The Solar Electric House

Energy for the Environmentally Responsive, Energy-Independent Home

Steven J. Strong; with William G. Scheller

"Among the country’s leading designers of solar homes.”

--Time Magazine

Solar electricity is the direct conversion of sunlight into electricity by solar photovoltaic cells. It is a truly elegant means of producing electricity on site, allowing you to take control of your energy destiny and create your own lifestyle without concern for energy supply or environmental harm. No pollution, no by-products, no depletion of resources, these solid-state devices simply make electricity out of sunlight.

Solar electricity is the ideal source of power for an environmentally-responsive home where it’s a luxury residence or a rustic vacation retreat. With the right design, the sunlight that falls on your homesite will power your home. Your solar electric system can also be easily configured to provide on-site recharging of solar/electric vehicles allowing you to meet your transportation needs with renewable energy.

The Solar Electric House will tell you everything you need to know to decide if photovoltaics are for you, including:

• Systems options and economics
• Stand-alone and utility interactive systems
• Descriptions of all key components
• How to determine your electricity requirements
• How to design a solar electric house

About the Author

Steven J. Strong is president of Solar Design Associates, Inc. of Harvard, Massachusetts. He has designed more than 100 photovoltaic systems including the world’s first solar electric neighborhood of 30 PV-powered hoems in the Town of Gardner, Massachusetts.

In the early 1970s, while serving as an engineer consultant on the Alaskan Pipeline, he realized that going to the ends of the earth to extract the last drop of fossil fuel was not the answer to our long-term energy needs. In 1974, he founded Solar Design Associates to specialize in environmentally responsive building design and the engineering and integration of sustainable energy systems.