Table of Contents

Preface 1. Objective 2. Units of measure and basic formulae for electricity and energy 3. Introduction to small solar photovoltaic systems 4. The client: meeting his or her needs 5. Photovoltaic modules 6. Charge regulator 7. Batteries 8. Loads and inverters 9. Choice of cables and electrical protection equipment 10. Quality control and procurement advice 11. Installation of solar systems 12. Maintenance and servicing of small solar systems systems 13. Recurrent recurrent problems and solutions 14. List of necessary tools 15. For further information 16. Glossary 17. Annexes

Promotional Information

'Being in the rural areas in Mali, Morocco, Burkina Faso, Senegal, I visited many solar technicians in rural areas, they all had the French version of the Practical Guide and were using it daily.' 'Several technical schools in West Africa use this practical guide during their electricity lessons and practical classes for teaching their students installation, maintenance and servicing of solar systems.' 'One of our partners in development, URDT in Uganda, uses the practical guide in training community based technicians. Their female solar trainer is very enthusiastic about the Practical Guide.' Willeke Parmentier, ETC Energy/Technical Training Programme

About the Author

Jean-Paul Louineau is an experienced solar energy consultant and author. He has conceived several hands-on photovoltaic technical and training tools and has conducted numerous training courses in Africa and France. He is the founder of the consultancy company Alliance Soleil, based in France.