Real Goods Solar Living Sourcebook

Some interesting ideas.

I have purchased this Solar Living Sourcebook for the past four editions. It is comprehensively excellent.It has much more than just solar..it includes chapters on many other sustainability issues. Comprehensive.

Fantastic book, wouldn't be without it!

Holding this book brings back some great memories. In the early nineties I was a Real Goods paid "Hard Corps" member, and around that time I had purchased an early edition of this book which was a great resource and guide. This edition looks to be the same, but with that said there are some things that the author couldn't have known but that have radically changed the solar power landscape over the last several years. Those things include the precipitous price drop and efficiency increases in solar panels, the plethora of EVs that are now or will soon be available, and most importantly the proliferation of lithium batteries. To me, the latter is an absolute game changer and anyone looking to use battery storage, whether it be for a trailer, a portable system, or a whole house off grid project, would really be shooting themselves in the foot if they didn't at least consider lithium batteries versus lead acid. Up front costs are still higher, but they are dropping by the month and the much better energy density, lower weight, and higher cycle life far outweigh the added cost, in my opinion. I've built both a portable system, and a large off-grid system for my home, and neither of those would have come to fruition if lithium batteries weren't available. I also mentioned solar panel costs, which have dropped more in the last few years than I ever remember seeing. It used to be that a dollar a watt was the holy Grail price point, but $0.30 a watt now is common, as are panel efficiencies of 22% or more, bifacial panels, etc. Again, this is a total game changer for anyone looking to build a system to charge their phone, or run their home. These sorts of changes have opened up a huge opportunity for those wanting to explore self-sufficiency without taking out a second mortgage to do so. I really hope that a new edition of this book is forthcoming and includes chapters on these and other innovations from over the last five plus years.

There is so much information in this book-- it's chock full of important, thorough information to turn your home into a greener, more eco-friendly habitat.