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2009 Ultimate Guide to Solar Power and Photovoltaics - Detailed Home System Designs for Power and Heating, Case Studies, Financing, Farms and Ranches, Homebuilding (Ringbound Book)
2009 Ultimate Guide to Solar Power and Photovoltaics Detailed Home System Designs for Power and Heating Case Studies Financing Farms and Ranches Homebuilding - Ringbound Book Author:U.S. Government Here is your authoritative guide to all aspects of solar power and photovoltaic energy, from the Federal Government! This unique guide combines the contents of a number of up-to-date Energy Department publications. Contents include: Building America Best Practices Series High-Performance Home Technologies: Solar Thermal and Photovoltaic Systems ... more »This best-practices document provides an introduction to current photovoltaic and solar thermal building practices. The national commitment to solar technology involves homes that will use at least 50% less utility energy, Zero Energy Homes (ZEH). Contents include: Solar Sells: Closing the Deal * Solar-Thermal Water Heating * Photovoltaic Power Generation * Planning and Orientation * Rack-Mounted Systems * Worker Safety * Solar Ready * Looking Back, Looking Ahead * Case Studies * Marketing solar systems is the subject of a chapter which explains how the leading builders in the country are selling zero energy homes. You will see some of the model homes that display photovoltaic and energy efficiency technology, visit open houses at demonstration homes, and learn other techniques used to turn savings into profits. The next two chapters introduce solar thermal and photovoltaic (PV) technologies. These chapters describe components and how systems fit together. Examples of system installations are used to show best practices for builders and installers. The site planning and orientation chapter describes how to analyze the solar potential for a building site. It provides references to free models that can help with design and economic considerations. This chapter also describes research that shows the wide flexibility available for positioning solar systems. The next chapter discusses roof and rack mounting systems. Chapter 7 describes safety measures and regulations for installers. Chapter 8 briefly describes how to build homes ready for solar technologies. These solar-ready homes are pre-plumbed, pre-wired, and structurally supported to easily add solar technologies after the initial sale. The next chapter looks at the history of solar development and some of the great designs from the Solar Decathlon, and summarizes the thirteen case studies described in the next paragraph. Thirteen case studies are provided at the end of this document. These case studies review building projects of all scales from around the country. The lessons learned apply to building design, materials selection, mounting techniques, and marketing opportunities. Borrower's Guide: About Today's Solar Systems, Photovoltaic Power Systems, Solar Thermal Systems, Financing Programs, Federal Home Mortgage Loan Corporation, Department of Agriculture, Department of Energy, HUD, VA, EPA, SBA, Solar Energy Terms. * Heat Your Water with the Sun: Would you like to learn more about how the sun can help meet your home's heating needs without straining your budget? Today's solar heating systems not only keep swimming pools warm - they can also heat much of your home's water and interior space. Solar heating systems are reliable, adaptable, and pollution-free because they use renewable energy from the sun. Many systems include sleek, attractive, low-relief collectors that people often mistake for skylights. Did you know that solar heating systems work well in many different climates? Some applications, such as pool heating, are widely cost effective today. * A Homebuilder's Guide to Going Solar is designed to help you assess the benefits to your business and customers of installing solar equipment or making your houses solar-ready. The information comes from studies of builders who have successfully integrated solar into their operations as well as conversations with builders and solar professionals. These studies and conversations indicate that builders want to know: Do solar economics work in my area?« less