Do It Yourself 12 Volt Solar Power, 3rd Edition
Original price was: $18.95.$14.86Current price is: $14.86.
Price: $18.95 - $14.86
(as of Oct 05, 2025 03:08:10 UTC – Details)
If you want to introduce alternative power supplies around the home and garden or even live totally off-grid in your boat, caravan, or yurt and need a practical introduction to solar power and 12-volt supplies, Do It Yourself 12 Volt Solar Power, 3rd Edition is the essential guide on the subject.
Not only will it save you money, it will show you how to run your lights, laptop, DVDs, and music, and even your tools and household products, from a simple 12-volt system. Be in control of more of your home’s own energy supply, develop a low-impact way of living, and be prepared for power outages in the future!
Do It Yourself 12 Volt Solar Power begins with a lesson on how electricity works and the main components of a DIY solar system. The author uses clear diagrams and terms. There is, of course, more technical information as the book progresses, but don’t worry, this no-nonsense guide provides a useful, back-to-basics approach for the layperson.
This is a reference book that will help you troubleshoot and get the best value for money from what you can find hidden in the back of the garage. It is also quirky and humorous and shows you how to make a sun-following system using just a bicycle wheel, a pallet, and the motor from a CD player!
Publisher : Permanent Publications
Publication date : April 9, 2019
Edition : Revised, Updated
Language : English
Print length : 160 pages
ISBN-10 : 1856232425
ISBN-13 : 978-1856232425
Item Weight : 2.31 pounds
Dimensions : 5.8 x 0.43 x 8.24 inches
Best Sellers Rank: #438,940 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #35 in Solar Energy #752 in Do-It-Yourself Home Improvement (Books) #9,243 in Personal Transformation Self-Help
Customer Reviews: 4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 124 ratings var dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction; P.when(‘A’, ‘ready’).execute(function(A) { if (dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction !== true) { dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction = true; A.declarative( ‘acrLink-click-metrics’, ‘click’, { “allowLinkDefault”: true }, function (event) { if (window.ue) { ue.count(“acrLinkClickCount”, (ue.count(“acrLinkClickCount”) || 0) + 1); } } ); } }); P.when(‘A’, ‘cf’).execute(function(A) { A.declarative(‘acrStarsLink-click-metrics’, ‘click’, { “allowLinkDefault” : true }, function(event){ if(window.ue) { ue.count(“acrStarsLinkWithPopoverClickCount”, (ue.count(“acrStarsLinkWithPopoverClickCount”) || 0) + 1); } }); });
6 reviews for Do It Yourself 12 Volt Solar Power, 3rd Edition
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Original price was: $18.95.$14.86Current price is: $14.86.
Carla Bolton –
Basic
Good info, maybe a little dated.
Paul –
Bought this guide to help when installing solar in my cabin. Very helpful advice and written in a nice humorous in places, manner. I now have a fully working system that copes with lights, tv, radio, soldering iron, laptop charging (boosted to 18v), phone charging, electric fan and more.
PJ –
This is part of a birthday present for my physically and mentally fit retiring husband. From the moment I gave him this gift the book has not been closed. This is a man who does not read books, I might add. Thank you very much for a much enjoyable and interesting productive read.
Amazon Customer –
This is a good introduction for getting to grips with a small-scale diy solar system, principally using 12v leisure batteries, and includes a valuable section on the use of the multi-meter; a cheap essential tool for electrical fiddling by amateur geeks. Few will want to build the 12v tools Solarmichel revels in, as he seems to disparage the use of 12/240v inverters which I find very convenient. All told, useful. A more up-to-date book is waiting to be written in the light of the availability of cheaper components.
steave –
Full of excellent and practical information, very concise and a must for anyone wanting to realize there are alternatives out there n how to do it with confidence.
KNUT –
This is an interesting book which is let down a bit by the translation (from German), in my opinion. Some silly translations in places which I found irritating. There is a a lot of detail which you would have to sort through if you want to set up a system though there is a diagram of a basic one buried in the text. There are lots of explanations about components and how they work which seems a bit unnecessary, also a number of circuit diagrams which you would probably not be able to follow if (unlike me) you really wanted to go to the bother of building them. If you wanted to do a lot of the things suggested here I don’t think there is sufficient detail and instructions. The projects are also dependent on your having access to some considerable engineering skills including welding, soldering maybe taps and dies, and an equipped workshop, and parts from scrap yards. The end products are also cumbersome and inconvenient. You would have to be a real headcase in my view to go to the trouble to make a lot of stuff instead of just using an inverter. I know that’s not quite the spirit of things but tools which overheat quickly and therefore can’t be used for long and are also under-powered I don’t think I would want to live with unless I was on a desert island – but then I wouldn’t have a handy scrap yard to find my parts.. It is however an interesting read but of little help to me who wanted to consider setting up a 12-volt system for my garage. Its impracticality was a disappointment, but you have to admire the tenacity of this guy who goes to such great lengths to go as off-grid as possible. He has worked very hard for a long time to come up with these solutions and he deserves a medal for his amazing efforts. (One of course would also be dependent on being able to buy electronic components..)