Page 18 RAIN October 1977 Bio-Energy Coun~il Suite 304 .1337 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington, DC 20036 202/83 3-5656 This U.S. organization, patterned after Canada's Biomass Energy Inst., aims to provide a national center to advance the development and use of solar energy stored in plant matter. Dr. Peter Schauffler, organizer.of the Mareh '7 6 Washington Conference on "Capturing the Sun through Bioconversion," is coordinator of the new Bio-Energy Council. Write for membership and newsletter info. -LJ Electric Utility Solar Energy Activities, prepared by L.D. Cleary, 77 pp., Jan. 1977, $4.65 paperback from: Publications Electric Power Research Institute Palo Alto, CA 943 04 Describes 290 projects of 1·16 utility companies in windpower, solar radiation measurement, solar thermal control power and photovoltaics. Useful in testifying before PUC rate hearings in which you can wave this around and ask why your uti~ity should get a rate increase for sitting on its ass when it comes to supporting wind and solar energy. -LJ Solar -Works FEA Solar Collector-Small WECS Production Survey, every 6 months, free from: Solar Collector Survey Office of Data & Analysis Federal Energy Administration 12th and,Pennsylvania Ave., N.W. Washington, DC 20461 Design Manual for Solar Water Heating of Buildings and Domestic Hot Water, Richard L. Fiel.d, 81 pp., 1977, $5.95 (Maryland residents add 24¢ tax) from: SOLPUB Co. Box 2351 Gaithersburg, MD 20760 The'design method for solar collector sizing is adapted frorri the "f-chart" method for liquid and air systems developed at the Univ. of Wisconsin. 11 blank worksheets and a summary chart are presented together with instructions for filling them out using high school math ability. The designer must know 1) collector characteristics, 2) ·monthly averages of weather data, and 3) monthly heat load of the building. Tables and charts aiding in estimating heat loadls, costs and the effects of changing specific factors arc included. Two completed • worksheet examples illustrate the method. Get this rather than the earlier edition, which is $6 from NTIS. Dr. Field is now with U.S. ERDA. - LJ Sun Journal: The Aspen Energy Periodical, quarterly, $10/yr.-i~dividual, $20corporations, organizations, institutions, from: Roaring Fork Resource Center Box 9950 ' Aspen, CO 81611 The Spring '77 (vol. 3 .2') issue contains abstracts from the 1977 Aspen Energy Form, a,s well as news from the Colorado Solar Energy Association (CSEA),_ a calendar of solar events and technology briefs. Looks good. This and the CSEA news ought to keep one well updated on Colorado solar doings. - LJ Sun Power: An Introduction to the _Applications of Solar Energy, by J.C. Mcveigh, May 1977, 208 pp., index, $4. 9 5 flexi-cover from: Pergamon Press, Inc. Maxwell House, Fairview Park Elmsford, NY 10523 An authoritative current state-of-theart analysis of all aspects of solar energy, this is a less expensive replacement f,or Solar Technology & Applications and for the now-outdated Direct Use of the Sun's Energy. It provides a concise intro to worldwide solar applications with an emphasis on thermal systems, such as heating, cooling and smlll-scale power. Photovoltaics, bioconversion and windpower are also included. Theory has been reduced to a minimum to provide room for useful illustrations, graphs and nontechnical language. E'xtensive bibliog- . raphy. Highly recommended. -LJ If you're interested in sq. ft. produc1 tion of solar panels and small windelectric conversion systems, then FEA's survey is what you want. Especially useful to those doing market analyses. , Solar Process Heat from Concentrating Flat-Plate Collectors, by D.P. Grimmer and K.C. Kerr, Los Alamos Scientific Lab, $4._50from: National Technical Information Service U.S. Dept. of Commerce Springfield, VA 22161 38.6% of U.S. gross energy use in the utility, industrial and commercial sectors could be supplied by the sun. The researchers state that "on-site, scale-toneed collection of solar thermal pQwer is the proper path to follow' and tha.t current-technology evacuated compound parabolic concentrating collec- . tors coul1 supply process heat at a relatively low cost, with temperatures up to 315°C (600°F). - LJ DOUBLE CONVEX LENSJ Q TRANSFER MEDIUM Two types of concentrating collectors. The double convex lens is the familiar magnifying glass. The parabolic mirror is used more often in solar heating applications.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NTc4NTAz