Home Made Energy

If you want to jump right into making your own solar panels and wind turbines, might I suggest HomeMadeEnergy. The book has a simple, straightforward approach without a lot of fluff. If you're already sold on renewable energy and have taken energy efficiency measures, you can skip the intro, go straight to the meat of the text and get right to building. Some good tips on materials as well as templates are included. Perhaps most valuable of all, they include several videos that take you through the process step-by-step. I know it makes a big difference when you read about it or hear about it versus actually seeing it actually done. Believe me, it helps a lot.



I thought they could have included some more details, such as a list of suppliers or suggestions on where and how to obtain the parts you need, but I suppose the assumption is that most people know about Ebay and Amazon.com. That's usually where I start looking anyway. Many companies use these sites to sell their products or to get started with an online storefront, so you can actually get introduced to a good brick-and-mortar business through online retailers such as these.

I would have also liked to get more info on how to construct your own mini hydro-power, but they acknowledged this and promised that they would include more on the topic later. That is the nice thing about an ebook, is that it can be updated and redistributed more easily than waiting for a second edition to be printed.

Overall, the shot-comings of this guide were pretty minor, I thought. So if you want a straightforward, do-it-at-home renewable energy guide with some invaluable video tutorials, I would definitely recommend HomeMadeEnergy (This is my cleverly disguised affiliate link, meaning that if you buy this product, I will get a commission, which I will likely squander on my kids).