Solar Power Your Home for Dummies

Want to take advantage of solar power in your home? Whether you’re looking to save on your energy costs by adding a few solar components or you want to build a solar-powered house from the ground up, Solar Power For Dummies takes the mystery out of this energy source and shows you how to put it to work for you!
This friendly, hands-on guide is packed with tips for making your home more energy-efficient though solar power—and helping the planet at the same time. You’ll see how to survey your home to determine your current household energy efficiency and use, and evaluate where solar power would best benefit you. You’ll also calculate what the return on your investment will be before you make any decisions. Once you’ve decided on a project, you’ll see whether it’s best to hire a contractor or do it yourself. We leave no stone unturned—you’ll also discover how to:

• Choose and install your best solar system
• Handle small to large solar projects
• Heat and cool your house with solar energy
• Install exterior solar lighting
• Handle swimming pool, water heater, or ventilation solar projects
• Create greenhouses or solar rooms
• Build, buy, or sell a solar home
• Finance your solar investments
  
• Take advantage of tax rebates and incentives associated with solar power
  
• Avoid the worst solar mistakes
  
• Featuring ten of the easiest and cheapest do-it-yourself solar projects,

Solar Power For Dummies is the fun and easy way to meet your energy needs with this clean power source!

Path To Affordable Solar Electric Power & The 35% Efficient Solar Cell

Today’s commercial solar cells only convert 15% of the sun’s radiant energy into electricity. However, 35% efficient solar cells are real. They were first demonstrated in 1989. Today, these high efficiency cells have replaced the silicon solar cells on satellites in space. However here on earth, we are still using 15% efficient cells. High efficiency means higher power and eventually lower cost. This book goes beyond a description of today’s baseline solar power systems to describe innovations in high power density photovoltaics that have occurred in the last 15 years. As a first example, an array of these high efficiency cells can be combined with an array of low cost plastic lenses to produce cost competitive solar electric power. As a second example, since this 35% cell efficiency comes about by stacking a visible light sensitive cell on an infrared sensitive cell, the new infrared cell can now be used in furnaces to generate electricity at night along with heat for ! your home. In addition to describing these technical breakthroughs in clear and simple terms, this book also describes the path from research breakthrough to high volume production emphasizing the cooperation required between government and private enterprise. Given this cooperation, solar cells are no longer just toys but can be a major contributor to the electric power production mix within the next 10 years.

Renewable Energy Made Easy: Free Energy from Solar, Wind, Hydropower, and Other Alternative Energy Sources

This book has everything you need to know about alternative energy sources. You will become well-versed on the availability, aesthetics, environmental and social considerations, and longevity issues of these so-called soft energy technologies. This book will serve as a guide to more efficient buildings and an invaluable resource for how to change our preconceived notions about power. The complexity and scientific terms have been taken out, making it easy to understand. Ultimately, you will learn how our country can improve energy efficiency, reduce oil dependence, improve energy security, and reduce the health and environmental impact of our energy system.

Consumer Guide to Solar Energy: New Ways to Lower Utility Costs, Cut Taxes and Take Control of Your Energy Needs

Consumer Guide to Solar Energy is a must for those who are tired of power brownouts and blackouts, skyrocketing energy bills and the feeling that there is nothing we can do to help resolve these problems ourselves. Don”t wait for utility bill sticker shock to worsen, or sit through another power outage or energy disruption. The new edition of this guide can help readers seize their own destiny, become more self-reliant and use the available technology to make their homes more comfortable and their power bills more affordable.