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The Solar Electric House: Energy for the Environmentally-Responsive, Energy-Independent Home | 
 enlarge | Author: Steven J. Strong
Publisher: Sustainability Press
Category: Book
List Price: $21.95
Buy Used: $6.42
You Save: $15.53 (71%)
New (29) Used (26) Collectible (1) from $6.42
Rating:  10 reviews
Sales Rank: 88323
Media: Paperback
Pages: 288
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.3
Dimensions (in): 8.8 x 7.4 x 0.8
ISBN: 0963738321
Dewey Decimal Number: 697.78
EAN: 9780963738325
ASIN: 0963738321
Publication Date: January 1994
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: With pride from Motor City. All books guaranteed. Best Service, best prices.
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Product Description
Solar electricity is the direct conversion of sunlight into electricity by solar photovoltaic cells. It is a truly elegant means of producing electricity on site, allowing you to take control of your energy destiny and create your own lifestyle without concern for energy supply or environmental harm. No pollution, no by-products, no depletion of resources, these solid-state devices simply make electricity out of sunlight. Solar electricity is the ideal source of power for an environmentally-responsive home where it s a luxury residence or a rustic vacation retreat. With the right design, the sunlight that falls on your homesite will power your home. Your solar electric system can also be easily configured to provide on-site recharging of solar/electric vehicles allowing you to meet your transportation needs with renewable energy. The Solar Electric House will tell you everything you need to know to decide if photovoltaics are for you, including: Systems options and economics Stand-alone and utility interactive systems Descriptions of all key components How to determine your electricity requirements How to design a solar electric house
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| Customer Reviews: Read 5 more reviews...
 Dont waste your money its an antique August 6, 2007
Nigtomdaw (Spain)
7 out of 8 found this review helpful
Ive had this book 4 years it was out of date then. I recently bought The Renewable Energy Handbook by kemp which is far more up todate. 8 years in Solar Electrics is a lifetime, the equipment shown and discussed is fit for a museum,sure its solar electricy for the indepedant home, as a model t ford is for cruising the motorway,save your money!
 Basic but Dated November 10, 2006
D. Kinman (Houston, TX)
12 out of 12 found this review helpful
The book has all the basic knowledge about how the physics of solar energy works but the examples of solar arrays is out of date. There are many new products on the market which are not covered in this book.
History March 15, 2006
A. Thought
27 out of 33 found this review helpful
This book was valid in its time but it has not been revised in so
many years it is now history not technology. I returned it.
 Excellent Book on Solar Energy March 1, 2006
Greg W. Waugh
3 out of 12 found this review helpful
I am learning about solar energy and this book was written in a way that explained every detail clearly. I feel I could get my engineer's degree from reading this book.
Still Good November 27, 2005
J. E. Robinson
58 out of 58 found this review helpful
I bought this book in 2005, almost 20 years after the first publication of the book. I went through a couple of emotional phases while reading the book. First I thought this was a great book: it has so many practical details and insights. When I got to the part on system controls and routing the power, I realized that this part is probably fairly weak because of the passage of time. Then when I looked at a few other more recent publications such as The Renewable Energy Handbook for Homeowners, by Kemp published in 2003, I realized that the present book is still a solid investment for someone interested in solar-electric. A lot of the basic information is still valid and it is more a case of prices changing and some of the technology being a bit easier to use. I like the fact that the book just concentrates on solar. There are no diversions or philosophical discussions on wind power or similar to confuse the situation. However, if you are a homeowner and want to look at all the alternatives, I suggest the newer book by Kemp, but that book is a bit thin on solar-electric so the present book is still needed. Kemp has many good ideas on insulation and conservation. In any case, the present book is down to earth practical stuff on solar: how it works and how you install. So to make a long story short I recommend the book as a buy.
The book is written by Steven J. Strong an MA from Harvard and someone who has worked as a solar energy consultant before writing the book. He describes a number of his projects and they are scattered thoughout the book.
The book has 10 chapters and it starts with how photovoltaic (PV) cells were developed and how they are manufactured. He explains how the atmosphere itself absorbs some light energy. He explains the eficiency of the PV cells, and how to position the cells to maximize power. Then he goes on to explain the manufacturing processes in detail.
Chapter 2 covers the design of the system of cells, controls, and storage of the energy. Storage itself can be a simple idea such as pumping water into a holding tank from a well during the sunny hours, but usually it is more complicated and uses a battery system or returns the power to the grid for credit, if the house can be connected to the conventional supply system. He explains a lot of these details with references to geographic location, be it in Arizona, or New england, or on a mountain in Colorado.
Chapeter 3 is a lesson on how to wire the modules and arrays together so you can get the right voltage and power combination.
Chapter 4 covers batteries and power regulation. He has many pictures and tables showing availbale products. These of course must be updated with current products but it gives a starting point for the reader.
Chapter 5 is very short and covers power inverters and attachment to the grid. An inverter converts DC voltage from the PV cells into AC for the appliances as in a conventional home. Also it is needed for connection to the grid to get power credits. Finally, he presents some options for power back up generation.
Chapter 6 explains how to conserve energy and then how to match your requirements with the size of the solar system, i.e.: how to determine how much power you need.
Chapter 7 and 8 describe how to design a system connected to the grid, or to design a system completely standing on its own. He gives examples with photographs of existing installations and this includes seasonal variations in power generation.
The last two chapter 9 and 10 are on the actual installion of the components along with maintenance tips.
The book contains many photographs, charts, lists of suppliers for parts, and it has many example calculations on how the power is produced, stored, and what it costs. A lot of this information can be updated by the reader using the web.
This book is now a bit dated and the reader will have to update the information when buying parts, but overall it is still surprisingly good. 5 stars.
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