Power from the Sun: A Practical Guide to Solar Electricity

My favorite part about this book is that it is well organized and easy to read. The author doesn't spend any time trying to spin you around on jargon and really writes as a good teacher about just about every aspect of a solar power system. So far, it is the best book that I have found for getting started on understanding solar, and would certainly recommend it to anyone who has no idea where to start on solar, and even those who may, but are looking for another perspective or more detailed information.My only disappointment was the lack of complete system designs. The concepts are all there, but there aren't many examples of components that the author may have chosen and used. While this would certainly date the book and reduce it's relevance over time due to changes in technology, it would have made it a nearly complete guide to designing a solar power system. I had hoped that it would include more talk about specs of current components, to give a better idea of what kinds of specs one might look for and pair with, when designing a system of various sizes. While this may be unrealistic, I bet there are readers out there who might enter this book with a similar expectation.Overall, this book provided a great jump start into solar power. I would recommend it to anyone who thinks they may be interested in solar (whether DIY or professional installers), because it lays out the entire framework for a basic understanding of the components of a solar power system, without getting deeply into the jargon. If you're looking for jargon, you may find that it will take some additional research. So far, this is the best resource I have found.

Alright. Just finished the 1st chapter on my kindle and thought I was reading a forward because Dan keeps referring to himself in the third person and its tripping me out. I mean, who does that. "Dan likes to work with clients one room at a time", "as in all of Dan's books, this book contains a resource guide", "Dan encourages those who are building solar....." He's written a lot of books, I wonder if he does this in all of them. It's just down right annoying. I know he wrote the book so why does he have to make it sound like someone else is telling you his thoughts and opinions.4/14/11 Update: Just finished the book, and yes, the 3rd person thing is a little odd but it is a good book with easy to understand information about powering your house with the sun and the different options for doing so. It's definitely not a do it yourself guide, but doesn't claim to be. It's good at convincing reader that going solar is possible and a lot easier than one would think.

I bought this book because I was looking to educate myself about solar water heating. This book does not address hot water heating head-on. Instead, this book focus exclusively on generating electricity. However, I still enjoyed reading the book and because the two topics are so closely related, I was able to learn a great deal and this book really did help me pick a contractor to install a solar hot water system in my home. The book is readable, authoritative, comprehensive where solar PV systems are concerned, and quite helpful. And what a great topic. Hopefully more folks will do as I'm doing and actually save money and help reduce carbon emmissions at the same time.

The book seems quite in depth of a primer for understanding solar power systems, but I got the impression (several references to 'installation' in the description) that there would be information on installation. It wasn't only until the very last few pages that it touched on installation and it was a list of questions to ask an installer. Truly sustainable home building should be accessible to DIYers, not just professionals (otherwise, it lacks a certain sense of sustainability in that people are unable to be self-reliant). I'll have to look elsewhere.

A good primer on Solar. I bought it for my daughter who is entering the solar industry.

Great book for anyone novice to expert. I am a retired multi-skilled technician with an extensive background in electronics and electrical fields. I found this book very informative for anyone interested in finding out more on solar panels and/or practicle installations. One can choose to get in great depth or just fundamentals. It is a great book.

Enjoyed reading this book on the modern trends and possibilities of Solar Energy.

This book has alot of very helpful and basic material that will help the first time person looking to install a PV array what is involved. I highly recommend the book to anyone that wants simple to understand answers to what could be a confusing topic.

Dan Chiras with R. Aram and K. Nelson have written a very detailed, easy to understand, thorough book about getting started with PV solar .Well done, and comprehensive,I bought this as a valuable reference.Almost everything you need to know to make an informed decision before going solar, and then how to do it.Well worth the money.

Great Product!!