Got Sun? Go Solar: Get Free Renewable Energy to Power Your Grid-Tied Home

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by: Rex A. Ewing

Topics include: utility interactive inverters, maximum power trackers, utility interactive system, inverter output power, unit electrical cost, peak sun hours, inverter output circuit, maximum power tracking, hybrid residence, average daily irradiation, array tilted, combiner box, allowable withdrawal load, corrected load, maximum power voltage, array mounts, array output power, revenue meter, wiring efficiency, net impurity concentration, pumping height, tracking array, emergency loads, charge controller, ground fault detection

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

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

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 and Bolts: what to look for, what to avoid
- Who does the installation? - Extensive appendix with resources, manufacturers, sizing worksheets, glossary, and more

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.

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.

Great introduction to solar: This book is a quick read, and very informative as an introduction. The layout and progression of topics make it very easy to follow, and there is plenty of good, current information on how to get started on moving to solar power. Consultations with a couple of solar installers confirmed much of what I learned from this book to be true. The appendix and references are worth a lot on their own. Of course, you CAN find all this info on the web, but having it in one book to start out with is very handy. Just keep in mind this is NOT a how-to. The author's purpose is to make you aware of what you need to know before you call an installer, not to tell you how to do it yourself, which he discourages for several reasons which he lists. But he does show you how to size a system and give you a fairly comprehensive look at the different options and configurations that are available.

Excellent starting point on setting up solar/wind power: Interesting to read AND has useful information. With humor and spirit, the authors give information about solar power, wind power, and how to implement it for personal use.
They include:
-how solar power works
-the system behind solar power in a home, including costs
-remarks on the products they most recommend, including different portions of solar and wind systems*
-cost analysis
-things to look into prior to setting up a home system
*they include many brands -- they didn't seem biased.

I won't be getting a solar system (first I would need a home), but this book was a great source for information for those interested in solar power for themselves or just in interested in the topic, in general.