Review of Stand Alone Solar Systems
Review Of Stand Alone Solar Systems
A book review of Stand-Alone Solar Electric Systems - Mark Hankins
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Stand-Alone Solar Electric Systems - the Earthscan Expert Handbook for Planning, Design and Installation by Mark Hankins (ISBN: 1-84407-713-7) is a book which offers an in depth introduction to the installation of off-grid PV solar systems.
The book is written with technicians and system designers in mind, but is equally appropriate for anyone considering installing a photovoltaic solar array together with the battery bank, charge controller, wiring, lighting, power inverters, and so on which form a complete stand-alone solar system.
Content
Stand-Alone Solar Electric Systems includes the following major chapters:Fundamentals of Solar Energy
An introduction to the basic prinsciples of solar energy including solar-cooking, solar water heating, and crop drying.
Solar Cell Modules
An introduction to the basic principals of solar photovoltaics.
Batteries
Battery types, management, and maintenance.
Charge controllers, Inverters, and Load Management
How to manage the energy flow in solar electric systems with a solar charge controller, and also covers power inverters.
Lamps and Appliances
Low energy lighting principles and different types of LED bulbs amongst others.
Wiring and Fittings
Choosing correct cable sizes for safety and to minimise voltage drop and line losses, and selecting switches, sockets, and fuses etc.
Planning an Off-Grid Solar Electric System
Design steps in planning an off-grid PV system
Installing Solar Electric Systems
The process of installing complete 12V and 24V DC solar PV systems.
Managing, Maintaining, and Servicing Off-Grid PV Systems
How to take care of solar electric systems and fix them if they break down.
Basics of Large Off-Grid Systems
Case studies which introduce the complexities of larger off-grid solar electric systems.
Off-Grid PV and Solar Energy Resources
A list of magazines, books, and websites which offer deeper knowledge of specific topics covered in the book for those who would like to find out more.
At the end of the book a selection of design worksheets are included to help the reader plan a small off-grid solar electric system. These worksheets when completed calculate the total daily load energy of the appliances to be powered, and from that the size of solar panel, battery, charge controller, inverter, wiring, and fuses required. Excel versions of these worksheets can also be downloaded from the publisher's website so that all calculations can be carried out automatically.
Review
This book offers a lot more than the typical introduction to stand-alone solar electric systems found in other books about solar power, but at the same time it manages to still be very readable and accessible. All topics are covered accurately and in more than adequate detail which make this book a must have for anyone planning a one off stand-alone solar system, in addition to those who carry out solar installations in their professional life.The chapter on batteries is particularly good as this is a subject which is not often covered well, and the later chapters on planning and installing solar systems together with the large installation case studies are also outstanding.
Buy This Book
To buy the book and for more information click here: buy Stand-Alone Solar Electric Systems for around £33.
Article Last Modified: 09:00, 25th Feb 2011Comment on this Article
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