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Solar energy technology handbook, Part A-enineering fundamentals
86
Book Reviews
The Hawkweed Passive Solar House Book. WILLIAM descussion of concentrating collectors, heat exchangers, heat KECK. McNally. Hardback $7.95. 192 p. 1980.
$14.95,
paperback
Passive Solar House Book provides a description of several different types of solar houses. Topics include climatic effects, passive system desi~, and simplified performance calculations. A description is also given of the actual construction of a passive solar house, and some of the things to look for in living in such a home. The book contains a fairly large number of black and white photographs of passive solar homes constructed over the past 100yr. Floor plans and system schematics are given for some of the houses. The book is recommended for architects and home builders who would like a concise and non-technical review of a variety of passive solar applications. The book is written for the layman, containing few technical terms or technical data. One table is given for the glazing requirements for passive solar houses in major american cities.
A Golden Thread: 2500 Years of Solar Architecture and Technology. KEs BUTTI and JOHN PERLIN. £11.95. $15.95. Van Nostrand, Reinhold. 304 p. 1980. A Golden Thread is a fascinating book dealing with the development of solar energy from ancient times up to the present. It is basically a book of history, tracing the early origins of solar applications from ancient Greece through the European renaissance and on toward prewar and postwar modern times. Topics include solar architecture in ancient Greece and Rome, solar horticulture, burning mirrors, the first solar motors, early solar water heating, early solar applications in Europe and the U.S., and modern applications including solar water heating. This is definitely not a how-to book but, for those that are interested, it provides a historical prospective on the development of solar energy as a energy source. It is interesting to see many of our modern ideas can be traced to ancient times, as has often been said "there is nothing new under the sun".
Solar Thermal Engineering Space Heating and Hot Water Systems. PETER J. LUNOE. Wiley, N e w York. $25.95. 1980. This well written text takes one step by step through the fundamentals of solar thermal applications with emphasis on space heating and hot water. It is well adapted for a senior level engineering units, so the reader has the option of staying with the familiar engineering units or converting to the modern SI system. Heat transfer equations incorporating dimensional parameters also are given both in SI and engineering units. Little attention is given in this book to the derivation of equations; the necessary equations are presented in their most useful form to facilitate engineering calculations. In addition, a great deal of useful data is provided in tabular form to permit the solution of a wide range of engineering problems without having to refer to other literature sources. This text is recommended to anyone who wishes to gain a good understanding of solar heating and hot water systems and develop the ability to calculate the performance of the systems. The mathematics background of the person should include advanced algebra, and some knowledge of calculus would be useful since techniques of intergral and differential calculus are utilized in a few places in the text. Topics covered in this text include a review of basic heat transfer processes, thermal characteristics of buildings, solar radiation, design and analysis of flat plate collectors, a brief
storage, system parametric analysis, the analysis of thermal performance of heating and hot water systems, economics of solar systems and system optimization, swimming pool heating, and a brief description of passive solar applications.
Energy Technology Handbook, Part AEngineering Fundamentals. WILLIAM C. DICKENSON
Solar
and PAUL N. CHEREMISINOFF.Marcell Dekker, Inc. New York. $29.50. 808 p. 1980. Part A of the Solar Energy Technology Handbook presents a collection of 26 papers by leaders in the solar field. For example, Karl B6er discusses the terrestrial solar spectrum, George L6f talks about solar collectors, Charles Backus discusses photovoltalc conversion, Martin Wolf describes techniques of solar cell fabrication, and Marshall Merriam presents data on wind machines. There are eight papers on the solar resource, seven on solar thermal collectors, three on photovoltaics, two on bioconversion, two on wind, and four describing solar energy storage systems. The Solar Energy Technology Handbook, Part A, contains a wealth of useful information covering a range of solar technologies. The editors have sought out some of the top people within each discipline to write on each specific topic. Some of the papers require a knowledge of advanced algebra. Since a great deal of the material is technical in nature, some background in science or engineering is recommended. The Solar Energy Technology Handbook should be a useful addition to the library of technically-oriented people involved in alternative energy applications.
Solar Energy Applications in the Design of Buildings. Edited by H e n r y J. Cowan. Applied Science, New York. 1980. This book is a collection of papers presented at a symposium on solar energy held at the Department of Architectural Science of Sydney University in August of 1979. The first paper explains that solar energy is needed since non-renewable energy resources are being depleted. The second paper describes physical and psychological factors relating to human comfort in buildings. The third paper presents useful data for the design of sun-shading devices in Australia. The next paper describes techniques of utilizing daylight in buildings to reduce energy consumption for artificial lighting. Techniques of using thermal inertia to moderate temperatures swings in buildings are discussed briefly in the following paper. The remaining papers describe the use of climatic data, computer modeling of the environment of buildings, some design studies, energy conservation research, and a review of solar heating and cooling research. This book may be useful to architects and others who would like a review of Australian work on solar building design and analysis. No background in mathematics is required, although a few of the papers do present equations which require a knowledge of advanced algebra.
The Solar Decision Book. RICHARDH. MONTGOMERY. Wiley, N e w York. 1978 paper $14.95. Teachers manual available. The Solar Decision Book describes very simply the design of solar energy systems for homes. No background in science or mathematics is required. Topics include the energy shortage, energy conservation in homes, why solar energy should be util-
Book Reviews
The Hawkweed Passive Solar House Book. WILLIAM descussion of concentrating collectors, heat exchangers, heat KECK. McNally. Hardback $7.95. 192 p. 1980.
$14.95,
paperback
Passive Solar House Book provides a description of several different types of solar houses. Topics include climatic effects, passive system desi~, and simplified performance calculations. A description is also given of the actual construction of a passive solar house, and some of the things to look for in living in such a home. The book contains a fairly large number of black and white photographs of passive solar homes constructed over the past 100yr. Floor plans and system schematics are given for some of the houses. The book is recommended for architects and home builders who would like a concise and non-technical review of a variety of passive solar applications. The book is written for the layman, containing few technical terms or technical data. One table is given for the glazing requirements for passive solar houses in major american cities.
A Golden Thread: 2500 Years of Solar Architecture and Technology. KEs BUTTI and JOHN PERLIN. £11.95. $15.95. Van Nostrand, Reinhold. 304 p. 1980. A Golden Thread is a fascinating book dealing with the development of solar energy from ancient times up to the present. It is basically a book of history, tracing the early origins of solar applications from ancient Greece through the European renaissance and on toward prewar and postwar modern times. Topics include solar architecture in ancient Greece and Rome, solar horticulture, burning mirrors, the first solar motors, early solar water heating, early solar applications in Europe and the U.S., and modern applications including solar water heating. This is definitely not a how-to book but, for those that are interested, it provides a historical prospective on the development of solar energy as a energy source. It is interesting to see many of our modern ideas can be traced to ancient times, as has often been said "there is nothing new under the sun".
Solar Thermal Engineering Space Heating and Hot Water Systems. PETER J. LUNOE. Wiley, N e w York. $25.95. 1980. This well written text takes one step by step through the fundamentals of solar thermal applications with emphasis on space heating and hot water. It is well adapted for a senior level engineering units, so the reader has the option of staying with the familiar engineering units or converting to the modern SI system. Heat transfer equations incorporating dimensional parameters also are given both in SI and engineering units. Little attention is given in this book to the derivation of equations; the necessary equations are presented in their most useful form to facilitate engineering calculations. In addition, a great deal of useful data is provided in tabular form to permit the solution of a wide range of engineering problems without having to refer to other literature sources. This text is recommended to anyone who wishes to gain a good understanding of solar heating and hot water systems and develop the ability to calculate the performance of the systems. The mathematics background of the person should include advanced algebra, and some knowledge of calculus would be useful since techniques of intergral and differential calculus are utilized in a few places in the text. Topics covered in this text include a review of basic heat transfer processes, thermal characteristics of buildings, solar radiation, design and analysis of flat plate collectors, a brief
storage, system parametric analysis, the analysis of thermal performance of heating and hot water systems, economics of solar systems and system optimization, swimming pool heating, and a brief description of passive solar applications.
Energy Technology Handbook, Part AEngineering Fundamentals. WILLIAM C. DICKENSON
Solar
and PAUL N. CHEREMISINOFF.Marcell Dekker, Inc. New York. $29.50. 808 p. 1980. Part A of the Solar Energy Technology Handbook presents a collection of 26 papers by leaders in the solar field. For example, Karl B6er discusses the terrestrial solar spectrum, George L6f talks about solar collectors, Charles Backus discusses photovoltalc conversion, Martin Wolf describes techniques of solar cell fabrication, and Marshall Merriam presents data on wind machines. There are eight papers on the solar resource, seven on solar thermal collectors, three on photovoltaics, two on bioconversion, two on wind, and four describing solar energy storage systems. The Solar Energy Technology Handbook, Part A, contains a wealth of useful information covering a range of solar technologies. The editors have sought out some of the top people within each discipline to write on each specific topic. Some of the papers require a knowledge of advanced algebra. Since a great deal of the material is technical in nature, some background in science or engineering is recommended. The Solar Energy Technology Handbook should be a useful addition to the library of technically-oriented people involved in alternative energy applications.
Solar Energy Applications in the Design of Buildings. Edited by H e n r y J. Cowan. Applied Science, New York. 1980. This book is a collection of papers presented at a symposium on solar energy held at the Department of Architectural Science of Sydney University in August of 1979. The first paper explains that solar energy is needed since non-renewable energy resources are being depleted. The second paper describes physical and psychological factors relating to human comfort in buildings. The third paper presents useful data for the design of sun-shading devices in Australia. The next paper describes techniques of utilizing daylight in buildings to reduce energy consumption for artificial lighting. Techniques of using thermal inertia to moderate temperatures swings in buildings are discussed briefly in the following paper. The remaining papers describe the use of climatic data, computer modeling of the environment of buildings, some design studies, energy conservation research, and a review of solar heating and cooling research. This book may be useful to architects and others who would like a review of Australian work on solar building design and analysis. No background in mathematics is required, although a few of the papers do present equations which require a knowledge of advanced algebra.
The Solar Decision Book. RICHARDH. MONTGOMERY. Wiley, N e w York. 1978 paper $14.95. Teachers manual available. The Solar Decision Book describes very simply the design of solar energy systems for homes. No background in science or mathematics is required. Topics include the energy shortage, energy conservation in homes, why solar energy should be util-