What is a standalone photovoltaic system and how does it work? How many panels will I need to generate energy? What kind of batteries are going to work best? This self-contained book provides you with the tools to plan, size and install a standalone PV system, with numerous illustrations and worked examples to facilitate the learning process. You will be able to identify the components of an installation, select the most appropriate equipment, and design a low-power system, as well as learning about the installation, management and maintenance of off-grid systems to ensure they have a long working life.

Around 2,600 million people in the world depend on biomass for cooking, and every year the smoke this produces in the kitchen causes around 1 million deaths. This can be resolved by improved cooking stoves that use less wood and carry smoke out of harms way. This book is a concise and practical guide to designing and building a Maya Peten cooking stove. The stove is a low-cost and effective solution that improves health in the home and requires cutting less firewood. You'll learn about the basic principles of heat transfer and the thermal properties of materials. Taking you through the design and build process step-by-step with ample illustrations, the book will provide you with what you need to know to build an efficient and long-lasting stove for a variety of applications.

Alrededor de 2600 millones de personas en el mundo dependen de la lena para cocinar en el hogar. El humo que se produce en la cocina causa mas de 1 millon de muertes al ano. Una estufa de lena eficiente ofrece una solucion de bajo coste, mejorando las condiciones de salud en el hogar. Este libro presenta los conceptos de diseno y los pasos para construir una estufa de lena eficiente con materiales de bajo coste. Aprenderas a identificar los componentes de una estufa, realizar la construccion y completar un ensayo de eficiencia termica. Incluye lo esencial para poder realizar un proyecto con exito, con numerosas ilustraciones para facilitar el aprendizaje.