Photovoltaic Design and Installation For Dummies 1st Edition

I'm coming at this as a homeowner and generally handy person who's up for a bit of a challenge, wanting to install my own PV system on the roof of my Southern California home. There seem to be a lot of books on solar power that are just kind of informational and theoretical and don't really to tell you how to actually plan & install a system in a hands-on practical way. This is one of the few that actually aims to do that.Looking at a finished PV system sitting on someone's roof, it is kind of deceptively simple. And the nuts and bolts of installation are not that hard, if you can do electrical work, it's not that different from any other kind of electrical equipment installation. BUT. The planning and understanding the components is really quite a challenge. The equipment has very unique properties. You have to analyze your electrical needs, survey the site and it's solar potential, understand the impact of the daily and seasonal workings of the sun and weather, figure out if you want batteries and how much battery power you need, and understand the main components, the solar panels themselves, the charge controller, the inverter, and the circuits and safety provisions. Sizing all the components. Permitting and nuts and bolts hardware installation. The book covers all of this, for the most part, in an organized, disciplined, and reasonably thorough manner.In fact, the book seems to have even higher goals than mine, which is just to plan, install, and manage my own home system. This book is also overtly aimed at those interested in becoming a professional PV installer. You'd be pretty well grounded in that goal having thoroughly absorbed this book, along with some experience actually installing some systems, I think.Is it perfect? No. For one thing, it's a "For Dummies" book so the introduction and organization are, frankly, kind of ridiculously repetitive. He tells us what he's going to tell us about 7 times - not exaggerating - before he actually starts the telling. And then at the start of each chapter, he tells you what he's gonna tell you another two or three times for good measure. Tiresome. This book is not really for dummies wanting to get a little basic information. True dummies, I think, are not going to be installing their own PV systems. It's for people with some ability who want to become experts.There are a few things that could simplify things for a lot of people. Yes, it's good and necessary to be able to analyze someone's electrical needs by going around to each appliance and light and electrical load and checking it's wattage and the owner's usage patterns. But there's an easier and even more accurate way that most solar pros make use of, which is to simply check the past electrical bills for average daily, monthly and seasonal energy consumption. That's not an estimation, that's hard data. And you're gonna want to do this even after you do a load analysis just to double check your work. Sure, newly constructed buildings won't have past electric bills. But a lot of cases certainly will. But absolutely no mention of this tactic is made in the section on load analysis. Really odd.Next, I would have liked to see some representative, carefully chosen, very specific examples of actual completed solar installations to illustrate in concrete terms the main types of installations (grid direct, stand-alone battery, and grid-connected with battery back-up.) How they were sized. The specific components used. Photos of the installations. That would have been immensely helpful in seeing how all the separate steps are brought together to a completed whole. There's nothing like that. This leaves all the separate chapters on various stages of the planning and execution seeming still theoretical and somewhat abstract.There's not a single actual photo in this book. The diagrams and charts are fairly good. But not enough.On balance, this is still a very good book with most of the critical theory and information in one place that you are absolutely going to need to do a proper PV installation. Are you really going to be ready to immediately plan and build a PV system? Probably not quite. But you'll have a very thorough grasp of what all the considerations are.

This is the best of the half dozen books I have read about solar electricity generation. All the other books I have read teach you about solar systems in general but don't give you enough of the nitty gritty nuts and bolts details to actually put one together. This book literally tells you what nuts and bolts are needed.After having read the book I'm more excited about the info in the book than the prospect of actually being a PV installer. The trade sounds like a challenging if not overwhelming combination of electrician, electrical & electronic engineer, roofer and contractor.All signs indicate that PV has a bright future hardy har so for those who wish to get into the trade this is an excellent place to start and probably all the book learning you'll need.

Written in easy to understand, informal style, the book is enjoyable, written by someone who obviously has lots of expertise with the subject. There is endless practical advice for installers, with all the technical details and code-specific information to install virtually any kind of residential PV system.I purchased this book on Kindle. While the diagrams all translated fine, I would recommend purchasing the physical copy. I say this because this book was written primarily for people looking to become a professional installer of PV systems. If that is not what you are looking to do, I would caution that this book may not be the best fit for you. (I personally purchased it to make myself knowledgeable enough to install my own system. It is probably over-kill for that purpose) As a professional/repeat installer, there are several sections/tables/equations which you should have ready access to for easy reference. The Kindle edition is not built for that kind of thing.Overall, a great resource for the person who currently knows little about PV systems who wants to become extremely knowledgeable about this exciting renewable resource.

Easy to understand most of it and apply it to our decision to go solar. It pointed out important limitation of sun-energy production at night and during winter…and it is a good place to start if you want to install solar for a living…Only drawback…technology changes fast

This is an excellent introduction to solar power. It is very well written by a man that obviously knows his subject. It is lucid and yet apparently comprehensive. I have a hard time getting my head around many principles of electricity, but Mr. Mayfield gently nudges me along with illuminating analogies and precise, simple and understandable language. I have tried other books on the subject written by electrical engineers but my eyes have quickly glazed over. Although I usually pass by anything in the "Dummies" stable, this book is worth every penny and then some. Thanks to Mr. Mayfield for the considerable work that obviously went into the production of this fine technical publication.

Be aware that this book was copyrighted in 2010. And, although the book is well written and covers a lot of details, it is lacking in changes and developments that have occurred over the past six years. Specifically, I found it lacking in information on micro-inverters, on mounting panels on concrete tiles, on limitations in positioning panels as required by fire codes, and on providing visual information in figures and diagrams. Interestingly, at the time I purchased the book it was the highest rated book on the subject yet the information is six years old. This fact doesn't speak well to finding a good book that is also current.

As with all`Dummy' books I've purchased so far (~10), I haven't been disappointed while reading it yet! Provides background foundational info for those who do not know electrical basics. Stays focused on topic while often giving glimpses of relevant information beyond the intended subject matter. Aimed at both the DIY person, or one interested in exploring or educating themselves for a new career.

There is absolutely nothing about lithium batteries in here…I have a ton to learn from this book for sure but I’m really surprised such a basic component is missing with the amount of detail regarding everything else. I was looking forward to that but, oh well!

I have finally gotten through most of the book to rate it. The book provides good understandable information to help you set up a solar system. It is not over technical nor simplistic. I would have liked to see more recommendations on specific makes and models of equipment that are reliable, efficient and economical.

Everything you need to know and more. And as always the speed of the shipping was amazing. thx

Excellent read

Really interesting if your boring and like to know how things work - like me.