how-to book for renewables

pv design and install manual is top of the heap as far as I am concerned.  i used it as a text at san juan college, i use it to train/crosstrain our staff, and it is designed by the good folks at sei.

for thermal, there are other resources, but for pv, this is the best. 

here's the link.

http://store.altenergystore.com/Books-Seminars-Videos/Solar/Photovoltaics-Design-Install-Manual/p481/


- james - Alt-E staff

The SEI book is indeed the standard.
It's always better to have a bit more info than you think you need.  Later, you can go back and it will all make sense.
I found typos and errors in some of the examples in an old copy, but hopefully that's fixed in current version.

If you want a simpler, down to earth PV training manual for small off-grid systems, developed for developing countries aspiring technicians, I recommend you go to the bget.org web site (in Thailand, but broadband is fine), click on "downloads" and download the PV system training manual - a 3.2Mb pdf.   However, it will not include any information on grid-tied systems or on US NEC standards.  This manual was developped by Green Empowerment (US), Palang Thai (Thailand) and others, and is one of the incarnations of what Green Empowerment has been using in village projects for several years in multiple countries.

Enjoy!