Advantages of Solar & Wind Power

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

Expertise that one can understand, December 24, 2010

The pile of books on solar energy is high indeed. This book is usefully placed at the top of the pile. It is a perfect “first read” and overview of the topic of solar home conversion. It explains without technical jargon or overselling the options that a homeowner has in considering a solar installation to reduce heating costs in an existing or a new home. The authors have produced a book that makes the promise of solar energy bright and clear.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

A “Must Have” Source for Beginner or Pro Alike, August 10, 2011

Let me start off by saying, with no offense to Taunton Press who publishes some very nice material, but I really feel the book may be too narrowly focused at the residential market. The in-depth treatment of the many topics addressed could also provide an incredible resource to many, if not most, architects as well as anyone else who wishes to enter the solar energy field. One reason I say this is the order of topics in this book is excellent with the frequent reminder that energy efficiency needs to come first. Only then does Mr. Barber launch into more general discussion of solar energy concepts. In short, it has all the material I made sure to include when I was teaching courses and with only minor tweaks it would have made an excellent textbook had it been available to me 25 years ago.

No book can provide enough detail to allow a consumer to know each and every nook and cranny of a technology. For that reason the author was cognizant enough to provide sections on basic energy concepts such as heat flows and principles of solar energy including motions of the sun. These are essential for any thorough understanding of solar energy design since by applying these basics readers can then discern by themselves the hype from reality of any promotional claims. Particularly helpful are the many sidebars or single pages that deal with a specific topic in more detail. Some of these are labeled as “Tech Corner” and while they may go deeper than the casual reader might like, they provide the choice of more detail for those who wish to become professionals in the field. The many charts and tables were also extremely useful and I would have liked to see even more of them.

If the book makes any one fact clear, it is that solar energy for residential dwellings is actually a very broad topic as it covers not only domestic hot water, pool heating, space heating and cooling, electricity, daylighting and transportation but even solar ovens, dryers and water purifiers. This book clearly covers all of these areas-and more. While the vast majority of it concerns the bread and butter of solar hot water, space heating, pool heating and electricity production, enough information is provided to the reader to make them relatively well-informed on all topics.

An important role this book plays is as a myth-buster that demystifies what works from what does not or goes to the heart of why it may work but still not be the optimal choice. A good example of this is discussion the envelope home (on page 115) which is essentially a house built within a house that was popular in the late 1970′s and into the 80′s but still has proponents today. The author very subtly explains the principle yet is unafraid to point out the shortcomings of this design from safety considerations and inability to predict its performance.

Another concept brought up (on page 191) is where Mr. Barber brings up that “more” is not necessarily being better even when it deals with renewable resources. He provides what designers and consumers alike need to consider in a society that has lost its sense of “enoughness.” The lesson it infuses is “some is good, more is better but enough is best” which is well in line with the whole concept of diminishing returns as well as sustainability.