Welcome!
This site's main purpose is to acquaint you with my new how-to manual, The People's Guide to Basic Solar Power.
If you found your way here, you probably are (1) curious about solar power, (2) convinced it is something you want to incorporate into your life, or (3) straddling a fence somewhere in between and want answers.
Here's the bottom line: I've discovered, through the trial and error of nearly a dozen years, that you can put a photovoltaic (sun generating) electrical system into your home, office, RV or boat for FAR LESS than you have ever read or heard.
For example...
- You can power up a room in your house or cabin, for $500 or less--this includes lights, tv, computer, maybe even a small refrigerator.
- You do not need to be an electrician or electrical engineer to install such a system, just a little handy using basic tools.
- You can make such a system pay off for you in a few months or a few years (NOT 10, 20 or 30 years); and there is virtually no maintenance.
- You can buy all the components you need virtually "off the shelf" for a few hundred dollars; I even reveal a source of FREE solar panels, and cost comparisons on new.
- If you hope to eventually become totally grid-free, or even have a grid intertie system, this manual will give you the basic information you need to get started on a small scale. Others felt it was useful before taking the "plunge."
- You will never experience a total blackout or brownout once you have one of my small solar electric systems in place--the power is arguably even more dependable than what you get from the grid.
- You will not have to worry about being "shocked" or hurt when installing this system--you will learn what electricians know about safely working with positive and negative polarities.
- You will see diagrams of how a basic solar electric system works, which has no more components than your average computer, printer, monitor and scanner (really!)
- You will feel like you are "stealing" power from the sky, as I do, without ever having to pay a utility bill.
- You will be able to say that you are not contributing to the manufacture of "dirty" power, such as is demonstrated by coal, nuclear, oil etc.
- You will, through your solar electric system, learn to use a little less power at times, for the sake of conservation and your wallet.
- You will realize that solar power is not rocket science, yet the utilities (and even solar electric contractors) do not want you to "do it yourself" because they think of as proprietary information.
- You will, in short, experience a new found freedom you never thought was possible, at such a really insignificant price!
A little over a dozen years ago I knew nothing about electricity, much less solar electricity. Since that time I have installed solar electric systems in a motorhome, suburban bedroom, and house in Mexico. I have advised a few others, but I am not a contractor. (If I were truly in it for the money, I would become a contractor, or even an investor--the solar industry is expanding at 20% annually). Solar, along with other renewable technologies like wind, hydrogen and biomass, are the wave of the future. It just feels good to be a part of this wave.
So I urge you to find out what I found out. And don't take my word for it, check out the Raves page for objective critiques of what the book has done for others.
The People's Guide to Basic Solar Power will save you many headaches, much time, and much money. You have my 15+ years experience, plus several months of researching the absolute BEST that is out there on this subject in books, magazines, catalogs, and on the Web. If you do not find this information of great value to you, simply return it in new condition for a COMPLETE AND FULL REFUND.
UPDATE: Since "solving" the problem of a low cost solar electric system less than a dozen years ago, I went to work on alternatives to $3 plus gallon gasoline and am proud to report that my new book, Power Your Car WITHOUT Gasoline!, has the goods! Click here for that...
Sincerely,
William L. Seavey
Author