Active Solar Systems (Solar Heat Technologies)

Active Solar Systems is volume 6 in a series that surveys advances in solar energyresearch since the oil shock of the early 1970s. Books in the series document in particular theperiod 1973 to 1985, which spawned a rich array of federally financed technological programs anddevelopments facilitating the practical use of solar energy.The twenty-two contributions in ActiveSolar Systems introduce design, analysis, and control methods for active systems and cover advancesin the interconnected technologies for water heating, space heating, and space cooling. They showthat, with effective marketing and with environmental costs factored into individual consumerdecisions, there is strong potential for solar water heating and space heating, and that solarcooling has potential but needs further development to become commercially viable. The details ofthe materials involved in these technologies are covered in volume 5, Solar Collectors, EnergyStorage, and Materials.George Löf is Professor Emeritus and Senior Advisor in the Solar EnergyApplications Laboratory at Colorado State University.