E-Book Overview
This final volume in a series that has surveyed advances in solar energy research since the oil shock of the early 1970s provides a broad overview of the U.S. solar thermal program. It summarizes the conclusions of each of the nine technical volumes in the series and offers lessons drawn from the program for future governmental efforts to foster specific technologies.Reading this history, it becomes clear that what was unique about the federal solar program was its attempt to create research guidelines that included commercialization as part of the expected outcome. The three contributors, all active participants in the solar project, are quite candid about what worked and what did not (and why). The result is a tale of bureaucracy and politics worth pondering as we debate the proper relationship between government and science.
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History and Overview of Solar Heat Technologies Solar Heat Technologies: Fundamentals and Applications Charles A. Bankston, editor-in-chief 1. History and Overview of Solar Heat Technologies Donald A. Beattie, editor 2. Solar Resources Roland L. Hulstrom, editor 3. Economic Analysis of Solar Thermal Energy Systems Ronald E. West and Frank Kreith, editors 4. Fundamentals of Building Energy Dynamics Bruce D. Hunn, editor 5. Solar Collectors, Energy Storage, and Materials Francis de Winter, editor 6. Active Solar Systems George Lof, editor 7. Passive Solar Buildings J. Douglas Balcomb, editor 8. Passive Cooling Jeffrey Cook, editor 9. Solar Building Architecture Bruce Anderson, editor 10. Implementation of Solar Thermal Technology Ronal Larson and Ronald E. West, editors History and Overview of Solar Heat Technologies edited by Donald A. Beattie The MIT Press Cambridge, Massachusetts London, England © 1997 Massachusetts Institute of Technology All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means (including photocopying, recording, or information storage and retrieval) without permission in writing from the publisher. This book was set in Times Roman by Asco Trade Typesetting Ltd., Hong Kong and was printed and bound in the United States of America. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data History and overview of solar heat technologies I edited by Donald A. Beattie. p. em. - (Solar heat technologies; I) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-262-02415-2 (alk. paper) 1. Solar energy. 2. Solar energy-History. 3. Solar heating. 4. Solar heating-History. I. Beattie, Donald A. II. Series. TJ809.95.S68 1988 vol. I [IJ810] 697'.78s-dc20 96-34297 [621.47] CIP Contents Preface and Acknowledgments vii Donald A. Beattie, Frederick H. Morse Series Acknowledgments Xl Charles A. Bankston List of Acronyms 1 About this Volume xiii 1 Charles A. Bankston and Donald A. Beattie 2 About this Series 15 Charles A. Bankston 3 The Early Years of Federal Solar Energy Programs 23 Donald A. Beattie 4 The Buildup Years: 1974-1977 45 Donald A. Beattie 5 The Growth Years: 1977-1980 109 Frederick H. Morse 6 The Contraction and Redirection Years: 1981-1988 (and Beyond) 139 Frederick H. Morse 7 Significant Results of the Federal Solar R&D Programs 181 Charles A. Bankston 8 Observations and Lessons Le