Real Goods Solar Living Source Book: Your Complete Guide to Renewable Energy Technologies and Sustainable Living

by John Schaeffer

Book Overview

Concerns over dwindling resources and environmental degradation are driving many to seek alternatives to our wasteful, polluting lifestyle. Clean technologies such as solar power, wind power, and biodiesel fuel are soaring in popularity. "Real Goods Solar Living Source Book Special 30th Anniversary Edition" is the ultimate guide to renewable energy, sustainable living, green building, homesteading, off-the-grid living, and alternative transportation,...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0916571068
• ISBN13: 9780916571061
• Release Date: September 2007
• Publisher: Gaiam Real Goods
• Length: 634 Pages
• Weight: 3.39 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.4" x 8.4" x 10.9"

Customer Reviews

Great Resource for Getting Started with Alternative Energy Solutions

This is great resource for real world implementation of alternative energy solutions. Provides a step by step resource to help make it a reality. Good starting point. I was surprised it covered more than just solar technologies to include: - Wind - Hydro - and others.

Excellent

This book is the absolute best for covering renewable energy on a residential-sized scale. It covers all things solar/renewable energy: converting solar energy to electricity, wind generators, solar water heating, solar water pumping, energy conservation, off-the-electrical grid and grid intertie applications. There's an appendix with charts, maps and worksheets that help you design your own solar home and energy system. It is well written, with the information easy to follow. There is just enough theory included so you can follow the technical descriptions of the system components. It's got 634 pages and there's not much wasted space. The chapter on "Natural Burial" is a little over-the-top, but I guess the editor is just trying to be comprehensive. I have lived off-grid for over seven years and teach a renewable energy class at a nearby community college. I tell my students that if they are going to buy just one book on renewable energy, to buy this, the latest edition of the Solar Living Sourcebook. Keep in mind, this is a catalog for Giam/Real Goods. Products and services are described and prices are listed. They would like you to do business with them. I have found that many of the products listed can be found cheaper elsewhere, but having the prices listed is a plus...you can put together a system and get a ball-park figure (a little on the high side) on how much the system will cost you. In my opinion, Real Goods is a reputable company, very service oriented, and very knowledgeable. If you want more information on residential sized renewable energy systems, the magazine Home Power (www.homepower.com) is superb. They publish six issues a year, with a hands-on type format that makes you want to get out there and build something! If you are interested in using solar energy to make electricity, but want the advantages of being tied to the grid, the book Got Sun? Go Solar by Rex Ewing and Doug Pratt is excellent. If living off-the-grid is more to your taste, check out The Renewable Energy Handbook by William Kemp.

Wonderful resource

I gave this book to friends for Christmas. They are in the process of building a "green" home, and have found the book very valuable!

Explore the options!

Gave this to a friend getting married; within a week they purchased a solar attic fan. There are many options for solar living, great and small. I recommend this book to check out your options.

Outstanding bible on solar energy

I am an engineer and was looking for a book that has an easy to understand yet fact based and accurate book on solar energy implementation. i was not disappointed. This is one of the best basic reference book on different uses of solar energy that you can find on the marker.