Solar Energy Projects for the Evil Genius,   ISBN:9780071477727

Customer Rating: 

You can get the information in the book online for free..
* Black and white photos
* Phases of work you need further clarification
*Book gives an overview of the project .

Customer Rating: 

I was disappointed in this book. It's hard to tell who the book is aimed at - an electronics buff or a middle school science teacher. There is almost enough information to complete many of the simpler projects, but not enough to tackle the more interesting ones. And some of the projects have no directions at all!

I would buy this book if I wanted to get inspired and play around with some simple projects, but if I were interested in constructing a photovoltaic system or a solar hot water heater, I would find another book. The book, Green Energy Projects for the Evil Genius, has more complete directions for more interesting solar projects that this book.

Customer Rating: 

I learned new things about solar energy. Did you know the sun does not rise in the east or even south of east in the continental USA? I thought it did, knowing we are north of the tropic of cancer and even at June solstice high noon the sun still is slightly south of me.
It rises in the northeast in the morning swings south of vertical at noon and arcs into a sunset in the northwest!
The projects are not fully explained at times and well explained at others, so I could not rate it a 5 star.

Customer Rating: 

Anything I can use in my Tech Ed classrom is worth getting. We need to teach Technology, not just Science!
This book explains the photoelectric process that takes place in solar cells andhas a lot of great projects. This is my bright idea for summer reading.

Customer Rating: 

Though I must commend the author, who at 19 published this book, for his forward thinking and embrace of diy projects I found this book lacking.
As others have mentioned the projects are missing key details and can hardly be called projects. Most projects consist of one page or less detailing how the item is supposed to work and construction techniques.

Technical drawings consist of basic outlines and the photos printed in the book are of terrible resolution (remember the days of 1 megapixel cameras and vga dispaly? think that kind of quality)

The book seems meant to give a very cursory knowledge of solar energy and its uses; if you already have a basic idea of how solar panels work and what they can be used for I suggest you flip through this book at the library or bookstore before purchasing it. Many of the projects in the book are simply taken from other sources, most of them available free online, and though credit is given where it's due it can hardly be considered an original text.

100% a great book to check out of the library and return in 3 days once you have seen what it offers.