I The Sotar Survey, National Center for Appropriate Technology, 1979,20 pp., 754 from: NCAT P.O. Box 3838 Butte, MT 59701 This is a survey of 19 low-cost do-ityourself solar collectors designed priEmployment Impact of the Solar Transition, by Leonard Rodberg, prepared for the Subcommittee on Energy of the Joint Economic Committee, 95th Congress, April 1979, 49 pp., from: U.S. Government Printing Office Washington, DC 20402 If the United States committed itself to a national program combining widespread use of conservation and solar energy measures, we could by 1990: create 2.9 million net jobs; reduce nonrenewable fuel expenditures by $118 billion (free the money for other goods and services); have a total annual energy consumption equivalent to 1977. These conclusions are in Employment Impact of tbe Solar Transition, a report for Senator Kennedy's Congressional Suhcomminee on Energy. They are based upon economic projections of the Bureau of Labor Statistics and assume the use of "available or clearly achievable technologies." Assurances are given that no policy which threatens the supply of energy to industrial customers is included in the approach. The report also outlines an implementation strategy which contains a financing mechanism for obtaining the ambitious goals of the transition. -PC RAIN's office is at 2270 N.W. Irving, Portland, OR 97210. Ph: (503) 227-5110. I " Copyright © 1979 RAIN Umbrella Inc.Layout Jill Stapleton RAIN Phil Conti Linda Sawaya Vale Lansky Pauline Deppen STAFF: Steven Ames Lane deMoll Tom Bender Jeff Paine I ! Typesetting: Irish Setter Prinring: Times Litho marily by grassroots organizations. Not detailed information, but the pamphlet gives enough of an idea of the system's construction and operation to determine whether follow-up communication is desirable. The booklet includes system description, schematic drawings, costs and comments by the designers. -PC ~ Vl.. lilA WI.lIltlI ".!LUYQ~Qjl~U4YQUyqQUuA \r-w ~ . I .J '/2· f'Ho rAC6I I NIULATIIW viaLO TrW AAO(/I<M f .!! ~ Vl e CD(,6 I"'JfII..A.T~ ] Get the Sun on Vour Tube Joe Barbish, chairman of the Ohio Solar Energy Association, reports they've finally got the daily solar index on the nightly TV news in Clevelandl Viewers get a regular report of the percentage of hot water used by a family of four that could have been heated that day by the sun. The total installation cost was only about $3000. For more details, contact OSEA, 13125 Dorothy Dr., Chesterland, OH 44026. -Thanks to Acorn June ]979 RAIN Page 3 The Passive Solar Energy Book, Ed Mazria, 436 pp., illustrated, $10.95 from : Rodale Press Inc. Emmaus, PA 18049 It would be difficult to write enough encomiums about this superlative piece of work. For it reverses the recent, unfortunate trend toward high-priced passive solar books full of prettified, egotistical architectural eyewash (i.e. Crowther's silver-covered rip-off), yet devoid of the needed revelation of technical secrets that keep any designer employed. Ed tells all, or at least as much as is now known and verifiable, and does it without oppressive jargon, establishing a new and higher standard of excellence for future writers in this overcrowded field. This publication supersedes a book that only now can be called "second-best," Bruce Anderson's Solar Home Book. I recommend its use as a college text and for nutsand-bolts types who need enough numbers to build sensibly. - LJ Sun Funds Solar water heaters and greenhouses may be an attractive idea, but where can you obtain the loans to finance these improvements? Jeff Zinsmeycr from the Center for Community Change (CCC) suggested an innovative possibility: use the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) as a [001 for securing community solar loans. The CRA, an antiredlining law, requires local financial institutions to serve the credit needs of their communities. In order to make the idea of solar funds more acceptable to lending institutions, neighborhood groups should label the credit "community development loans." A neighborhood survey would be necessary to demonstrate the existence of a credit need within the community. The volume of loan applicants must be sufficient to justify familiarizing a bank employee with the concepts. Upon determination of the need, a proposal requesting credit for solar loans would be submitted to the bank. Ask for a written response. In some cases confronting the lender directly will suffice. In other cases a CRA challenge will be necessary. To date, the CRA has not been used in this manner, so its effectiveness is unknown. Community groups attempting to use the CRA for this purpose can receive technical assistance from the CCC. Their newsletter, Monitor, covered the CRA in the January '79 issue. For more information write: Center for Community Change 1000 Wisconsin Ave., N.W. Washington, DC 20007 - PC
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