 A solution to one of the world's biggest problems is small. So small that anyone with access to the right information and resources can help. Small-scale solar systems have the potential to positively impact billions of lives. And the secret is, anyone can build one. We want to teach you how. My name is Lonnie Grafman, and I have the great pleasure of working with people like you to make epic stuff all around the world. It's our goal to make small-scale solar more accessible to everyone, and we need your help. As you know, the problems we're facing are myriad, and at times overwhelming. So many of these problems relate to energy and security and climate change. That's why we're creating this book. To catch the sun will include stories of inspiring communities coming together to harness the power of the sun and the detailed instructions you need to build these systems yourself. Along with diagrams, definitions, science, and math, to catch the sun will also include stories of my own embarrassing failures, so you can learn from my mistakes. Maybe you want to build a solar schoolroom, animal shelter, remote data collector, greenhouse band, irrigation pump, vaccine refrigerator, or just have a fly outdoor sound system. Maybe you're ready for that van life, preparing for power outages, or planning for the zombie apocalypse. Or maybe you just want to support individuals and communities increasing their resilience by harnessing the power of the sun and their own creativity. Then this book is for you. Three years ago, I asked for your help bringing more rainwater catchment knowledge to the world through a book called To Catch the Rain, and you really showed up. We doubled our Kickstarter target and brought thousands of paperbacks and digital copies to dozens of countries. Your support helped build so many rainwater projects, such as an orphanage in Haiti where Francis students use rainwater to grow and sell produce. Or a school in Northern California growing acres of food for their assisted lunch program. Permaculture demonstration centers in Kenya and rebuilding farms in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria. I also had the pleasure of presenting the book in countries like Thailand, El Salvador, the United States, and even got to swap books with Rajendra Singh, the water man of India. For this book to have a big impact, we need your help. Your support will help us finish the book, provide layout to make it a gorgeous addition to your bookshelf, and translate the book into Spanish making this information accessible to 500 million more people. This time around, I have an amazing co-author, Dr. Joshua Pierce, a prolific professor of open source technologies and photovoltaics. We know that in order to have a big change, you need a lot of people doing small things. By supporting this book, you help create a world where everyday people can literally take the power into their own hands. So further your activism by spreading the word, buying this book, and implementing the knowledge in it to provide cleaner energy for your community.