whether or not they had "solar" courses. Thus, general courses like "Chemistry I" are included if the instructor deals with solar concepts at all. Some colleges list any course that mentions solar energy, whereas others won't include themselves unless they grant a degree in the subject. -TK More Other Homes and Garbage, by Jim Leckie, Gil Masters, Harry Whitehouse and Lily Young, 1981, 416 pp., $14.95 from: Sierra Club Books 530 Bush Street · San Francisco, CA 94108 Anyone who started getting interested in small scale energy technology in the late 1970s will probably remember Other Homes and Garbage as one of the best introductions around. This new edition is better than ever, and the new material generally reflects the moves solar technology has made from scattered rural applications towards the mainstream of American society. There are excellent updated sections covering wind, photovoltaics, active and passive solar applications, waste handling systems and aquaculture. As before, the information is accurate, clear and remarkably comprehensive for a book that covers as wide a range as this one does. It's still one of the best. -KB Simplified Methodology for Economic Screening of Potential Low-Head SmallCapacity Hydroelectric Sites, prepared by Tudor Engineering Co., 1981, inquire for price from: Electric Power Research Institute 3412 Hillview Ave. Palo Alto, CA 94304 I almost didn't review this book. It comes from the Electric Power Research Institute, which keeps afloat by working for private utilities. From this point of view, "small-capacity" hydro is defined as sites with a capacRUSH The Northern Rockies Action Group (NRAG), which has provided citizen g.roups with information and skills through publications on a wide variety of topics has been conducting training sessions in various parts of their region. The workshops feature training in nuts and bolts skills as well as introductions to the latest approaches for building strong grassroots organizations. On November 20-22 in Denver, Colorado Bruce Bality of 200kW to 15,000kW. A single family might need a 2kW to lOkW system. My other problem with the book was the dry engineerese writing style. A good case can be made, however, for using distributed community based power generation systems, especially those using renewable resources. They provide a small community with a local, controllable, selfsufficient power source. They provide the society at large with power that minimizes environmental degradation. Putting aside the source and bias of this ' Ti'PICAL BALL-00 t-.J FRA.MINC::, From Home Retrofitting 81..oc..~·~ ?1:.10~ To At>o1~"' l'-.lS\Jt..A\ \Oi-...1 lenger, a nationally known expert in media strategies for citizen groups, will lead a training in media skills and public relations. This two an.d one-half day session will be the most thorough review of media strategies for citizen groups offered anywhere. The cost is $75 per person. Contact NRAG, 9 Placer Street, Helena, MT 59601 . November 1981 RAIN Page 21 study, I recommend this book for its presentation of some good basics for the economic evaluation of community-sized hy,dropower. The text is written for people who already know the basic concepts, although the appendices fill in the gaps for the uninitiated. Ballpark cost estimates for different basic configurations of dam and powerhouse, and good graphical techniques·fqr determining the power from a site based on a known flow distribution or a known maximum flow and an estimated regional flow distribution are included. Finally, techniques for calculating the economic profitability (the EPRI bias) for the system are given. Very simply, this is not a book that will be useful to many RAIN readers, but the few who may need.it now know it's available. -Gail Katz We've Got the Power (slide-tape show), 1981, 140 color slides or filmstrip, 26 · mins., $70 (slides) or $50 (filmstrip), rental (West Coast only) $15.00 from: Energy Education Project American Friends Service Comm. 2160 Lake Street San Francisco, CA 94121 415/752-7766 Here it is-one of the best energy slide shows I've seen anywhere. Whether American's should continue to follow the "hard" energy path (nuclear power and fossil fuels) we've been on since WWII or adopt the "soft" energy path (renewable resources and conservation) is the question addressed by Amory Lovins, Barry Commoner, Winona LaDuke, Richard Barnet, Jerry Gordon, Dave McFadden, Judy Corbett, Mark Cherniak, Diane Thomas-Glass and others familiar to RAIN readers. They discuss what Davis, CA, Portland, OR, Franklin County, MA and other communities have done and can do to bring about a safe, clean, locallycontrolled energy future. Included are a complete script and footnotes, plus an excellent study-action guide. Highly recommended for organizers and educators. -MR A passive solar workshop by the people who wrote the books: Doug Balcomb, Ed Mazria, and Susan and Wayne Nichols. The workshop will explore in depth the topics of programing, schematic design, design development, and construction. Passive Solar Associates has developed a unique 300-page workbook for this workshop to complement and parallel the workshop agenda, and it is available only through workshop participation. Passive Solar Workshop is being held November 9-10 in Chicago, November 13-14 in Atlanta, and November 30-December l 'in San Francisco. The registration fee is $395, and class size is limited. For further information contact Sara Balcomb, Workshop Coordinator, P.O.Box 6023, Santa Fe, NM 87501, 505/983-1506 (mornings). cont.-
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