Off Grid Solar Power: How to Design and Install a Mobile Solar System for RVs, Vans, Boats and Tiny Homes (DIY Solar Power)

If you are looking at any form of off-grid solar, this book is almost a must read. It lucidly explains all the details, starting with a basic introduction to electricity, enough to really comprehend all you need regarding your solar plans.The only areas where I think you might want to expand beyond what the book offers is to be very sure that solar thermal is not an option you should be considering. In the right places it is very powerful for 95% efficiency wins out over 22% efficiency any day. In some cases, you might want both. The other area is batteries. I am not wild about Lithium Ion for stationary applications, and the book does not discuss other battery technolgies in depth, but there are tubular gel batteries, NiFe batteries, coming soon Seasalt batters, and a number of other options which actually way outperform LiIon. Some have life expectancies double or triple that of Lithium Ion.Also, I think the book should include some more information on the sustainability/recyclability issue, which is becoming bigger by the day. One example is CdTe thin film technology. CdTe is so potentially toxic, you might find yourself stuck with a huge recycling problem when all is said and done.Having said that, in all of the basic considerations for planning off-grid solar this book is an absolutely solid place to start to the point that even if newer options come along the knowledge from this book will help you evaluate them much more easily.

my only regret is I had not read this sooner. i had a tiny home solar system installed in 2020 by a "professional" and it cost thousands and never worked correctly. It is currently broken and I have to rebuild (And respend) the money to make it right. I take superb comfort that by reading this book I can now correct the grave inconsistencies and working with my new installer, make sure it is done RIGHT. I only wish I had read this book before forking over all that money, knowledge truly is power.My thanks to the authors for the amazing book, well laid out and worth the price all day!

Mobile Solar Power: Design and Install Your Off-Grid Solar Power System for RVs, Vans, Boats and Off-Grid Homes - A Handbook for Photovoltaics with Batteries.is a very helpful guide on the mechanics of solar powered systems for various personal and commercial uses. The guide has specific instructions on materials to purchase, assembly and powering the solar system for boats and other personal use applications.The authors illustrate the various parts to assemble like the AC cables and grounding cables. There is a trouble management/escalation guide for managing non-functioning parts of the assembly. The authors talk about the need to formulate an energy use and load table to compare the installed system to the schematic.Overall," Mobile Solar Power: Design and Install Your Off-Grid Solar Power System for RVs, Vans, Boats and Off-Grid Homes - A Handbook for Photovoltaics with Batteries" by Paul Holmes and Sitav Bhadra is a helpful guide for installing solar powered systems for applications in camping, boating, hiking and most outdoor activities. Users of this guide should have a basic understanding of electronic terms, metrics and assembly protocols.

I read this author's comprehensive book on home solar power and found it user friendly and extremely informative. I am happy to say this book on mobile solar power is equally comprehensive.So if you are are curious about solar power or want the knowledge necessary to install your own mobile system, this is the perfect guide. It explains the principles in easy to follow language. It gives you everything you need to know to evaluate your power needs and the basics to decide if solar power is something for you to pursue. It is also a comprehensive guide for making installation decisions. If you are considering mobile solar power, read this first to make informed decisions.

Book was a little advanced for me. It does give you a large amount of information.

GREAT BOOK

The book doesn't exactly break new ground, but it seems reasonably up-to-date with the level of technology involved. At least, as much as anything can be when the world is changing so rapidly. Although it purports to be primarily about mobile uses for solar power, it spends a lot of time talking about fixed solar power systems as well. The majority of the photos and illustrations have been credited to various companies and web sites; there don't seem to be many original photos or diagrams created specifically for this book, but I guess there's no point in reinventing that particular wheel. I'm an electrical engineer, and have worked some personally with solar power systems in a bus we converted to an RV, with solar panels on the roof, and I didn't see anything glaring in terms of errors in the electrical discussions. Overall, I'd say this would be a good resource for someone starting out, who has no, or limited, experience with solar power generation and storage, but I don't really see any great value in it if you already own similar books or have worked more extensively with solar power.(I don't see a check box for it, so I'll put it here. I was given a free, PDF copy of this book and asked to give an unbiased review, which I have attempted to do.)

worth the purchase

Good read. Taught me alot