Books/Information for solar beginner?

BsrlinMAZ
BsrlinMAZ Registered Users Posts: 4
Can anyone recommend some books and/or other sources of information I can use to educate myself about using solar energy for my property? Not sure yet whether it will be completely off-grid, or a combination...but I need to become better educated about all things solar before I make decisions like that. So far I have bought the following book, which I rcvd. a few days ago:

"The New Solar Electric Home" by Joel Davidson & Fran Orner - from aatec Publications.

Anyone have an opinion about this book, and/or recommendations for other sources I should look at? Thank you for your time and assistance.

Comments

  • SolaRevolution
    SolaRevolution Solar Expert Posts: 410 ✭✭
    Re: Books/Information for solar beginner?

    Photovoltaics: Design and Installation Manual
    from : Solar Energy International
  • westbranch
    westbranch Solar Expert Posts: 5,183 ✭✭✭✭
    Re: Books/Information for solar beginner?

    read a bunch of the threads in this forum... "solar beginners". there's more than enough to answer your questions
     
    KID #51B  4s 140W to 24V 900Ah C&D AGM
    CL#29032 FW 2126/ 2073/ 2133 175A E-Panel WBjr, 3 x 4s 140W to 24V 900Ah C&D AGM 
    Cotek ST1500W 24V Inverter,OmniCharge 3024,
    2 x Cisco WRT54GL i/c DD-WRT Rtr & Bridge,
    Eu3/2/1000i Gens, 1680W & E-Panel/WBjr to come, CL #647 asleep
    West Chilcotin, BC, Canada
  • BsrlinMAZ
    BsrlinMAZ Registered Users Posts: 4
    Re: Books/Information for solar beginner?

    Thank you for the replies and information...yes there is a lot of information in this forum.

    Thank you for your time and assistance.
  • Photowhit
    Photowhit Solar Expert Posts: 6,002 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Re: Books/Information for solar beginner?

    Not sure what your options are, or what your interests are...

    ...but, I like to suggest reading 2 magazines, Mother Earth News, not what it once was, but a good idea generator, and Home Power, for someone who is getting serious about installing.

    As to books, for those interested in 'Off Grid Solar' typically look at minimalist living, I love "Twelve by Twelve" the story about a 60ish Lady Medical Doctors, 12x12 cabin that she lives in in rural North Carolina. Really more about the writer taking refuge in the cabin and his experiences dropped into a minimalist lifestyle. Not sure there even is a solar aspect to this...

    Farewell my Subaru, is an intersting book and has more solar aspects. If your in central Missouri I'll give you my copy.

    Assorted blogs about off grid living, Leland Dirks has/had an interesting one heres a gateway but I can't seem to get there, either down or perhaps limited access due to my neighbors wifi I'm using...
    Another is http://www.aselfsufficientlife.com/ this guy make a living via the web, but has interesting article on chest freezer conversion and solar, and links to other blogs at thebottom of the page.
    Home system 4000 watt (Evergreen) array standing, with 2 Midnite Classic Lites,  Midnite E-panel, Magnum MS4024, Prosine 1800(now backup) and Exeltech 1100(former backup...lol), 660 ah 24v Forklift battery(now 10 years old). Off grid for 20 years (if I include 8 months on a bicycle).
    - Assorted other systems, pieces and to many panels in the closet to not do more projects.
  • inetdog
    inetdog Solar Expert Posts: 3,123 ✭✭✭✭
    Re: Books/Information for solar beginner?
    Photowhit wrote: »

    Assorted blogs about off grid living, Leland Dirks has/had an interesting one heres a gateway but I can't seem to get there, either down or perhaps limited access due to my neighbors wifi I'm using...

    Apple took down their MobileMe and mac.com email and web hosting offerings back around July, changing everything over to iCloud.com. It is possible that Leland was not able to move his content, or possibly he just failed to update the link on that Gateway.

    A Google search did not show up an alternate site, but there is a Facebook page which may be more up to date. But there do not appear to be any new links to The Hermitage (his off-grid home.)

    Why Apple keeps the servers up but not responding in any useful way, not even with an explanation, is beyond me.


    AHA! Listening to a web interview with Leland, I hear that the entire blog content, but in forward chronological order, is available in book form (ebook or print-on-demand) from Amazon.
    SMA SB 3000, old BP panels.
  • Photowhit
    Photowhit Solar Expert Posts: 6,002 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Re: Books/Information for solar beginner?

    Leland Dirks has some books out, Hermitage based books are about his off grid place. Some kindle editions are free for amazon 'prime' members and I think you can join amazon prime for free for 30 days (I did a couple years back, so I don't know currently) and other are cheap, not sure if they are worth buying, I don't buy much new.

    I had a Mac + back in the day, Apple had lots of neat ideas and their systems just worked (I was in printing, photoshop was Apple/Mac only for the first 2 editions) Now it seems they are more about marketing and reselling others ideas, Ipod was a 'Creative' idea and tablets have been around for a while, ...
    Home system 4000 watt (Evergreen) array standing, with 2 Midnite Classic Lites,  Midnite E-panel, Magnum MS4024, Prosine 1800(now backup) and Exeltech 1100(former backup...lol), 660 ah 24v Forklift battery(now 10 years old). Off grid for 20 years (if I include 8 months on a bicycle).
    - Assorted other systems, pieces and to many panels in the closet to not do more projects.
  • BB.
    BB. Super Moderators, Administrators Posts: 33,431 admin
    Re: Books/Information for solar beginner?

    Here is the post with a bunch of books in the FAQ thread.

    -Bill
    Near San Francisco California: 3.5kWatt Grid Tied Solar power system+small backup genset
  • BsrlinMAZ
    BsrlinMAZ Registered Users Posts: 4
    Re: Books/Information for solar beginner?

    Thank you again for all the replies and information. Sorry I did not find the list of books in the FAQ myself...should have hunted more before posting.
  • Photowhit
    Photowhit Solar Expert Posts: 6,002 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Re: Books/Information for solar beginner?

    Since your still around I might also suggest checking out catalogs of a couple retailers, I would have PM'd you the info in respect for our sponser, but you have choosen not to have a mail box here. ...Backwoods solar doesn't compete with NAWS in price or service. They have a catalog online that has some good basic info in the begining, it was valuable to me when starting out in the 80's and 90's.

    http://www.backwoodssolar.com/images/BW_Catalog%202012-RP.pdf

    Also if you run across a Realgoods catalog, it might be worth picking up to read through. I don't think they have published it in the last 10 years....
    Home system 4000 watt (Evergreen) array standing, with 2 Midnite Classic Lites,  Midnite E-panel, Magnum MS4024, Prosine 1800(now backup) and Exeltech 1100(former backup...lol), 660 ah 24v Forklift battery(now 10 years old). Off grid for 20 years (if I include 8 months on a bicycle).
    - Assorted other systems, pieces and to many panels in the closet to not do more projects.