| | |  | Sustainable Housing | Home » » Solar Energy Projects for the Evil Genius | | | | | | | Product Promotions: | | | | | Description: | | FOLLOW THE SUN TO MORE EVIL FUN! Let the sun shine on your evil side - and have a wicked amount of fun on your way to becoming a solar energy master! In this guide, the popular Evil Genius format ramps up your understanding of powerful, important, and environmentally friendly solar energy - and shows you how to build real, practical solar energy projects you can use in your home, yard - even on the road! In Solar Energy Projects for the Evil Genius, high-tech guru Gavin Harper gives you everything you need to build more than 50 thrilling solar energy projects. You'll find complete, easy-to-follow plans, with clear diagrams and schematics, so you know exactly what's involved before you begin. - Illustrated instructions and plans for 30 amazing pretested solar energy projects that assume no prior experience with energy science
- Explanations of the science and math behind each project
- Projects that progress in difficulty - from simple ones that may inspire science fair entries - all the way to converting a real home to solar energy
- Frustration-factor removal-needed parts are listed, along with sources-plus all the tools you'll need
Solar Energy Projects for the Evil Genius provides you with complete plans, instructions, parts lists, and sources for: - Crushed berries solar cell
- Solar "death ray"
- Solar powered hot dog cooker
- Solar furnace
- Sun-powered refrigerator
- Camping shower, oven, and more
- Hot recipes for solar cooking
- Water purifier
- Flashlight
- Garden lights
- Solar vehicle
- Environmentally friendly robot
- Much more!
| | | Product Details: | | | Author:
| Gavin Harper | | Paperback:
| 196 pages | | Publisher:
| McGraw-Hill/TAB Electronics | | Publication Date:
| June 22, 2007 | | Language:
| English | | ISBN:
| 0071477721 | | Product Length:
| 10.82 inches | | Product Width:
| 8.48 inches | | Product Height:
| 0.43 inches | | Product Weight:
| 1.06 pounds | | Package Length:
| 10.7 inches | | Package Width:
| 8.4 inches | | Package Height:
| 0.5 inches | | Package Weight:
| 1.05 pounds | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 19 reviews |
| | | | Customer Reviews: | |
Average Customer Review:
 ( 19 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
58 of 60 found the following review helpful:
 Very interesting and timely entry in the Evil Genius seriesJul 22, 2007
By calvinnme
This book provides the fundamentals of working with solar energy to the extent that you can build the projects included in the book. The projects range from simple science fair type projects to converting a home to run on solar electricity. This book follows the pattern of the other books in the series. There is a short section describing the theory of operation of each project followed by schematics, parts lists, and detailed instructions. All of the projects are the size of table-tops, but they can be enlarged to scale if needed.
The book begins by discussing the reasons to develop devices powered by solar energy. Economics and efficiency comparisons are made to standard energy sources. Among the projects discussed are two model solar water heating systems, a solar oven for cooking food, a basic solar water distiller, and a simple solar furnace. The solar furnace generates temperatures high enough that paper products can be ignited and low temperature metals can be liquified. Information is included on commercial solar furnaces. Next readers are shown how to build a simple thermoelectric generator that transforms heat into electricity. You are shown how to power the generator using the solar furnace from a previous chapter. Next readers are shown how to build a homemade photovoltaic cell using a copper sheet. Photovoltaic cells generate electricity directly from sunlight. This is followed by an advanced photovotaic cell construction project. Here you make a solar cell that uses photochemistry to mimic photosynthesis using photosensitive dyes that promise cheap solar electric power. The reader is taught how to build a solar engine, which is useful for tasks such as pumping water for storage and irrigation. Solar collector efficiency can be improved by tracking the sun, and to that end the author includes a simple electrical feedback system that tracks the sun across the sky. Also included are five or six smaller projects to more fully demonstrate the capabilities of solar energy. These include a rechargeable flashlight, special lights for illuminating a walkway, and simple solar cells. The following is the table of contents:
Chapter 1. Why solar?
Chapter 2. The Solar Resource
Chapter 3. Positioning Your Solar Devices
Chapter 4. Solar Heating
Chapter 5. Solar Cooling
Chapter 6. Solar Cooking
Chapter 7. Solar Stills
Chapter 8. Solar Collectors
Chapter 9. Solar Pumping
Chapter 10. Solar Photovoltaics
Chapter 11. Photochemical Solar Cells
Chapter 12. Solar Engines
Chapter 13. Solar Electrical Projects
Chapter 14. Tracking the Sun
Chapter 15. Solar Transport
Chapter 16. Solar Robotics?
Chapter 17. Solar Hydrogen Partnership
Chapter 18: Photosynthesis--Fuel from the Sun
Appendix A: Solar Projects on the Web
Appendix B: Supplier's Index
This book isn't by any means a textbook on solar engineering, but it is a great projects book to accompany the standard texts on the subject that almost never provide the kind of practical experience you can get by building the projects in this unique little book. If you want a good textbook to supplement this book of projects, I heartily recommend "Principles of Solar Engineering" by Goswami. That book has all of the mathematics and theory that really don't fit into this one. That text assumes little in the realm of mathematical maturity, but if you are lacking prior knowledge of thermodynamics, heat transfer, and thermal circuits, you might find yourself a bit lost.
29 of 29 found the following review helpful:
 Increasing depth of understanding.Oct 29, 2007
By M. Scott
I have been a solar electric and solar hot water installer for 3 years. I can design and install a system with ease and confidence, but the projects in this book increased my understanding to a whole new level. It was like learning about solar from the inside out. I always enjoy it when I can learn about something I know well from a different angle. Some of my friends bought the book for themselves after thumbing through my copy. I recommend this book for anyone who likes to have a hands on approach to solar in many different areas.
16 of 16 found the following review helpful:
Solar Energy Great Genius!Oct 22, 2007
By Doctor M.
The author of this book was 19 years old when he published it. What an amazing 19 year old! He truly is a genius! My 15 year old daughter and I really enjoyed this book. One amazing project after another. Easy to understand instructions, easy to obtain materials--the author tells you how to order what you don't have--, and projects are easy to do. I especially liked the solar ice maker! I strongly recommend this book.
12 of 12 found the following review helpful:
 Use Google instead.Jul 29, 2008
By QuantumRiver
If this book included instructions on how to actually build the projects it discusses, it would be worth buying. As it is, there are only some vague guidelines and not-very-useful sketches. If you want to build any of these projects, you would in almost every case, be much better off using a search engine to find a page online that actually tells you how; It's free, and you're more likely to get detailed information.
The only reason I give this book more than 1 star is that there are at least a couple of projects that I haven't encountered online--so it seems to be at least somewhat original.
11 of 11 found the following review helpful:
 A Good try for a 19 year old author but sorely lacking in detailsMar 11, 2009
By Bradohboy
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.
See all 19 customer reviews on Amazon.com
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