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    Power Up! The Smart Guide to Home Solar Power: How to Make a Wise Solar Investment
    Power Up! The Smart Guide to Home Solar Power: How to Make a Wise Solar Investment
    Power Up! The Smart Guide to Home Solar Power: How to Make a Wise Solar Investment
    Ebook201 pages2 hours

    Power Up! The Smart Guide to Home Solar Power: How to Make a Wise Solar Investment

    By Robert C. Brenner

    ()

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    About this ebook

    The goal of most homeowners considering solar is to reduce the monthly utility bill. Those who read this book will learn how to save thousands of dollars on their purchase of a home solar power generator and how solar can offset as much of your electric bill as you desire. This book can minimize stress and concern by telling you why buying solar is so important today, and the things to do before shopping for this energy resource. It explains how to conduct a home energy audit and how to reduce or eliminate excessive consumption so you don’t spend as much buying the right solar system for your needs. The book Power Up! is filled with photos of actual installs, and charts and tables showing electrical rates across the country, why the power grid is so vulnerable, what solar should cost, and what others have actually paid for their systems. Then it explains how to approach vendors and how to decide how much solar to buy. It tells you how to pick the right vendor, what to expect in a contract, how the project can be funded, and how to calculate payback on your solar investment. It describes what happens after the install, how long the system should last, and how to maintain optimum performance. After showing you three actual solar system installations, the book shows you before and after actual electric costs. Then it describes what happens when the grid goes down and alternative sources of power should the grid remain down for some time. Protection reassurance is important not only for the solar buyer but also for those the buyer wants to help in a power emergency so the book describes backup technology and upgrade consideration and options. Use the sun for your benefit while helping to clean the environment at the same time.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRobert C. Brenner
    Release dateJan 7, 2014
    ISBN9781930199354
    Power Up! The Smart Guide to Home Solar Power: How to Make a Wise Solar Investment
    Author

    Robert C. Brenner

    Robert Brenner is an engineer, consultant, college professor, historical genealogist, and professional speaker with extensive experience in research and information publishing. A retired naval officer with distinguished service in both nuclear submarines and microelectronic research and development, he holds a bachelor's degree (BSEE) and two master's degrees (MSEE, MSSM). He was recognized a Very High Speed Integrated Circuit (VHSIC) microelectronics pioneer by the DOD and served four years in R&D at TRW after a 23-year Navy career.He is the author of 56 books including Going Solar: a Homeowner’s Experience, Power Up! The Smart Guide to Home Solar Power: How to Make a Wise Solar Investment, How to Construct (and Use) the 45W Harbor Freight Solar Kit, Supernatural & Strange Happenings in the Bible, and Supernatural & Strange Happenings in the Family. In addition, he has written over 275 articles including over 50 articles for Survival Life.com and Survivorpedia.He taught computer technology and engineering subjects at the community college, university, and graduate school levels and has been a guest speaker at over 50 national conferences and symposiums. He is an avid supporter of solar technology and learns by doing. A futurist, he enjoys the challenge of research and is currently sharing his findings through his writing and public presentations. Professor Brenner can be reached at brennerbooks@san.rr.com.

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      Book preview

      Power Up! The Smart Guide to Home Solar Power - Robert C. Brenner

      POWER UP!

      The Smart Guide to Home Solar Power

      (How to Make a Wise Solar Investment)

      Robert C. Brenner, MSEE, MSSM

      Published by

      Brenner Information Group

      Smashwords Edition

      ISBN 978-1-930199-35-4

      Copyright 2014 Brenner Information Group. All rights reserved. All contents and information herein are the sole property of Brenner Information Group. Reproduction, translation, or republishing of all or any part of this work is not authorized. Brief quotations of the material in this book may be used provided full prominent credit is given as follows: "From Power Up! The Smart Guide to Home Solar Power, by Robert C. Brenner. Published by Brenner Information Group." For larger excerpts or reprint rights, contact the publisher.

      Smashwords Notice: This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

      Every effort has been made to provide accurate and useful information. However, the information related to industry stats is only as accurate as that produced by the sources. All trademarks or patents are assumed to exist, and no bias toward any of the products or companies shown in this book is intended or implied. In addition, Brenner Information Group does not specifically promote, recommend, or endorse any product or company mentioned or shown herein. This book conveys and describes what to expect and how a solar project will look. It’s based on personal experience and is unbiased. In this book, I provide the information. You must decide for yourself how best to use the information that is shared.

      TABLE OF CONTENTS

      Why I Wrote This Book

      Why You Should Consider Solar

      How Solar Power Generation Works

      Components of a Solar Power Generation System

      The Solar Module

      Module Mounting Hardware

      Inverters

      System Performance Monitoring

      The Path to Home Solar Power

      30 Step Program

      The Pre-Solar Checklist

      Establish a Power Consumption Baseline

      How to Establish Your Current Power Consumption Baseline

      Seek Advice on Energy Use Reduction

      Conduct an Electrical Usage Audit

      Acting to Reduce Power Consumption

      Potential Targets for Energy Reduction

      Buying a Solar System

      Seek Solar Advice from Experts

      How Much Power?

      Evaluate the Site

      Generating Initial System Requirements

      How to Select a Solar Vendor to Contact

      Proven Track Record

      Licensed

      Certified

      Use Their Own People

      Testimonials

      Insured

      Professional Staff

      Warranty

      Material Used

      Other Tips

      Contacting Potential Vendors

      Unexpected Issues

      Getting Proposals and Bids

      Vendor Selection Criteria

      Create a Proposal Comparison Spreadsheet

      Receiving and Evaluating Bids

      Here’s What the Vendor May Request from You

      How Much Does A Solar System Cost?

      Rebates and Tax Credits

      Rebate

      Tax Credit

      Replying to Award Winner and Unsuccessful Bidders

      Pre-Job Visit by the Winning Company

      How to Fund the Project

      The Contract Puts It in Writing

      How Many Forms Must Be Submitted?

      How Long Will the Job Take?

      Moving Forward

      What a Solar Installation Looks Like

      5.0 kW Solar System

      6.4 kW Solar System

      7.4 kW Solar

      Paying for the Project

      Calculating Payback on Your Investment

      Net Metering for Homeowners with Solar Power

      Solar System Maintenance

      Other Direct Benefits of Solar

      Caveat Emptor – Buyer Beware

      High pressure sales tactics

      Solar mounted on decaying roof

      Wrong solar panels installed

      Improper installation

      Monitoring Performance

      Upgrading an Existing System

      When the Grid Goes Down

      Summarizing the Experience

      APPENDIX

      Tutorial: Photons, Volts, Amps, Watts, and Solar Power Defined

      ABOUT THE AUTHOR

      OTHER BOOKS BY THIS AUTHOR

      USEFUL SOLAR SITES

      ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

      Creating a book with this amount of information is a challenging endeavor, and I was pleased to have so many thoughtful people share insights, experience, and suggestions. I particularly thank Paul Krupin of Direct Contact PR for his support and encouragement. And thanks to Dick Margulis, Jan Hannacroix, J.A., Pete Masterson, Jo Holloway, Joseph Harris, Sue Knaup, Diane Morris, Carolyn Howard-Johnson, John Lazer, Lillie of Franklin-Pye, Mike Starr, John Scherber, Steve Litt, Walt Shiel, John Culleton, Peter Steinblums, Sally T@dteworld, MaryScopes, Teresa Hild, Kathleen Luzzolino, Jeannie@mdntvoices, Julie Price, Richard Wyble, Paul@bedfordfell, and others I may have missed. I also thank my family for their patience and love during this project. It’s been an adventure!

      POWER UP! THE SMART GUIDE TO HOME SOLAR POWER

      (How to Make a Wise Solar Investment)

      Why I Wrote This Book

      Most people are aware of the term solar but many don’t understand how it works and what solar can do for you and your monthly budget. The goal of most people considering solar is to lower their electric bills. I’ve been using solar power for over eight years and have been pleased with what it’s done for me and my family. From spending up to $600 a month for electrical power, I now spend less than $6 a month. And I’ve become energy aware.

      When I had my system installed and went solar active, I wrote a book about my experience. And I conducted a number of seminars called Going Solar. Since I was not a vendor or representative of any solar company, the audience felt comfortable asking me any questions that were on their minds. I answered truthfully and to the best of my knowledge. The listeners were pleased and many invested in their own residential solar systems. I also consulted with buyers who wanted someone present during project discussions who would give them an unbiased opinion.

      In my own experience, I requested proposals from a number of vendors and was astounded at the variance in bids—some were twice the lowest bid. In addition, I had difficulty getting vendors to give me what I wanted in their bid packages so I could compare apples with apples.

      Nevertheless, I found some really good solar vendors over the years. I also found some really shady operators. There are a lot of scam artists working the residential solar landscape.

      These realities prompted me to write this book. I want to give you and every other homeowner enough information so the right questions are asked and you get the best, most honest bids possible. I want your solar experience to be as wonderful as mine. I am not associated with any solar vendor. And I will not hold back on what I will share. You’ll get the straight scoop right from one who has actually been there and done that. When you finish reading this book, you’ll be well prepared to ask the right questions and get the best solar solution for you. And this book will always be your handy quick reference as questions arise.

      This book explains everything you need to know about solar power generation and how to buy your own home solar power system. With down-to-earth descriptions and photos and tables, you will learn all the steps involved in designing, contracting, and realizing your own residential solar solution.

      (Back to Contents)

      Why You Should Consider Solar

      This country is running out of available electricity. Demand is growing and unlimited electrical power is no longer an accepted fact. The electrical power grid in this country is outdated and weak. It was installed decades ago, and its age is showing. In some areas of this country, electrical resources are increasingly prone to fail. Our infrastructure is deteriorating and government bureaucracies and utilities are often making the problem worse because they are not acting fast enough to upgrade the electrical grid as technological innovations provide better power opportunities. Over 500 companies own the electrical grids in this country and states often don’t cooperate in managing electrical assets. Each state is trying to keep electrical costs low for its own residents introducing a national cooperation issue for the federal government to resolve.

      The electric power grid is a network of high voltage transmission lines and interconnections that crisscross America and allow electric power to move around the nation and into and out of adjoining countries. There are almost 160,000 miles of high voltage transmission lines in this country. Central power stations are placed along this network to balance the electrical loads and improve

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