Dan Chiras – författare

Grow Fresh Vegetables Year-Round Using Only the Sun Produce abundant fruits and vegetables through fall, winter, and early spring without paying for heat. Chinese solar greenhouses—earth-sheltered, east-west oriented, well-insulated, and intelligently glazed—allow you to grow warm-weather crops in cold climates using passive solar energy alone.What You'll Gain and Learn Design and Build your Greenhouse: Step-by-step guidance for creating a self-sufficient, solar-powered structure.Maximize Heat Efficiency: Techniques to store solar energy and keep crops warm on cold nights.Extend your Growing Season: Grow tomatoes, peppers, and other warm-weather vegetables, even in freezing temperatures.Summer Cooling Solutions: Maintain optimal growing conditions without losing energy.Flexible Growing Methods: Harvest year-round using soil beds or aquaponic systems.Written by Dan Chiras, PhD, author of 38 books on solar energy, sustainability, and self-sufficiency, this guide blends practical instruction with proven strategies. His methods have been featured in Mother Earth News, Solar Today, and Home Power, and he has taught workshops for the American Solar Energy Society and University of Colorado.Transform your backyard into a productive, solar-powered garden and enjoy fresh produce year-round. With clear illustrations, actionable tips, and step-by-step guidance, building and operating your own Chinese greenhouse has never been easier.

From the author of The Homeowner’s Guide to Renewable Energy, an easy guide to solar electricity—everything you need to power your home or small business. Written for the individual or business layman, this is the fully revised and updated guide for generating solar electricity. Practical and accessible, it provides a basic understanding of electricity, wiring, and solar energy. The book guides the reader through assessing your solar electricity site and determining the type of solar system needed for to generate solar electricity, providing you with a solid understanding of grid-tied and off-grid systems, along with important guidelines on installation.Power from the Sun, 2nd Edition, discusses types of photovoltaic and photovoltaic solar energy systems, and includes comprehensive information on recent changes and improvements in PV modules, charge controllers, inverters, batteries, generators, and net metering policies. It offers an excellent overview of the many options available as a guide for generating solar electricity, allowing you to make the best choices for your individual situation during the design, installation, and operation of a solar energy system. This is the definitive layman’s guide for homeowners, business owners, installers, architects, and just about anyone interested in generating solar electricity to lower energy bills and achieve greater independence through solar energy.“Dan Chiras is as reliable as a Swiss watch—once again he’s created a text that’s as accessible as it is informative.”—Ann Edminster, author of Energy Free: Homes for a Small Planet “Chiras makes it as easy as possible for you to affect your own transition away from fossil fuel dependence.”—Bruce King, PE Director, Ecological Building Network, and author of The New Carbon Architecture

Skyrocketing energy costs and constant reminders of the impacts of conventional energy sources are making homeowners and businesses look at different ways to use energy more efficiently and to generate their own electricity to reduce fuel bills and their carbon footprint. Power From the Wind is the completely revised and updated edition of the go-to guide for individuals and businesses interested in installing small wind energy systems. Written for the layperson, this practical guide provides an accurate and unbiased view of all aspects of small wind energy systems, including: Wind and wind energy system options Ways to assess wind resources at your site Wind turbines and towers Inverters and batteries Installation and maintenance of systems Costs and benefits of installing a wind system. Readers will gain the knowledge they need to make wise decisions during the design, purchase, and installation of small wind energy systems and to communicate effectively with wind system installers, and will be empowered to help make the smartest, most economical choices.

A guide to choosing and using solar electricity systems from “the man who launched a thousand rooftop solar arrays . . . the essential go-to manual” (John D. Ivanko and Lisa Kivirist, coauthors of ECOpreneuring). As we look for safer, more economical, and more sustainable ways to meet our needs for electricity—and as more and more electric cars hit the road—solar has become an increasingly popular option. With Solar Electricity Basics, renewable energy expert Dan Chiras offers a concise and up-to-date guide covering all the essentials. It explores:How to size, cost, and choose the right system, including off-grid vs. grid-tied vs. grid-tied with battery backupWhere to mount a system for maximum performanceWhat type of modules and inverters to buyHow to install and maintain batteriesCost vs. benefit for solar electric systemsHow to connect to the grid, and what type of net metering your area offersSolar Electricity Basics is an indispensable guide for homeowners, business owners, builders, and students for figuring out solar electricity quickly and easily.