Customer Reviews

Passive Solar Buildings (Solar Heat Technologies)

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Doug Balcomb is the editor of these 10 chapters. Not all of the chapters add much yet with Doug Balcomb, Fuller Moore, Phil Niles and Timothy Johnson the book is good. Unfortunately it is more about LASL and NREL's contribution to passive solar than the larger part played by others. It is an answer to the wistful query "what would happen if top scientists were directed to work on passive solar instead of nuclear bombs?"
Not Much! Evidently we need to direct ourselves.
The investigations are clothed in equations and computer generated graphs yet despite this their useful work has been disregarded by a nation now bent on generating solar electricity. What Balcomb did has been as easily disregarded by others as he disregarded us rag tag small fry who proceeded and then accompanied his work. Why else has ASHRAE let Balcomb's contribution go out of print?
Balcomb, his LASL then NREL boys and the rest of us worked to do without electricity, to have buildings not need power for heating, cooling and light. Somehow, though this is exactly what we need it is not what congress finances and is ignored to concentrate on generating electricity.
The government scientists who backed passive solar seem helpless. A fate like trees grown in planters to be placed by others. A corrupt congress plays the role of decorator, shifting their potted ones as they please.
This reader can only guess what might be without an NREL or DOE. Some of the men might have their roots in the land, the economy, instead of government agency pots.
As always with DOE spokesmen, such authors dismiss those of us who risk our livelihoods and point out how to pass on risks to others. They boldly recommend such cowardice as the answer for society.