Solar Electricity Handbook: A Simple, Practical Guide to Solar Energy: How to Design and Install Photovoltaic Solar Electric Systems

Interested in solar electrical systems and how the different elements all fit together and work? YOU NEED THIS BOOK. It explains all of the various components and how they work in plain, simple, non-technical language. I have spent mucho dinero on many other books on the subject, but still had a lot of murkiness and confusion going on. This book did it for me, and I have not even finished reading it yet. For clarity and simplicity, this book cannot be beat! If you plan to self-install or just need to understand what you need and why you need it, this book will help you greatly. Thank you Mr. Boxwell!

A wonderful and a very good information book especially for the people who want to know and to learn about the pv panels.

This is a very useful guide for anyone wishing to install a solar system in a number of special situations. It is written primarily from the viewpoint of a user in Great Britain, but the author is quite knowledgeable also about applications and circumstances in the United States and other parts of the world. He discusses a number of applications from stand-alone systems for powering remote sites to home systems that tie into the grid. He discusses thoroughly the selection of system components, even discussing in great detail battery life and the sizing of cable. This book is written for the layman and is light on mathematics and easy to understand. I would recommend it for anyone who is contemplating installing a solar system. It provides perspective on what is currently possible with present day systems and in enough detail to design and generate a cost estimate for realistic systems.

I am not sure what some of the reviewers are talking about with this book. There is LOTS of information and diagrams, etc. I am finding it really good reading, with relevant information. It seems to be a book that rides in the middle of the information pack. Not too simple, and not too complicated. For me, it is covering all the important data for a successful off grid system.

The book has just right information regarding solar electricity- its fundamental and how to size and install a system. Anyone with a little technical background can understand and follow the book easily. It illustrates real world solar electric design. Its online tools are very helpful. And if you provide your electricity needs, the online tool size the system for you. I would recommend this book anyone who is interested in solar elctricity.

This is a good summary primer on Solar Energy and the various ways it can be captured. I think it is realistic and does not promise the world or hype the idea too much. it is written at a summary level, so this is not the place to go to learn how to wire up your own system. However, it did for me exactly what I wanted before making a solar decision. With the aid of this book it also equips one to be able to converse in the vocabulary of this process if you are talking to solar providers -- who do the hype thing. This book helps you cut through all that.

Very good for those new to the field, simple straight forward explanations, (but little on the engineering behind it). However it lacks the latest technologies (particularly in regard to batteries), components available commercially today (not laboratory wow projects). Written in the UK so be prepared for that. Not a DIY guide nor a career guide nor any how-to from actual commercial builds. It is in its 6th year of publication, a best seller, provides an excellent web site by the author.

Very good for people getting into the solar electricity world. Whether you have a deep understanding of electricity or you have basic knowledge, this book will guide you towards the right system for you. The calculations are given in an easy to understand way and just make sense to the reader. Everything you need to know to get started and build an effective system is right there.

Gostei muito do livro. Atendeu completamente as minhas expectativas. Didático e de fácil leitura, entendimento. Poderia expandir as tabelas para regiões da América Latina, mesmo que com referência a algum site on-line.

This book was bought by someone with some a very basic understanding of electronics and no solar experience. Project number one was to connect up the shed with a good light and have a power source for low voltage items such as irrigation pumps. The book explained what equipment was needed and how to put it all together. Sourced the bits online, measured everything out and had it fitted in a couple of hours. This is a proper lighting system not something you would buy in a kit for £20. It was very easy to do and all made sense. The key was that the book told me what I needed to get. Project number two is to specify a full blown off grid system overseas. I feel confident that this book would help me work out how to do a basic survey of the site, work out the power needed and put together a list for a nominated grown up to do the install. Some of the authors online resources are excellent in helping out with this. Overall it is a great guide for understanding solar and for getting hands on with smaller projects.

This is an outstanding book for those wishing to enter the world of renewal energy. After reading this book I would feel very comfortable purchasing and installing my own PV system at home. The topic is broken down very well and the types of systems Grid Tie, Off Grid, etc. were very clearly presented. Each building block of the PV system is very clearly explained and the benefits and limits of each are made clear. This is great for selecting hardware. This book is required reading for anyone interested in a home PV system and should be read and understood BEFORE going online and checking out vendors, products, and contractors. One should be able to tell how honest the vendor appears to be and what type of equipment I should be considering. The author spends considerable time to help the reader set reasonable expectations about the capability of one's solar installation. Time well spent and time the reader should study thoroughly. One comment for the 2016 version, I think it would be well to comment on the existence of the Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition and their evaluation of solar-panel manufacturers on a range of environmental and worker-safety criteria. (http://www.solarscorecard.com/2014/) I know it is a bit controversial but we need to think about it. (Actually I am a electrical engineer and I work for a small electric utility. This book was a starting point for my research on PV systems and how we can implement them for our customers and ourselves.)

A great overview of solar installations for the novice to the scientifically literate enthusiast. A good read with great website resources to support the book.

Starting from the basics, the book is well written to conclude on designing projects. Key influencing factors have been used well to educate the road to project development. Pictorial usage of referenced components would be good to have a feel of the product appearance. A reference to working principle of solar cells i.e. Is it the wavelength of sunlight (if yes, then what range) or heat from the photons or any other factor which effects the electric generation in cells would be really helpful.