The site was up a winding dirt road, in the remote hills of western Massachusetts, 1.3 miles removed from the power line. After a long search, Jeffrey Fowler found the piece of land he had been looking for - one that he could call home. This is the story of how one man used local resources, ingenuity, imagination, and patience to create a homestead powered by the sun. Fowler, who later used his knowledge and experience to become an authority on remote solar electric homes, recounts the unique successes and struggles in developing this new technology for his lifestyle. Armed with a shoestring budget and plenty of creativity, Fowler built his home and developed into one of the country's leading authorities on solar electric homes. The book is part autobiographical and part how-to. While we follow the story on Jeff's life, we also learn how an alternative energy system works and why we need such things as inverters. For those who are technically adverse, the human element keeps the pages turning so you learn without glazing over. Fowler has a knack for making technical information accessible for the uninitiated - a talent that made his earlier books on solar electric homes popular. -- Green Living, Fall 1995 Fowler discusses building an independent homestead and living off the grid in the New England town where he grew up. There is a certain Walden Pond quality about Fowler's experience-building a home, learning about how to build it at the same time and then writing about the experience-that is appealing, and although Fowler's writing doesn't resemble Thoreau's, his firsthand knowledge of the solar electric industry over the past two decades more than makes up for the rough edges. -- Fine Homebuilding, December 1995/January 1996 Jeffrey Fowler is one the pioneers in the home solar electric field and his book is the account of his odyssey to an independent lifestyle. Along the way he became a respected solar electric expert with a successful solar electric business. If it is your intention to build a solar home, read Fowler's advice and see how to plan it from the start. -- Backwoods Home Magazine, March/April 1996 Reading this book is like having a good friend tell you how he did it because he hopes his experience will help you to decide to do it yourself.....More than any technical manual could, Fowler's book invites the reader to realize the ideals of building an earth friendly house while encouraging them to appreciate the many facets of what it takes to get the job done. -- The New Sunpaper, September 1995 The Evolution Of an Independent Home provides interesting insights for those seeking broad treatment of the whys and hows of passive solar, photovoltaics, battery storage systems, gardening, being an owner-builder, and running your own business. This book's straight-forward delivery and engaging story make it a worthwhile read. -- Northeast Sun, Autumn 1995 The inspiration and knowledge we can gain through Fowler, and his willingness to jump into his dream with both feet, are as valuable as technical data. His dream came true, and ours can too. This book is motivational and useful to anyone beginning to plan a renewable energy or efficient home project. It will help you ask many good questions, and will help you decide which answers are best for you. -- Home Power, February/March 1996 This book is for those who want to know how to build a passive solar house powered by a solar electric system. It is a working diary, interestingly written.....and easily understood. -- Rhode Island Solar Energy Association, Summer 1995 The success of The Evolution of an Independent Home is best expressed by its wide range of readers. We have received letters of praise form current alternative energy users, environmentalists, architects, Y2Kers, and people who so far only dream of energy independence. The Evolution of an Independent Home is my story of living the good life - solar electrically. I wrote this book for both alternative energy homeowners and those who dream of energy independence down the road. This is a narrative of my experience building and designing a solar electric powered, passive solar home. When you read this book you not only get a good story and a lot of practical knowledge, but you just might find you have painlessly learned to think and plan like someone with my level of expertise. This can help a dreamer turn his dream to reality, or help a current alternative energy homeowner to stop, think, and refine his or her own solar electric system, house, and homestead.. The Evolution of an Independent Home is a coming of age tale of independent living. Jeffrey Fowler went from neophyte to one of the country's experts on solar electric homes. Evolution of an Independent Home tells that story and more by Fowler's recounting the creation of his homestead. If Walden Pond self-sufficiency with computers and hot showers on demand appeals to you, it is a must read. - Marshall Glickman, Publis