and federal tax incentives to help offset the costs of purchase and installation.

Entry Level Reading	Customer Rating:
Well written, a good first-step book on home solar power. Recommended for those who are curious. The real work will begin later.

To be fair...read on...

Customer Rating:

To be fair, I have not read this book. Why 5 stars? The book is a for-profit venture by the author, so recovery of time, effort, & energy is important for revenue reasons. So why write this review? After spending nearly 12-18 hours perusing AMAZON's book list on solar energy and photovoltaic systems, I was frustrated! None of the reviews on any single book seemed to be convincing enough to make me want to buy. For instance, none of the reviews mention how the books address the National Electric Code, specific wiring and disconnect installation information, electrical and other safety hazards, inspection issues, etc. For a DIY'er, these books seemed a waste of time, never mind the fact that some reviewers insisted they actually DIY'ed just from the book. It then occurred to me that dozens of resources that I had used over the past 10 years - with the exception of 2007 due to extenuating circumstances - many resources are available for free from our fantastic .GOV, .ORG, and .EDU sites like Sandia Nat'l Labs, NREL, NMSU, and CA.GOV. Folks, before you start buying books on PV left & right, be smart and leverage what your fine tax dollars paid for! I have to admit - I believe it's just stupid searching for good PV technical, installation, and detailed literature on a For-Profit Bookstore when so much is already available online for Free. Folks, use your head - our government and academic labs pioneered this from federal tax dollars. Hence, much of it is public domain! (REPLACE all "?" with "." in the following website links.) nabcep?org nmsu?edu/~tdi/index?html photovoltaics?sandia?gov and energy?ca?gov - just to name a few! Of course, if you're just not Internet savvy, not an engineer/analytical A-type personality, and highly resourceful, plus you'd rather prefer to kill trees buying a book instead of leveraging online resources that are 100 times more than what's on AMAZON, and most likely don't have the wherewithal to DIY, go ahead. It will be amazing to see how many are simply duped by the thousands of new "get rich quick" companies and businessmen entering the renewable energy markets.

This One Shines So Brightly

Customer Rating:

There's a lot of books on solar out there since we're finally starting to catch a clue that this world is running out of non-renewable, polluting, energy resources in a ever increasing energy hungry planet & people. It's been shining and keeping the planet alive for 4.5 billion years, puts out tons of energy everyday, doesn't go on vacation, or take breaks, should keep shining for as long as already has and it's energy is absolutely free! We just have to be smart enough to know how to capture and store all this free energy. That's where this book becomes a valuable tool. One of the highlights of this book is the experience of the authors. Doug Pratt is one of the founding fathers of Real Goods, known as Gaiam now. Real Goods has to be one of the worlds leading retailers of natural, renewable, & Earth-friendly products. They're one of the first places to consolidate & sell solar panels to the public back in the early 80's. Both Doug & Rex Ewing have lived on & off-the-grid in passive solar houses for years. Together they have more than 30 years experience in this field. This book is a great starting place if you have been interested in solar & wind power, yet it's a great reference book for the experienced too. Very easy to read, lots of great photos & diagrams. This book also has a very extensive appendix with tons of resources and references for further exploration. I'm glad I bought this book. I've studied lots of books on solar and wind power, but this one is one of my favorites, due to it's ease of use, knowledgeable authors, great layout, excellent references & resources. The costs of these systems are not cheap initially, and you want to make sure you do the right things right, and install the system that meets your needs. This book even tells you how to recoup rebates, shop for the best prices on solar panels and apply for tax credits(important for most folks, unless you are filthy rich and throw money away) If you're thinking of going solar or wind powered, this is a must have, and you don't have to wear sunblock. (unless your installing your system) ;-}