Others say...

"The Good and Bad"
I would have given this book a four-star rating if not for the preaching that permeated each chapter. I didn't buy this book to learn how to save the planet from evil, wasteful humans. Having written that, the author does a good job explaining varied methods to exist without relying on the commercial power grid. Descriptions on different methods/technologies to accommodate the want to be self-sufficient when it comes to electrical power are comprehensive.

"Renewable Energy Handbook"
William Kemp does an excellent job of explaining and organizing your options for renewable energy sources. Even for the beginner, this is an easy to read and understand, and can be used as a reference guide. I bought this book to understand my options for my new build.

"Renewable Energy Handbook"
This book is worthless, It's best use would be to use the pages to start the fire in your wood stove. The writer wastes more then half the book to expound his religion. The information that is provided is out dated and just a reprint of manufacturers information. Don't waste your money or your time.

"Highly Recommended Reference"
Kemp's "Renewable Energy Handbook" is an excellent reference on the various R.E. resources available today. It provides insight on the various resources, their use, and their drawbacks in certain situations. Kemp does not try to sway the user in any particular direction. Rather, he provides solid information for the user to make their own decision.

Presentation of various real-world R.E. installations provide the user with some practical info, providing a nice balance to the theory in the book. One item that provided a slight irritation for me is the "preachy-ness" when he covers biofuels, but with the current trend in oil prices and the search for alternates, I'll overlook it since there are also some valid warnings about working with alternate fuels

I highly recommend this as a first-read book for a homeowner considering using any type of R.E. resources. Since R.E. information can change rapidly, make sure you are purchasing the most recent edition.


"To be fair...read on..."
REVISED COMMENTS AS OF SEPT 10, 2008: I have read this book - first at the bookstore, and then was compelled to buy it as a reference. This is an excellent reference and deserve 5 stars, especially if you consider that it is a single source containing concise and fairly through & comprehensive overviews of nearly every residential renewable & sustainable energy technology. The book is very thorugh in its coverage of solar thermal, solar photovoltaic, wind energy, hydro and microhydro, and more. What is most impressive is that the book begins with an excellent chapter on energy conservation methods, ideas, concepts, and available energy conservation technologies, tools, and appliances that help conserve energy. While its not completely up to date on the latest technologies, it is very thorough and one quickly realizes that energy conservation should be the first and foremost effort to any renewable home project. The topics on solar, inverters, batteries, etc. provide extensive coverage of grid-tie and standalone battery-based systems and sufficient useful information to understand what is invovled to install a system yourself (but it still falls short of a full DIY approach). Coverage of wind energy was very insightful in that it likewise gives a detailed and insightful overview of what is involved to site, install, operate,a nd maintain a wind generator, but again it falls just short of a serious DIY project.

In the end, this book provides every reader with a well ground foundation to understand and begin detailed evaluation of nearly every renewable energy technology available for residential applications. Compared to ANY other available resource this COMPENDIUM of renewable systems technologies is well worth buying. But again, if you need to go deeper and obtain a far more detailed technical understanding (as in serious DIY-fers) you have to dig into other research (freely available online as I have noted in my original comments below) and obtain publications and texts that detail a single specific technology only.

Note: I still do not rescind my original comment below with regard to this book. I have found that online resources are still invaluable and well worth the time and research value over almost any book I have had to buy on this subject. But if I had limited time and resources (which I believe is the case for most people not as passionate on the subject), and I needed only one thorough and detailed reference material on the ENTIRE subject of renewable energy, then this is the ONLY book I would keep on my bookshelf, more than any other.

ORIGINAL COMMENTS ON MAY 1, 2008: To be fair, I have not read this book. Why 5 stars? The book is a for-profit venture by the author, so recovery of time, effort, & energy is important for revenue reasons. So why write this review? After spending nearly 12-18 hours perusing AMAZON's book list on solar energy and photovoltaic systems, I was frustrated! None of the reviews on any single book seemed to be convincing enough to make me want to buy. For instance, none of the reviews mention how the books address the National Electric Code, specific wiring and disconnect installation information, electrical and other safety hazards, inspection issues, etc. For a DIY'er, these books seemed a waste of time, never mind the fact that some reviewers insisted they actually DIY'ed just from the book. It then occurred to me that dozens of resources that I had used over the past 10 years - with the exception of 2007 due to extenuating circumstances - many resources are available for free from our fantastic .GOV, .ORG, and .EDU sites like Sandia Nat'l Labs, NREL, NMSU, and CA.GOV. Folks, before you start buying books on PV left & right, be smart and leverage what your fine tax dollars paid for! I have to admit - I believe it's just stupid searching for good PV technical, installation, and detailed literature on a For-Profit Bookstore when so much is already available online for Free. Folks, use your head - our government and academic labs pioneered this from federal tax dollars. Hence, much of it is public domain! (REPLACE all "?" with "." in the following website links.) nabcep?org nmsu?edu/~tdi/index?html photovoltaics?sandia?gov and energy?ca?gov Of course, if you're just not Internet savvy, not an engineer/analytical A-type personality, and highly resourceful, plus you'd rather prefer to kill trees buying a book instead of leveraging online resources that are 100 times more than what's on AMAZON, and most likely don't have the wherewithal to DIY, go ahead. It will be amazing to see how many are simply duped by the thousands of new "get rich quick" companies and businessmen entering the renewable energy markets.