Links & Books
Links
Solar and Renewable
Energy Organizations
American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy
www.aceee.org/index.htm
On this Web site, find information on U.S. national and state energy policy, links to consumer resources, and upcoming green energy conferences.
Rocky Mountain Institute
www.rmi.org
The Rocky Mountain Institute is an independent think tank focusing on green energy and other environmental issues as they relate to today's economy. Read details on the organization's latest work on its Web site.
Renewable Energy Access
www.renewableenergyaccess.com
This renewable energy site provides articles, links to commercial organizations, and a weekly podcast.
Solar Energy International
www.solarenergy.org
Solar Energy International provides educational resources and training programs on solar and other renewable energy sources. On its Web site, read articles and solar-related news.
American Solar Energy Society
www.ases.org
The ASES is dedicated to the development and adoption of renewable energies. Learn about its current programs and projects through this Web site.
Solar Energy Industries Association
www.seia.org
This organization is the national trade association for solar energy manufacturers, dealers, contractors, and other professionals. Learn what solar energy looks like from a commercial standpoint on its Web site.
Solar Electric Power Association
www.solarelectricpower.org
The Solar Electric Power Association strives to integrate solar technology into existing electric grid systems. Its Web site provides a library of useful resources, a directory of commercial installers of solar cells, and downloadable MP3 recordings of its past seminars.
Solar Web Portals and
Educational Resources
SolarBuzz.com
www.solarbuzz.com
This Web site is an impressive resource for all things solar. Read the latest news on solar policy and research, learn what it takes to install a photovoltaic system, browse a long list of links, and more.
Hugg.com
www.hugg.com
The interactive interface of Hugg.com allows visitors to read, submit, and rate new articles on almost any environmental topic, from alternative vehicles to the economics of solar power.
Solar Today magazine
www.solartoday.org
This bi-monthly magazine from the American Solar Energy Society covers a wide range of solar and renewable energy technologies. On its companion Web site, read selected articles and browse a list of solar-related links.
MIT Open Courseware: Photovoltaic Solar Energy Systems
ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/Special-Programs/SP-769Fall-2004/CourseHome/index.htm
Learn the physics of a photovoltaic cell on this site from MIT's innovative Open Courseware program.
The Vote Solar Initiative
votesolar.org
On this site, find information on solar initiatives by state and city, browse a list of solar resources, and find case studies on the use of solar power.
U.S. State and Federal
Government Sites
Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency
www.dsireusa.org
This vast database provides links to federal and state energy tax deductions, grants, and other incentives for renewable energy use.
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
www.nrel.gov/solar
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory is the U.S.'s primary lab for the study of renewable energy and energy efficiency. On its extensive Web site, find information about solar power, green building materials, and much more.
Solar Energy Technologies Program: Solar America Initiative
www1.eere.energy.gov/solar/solar_america
On this site from the U.S. Department of Energy, read up on new areas of research, view photographs and animations, and search a large database of solar resources.
Energy Information Administration
www.eia.doe.gov
The EIA provides detailed statistics on energy use throughout the U.S.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: Clean Energy
www.epa.gov/cleanrgy/renew.htm
Learn about the environmental impact of existing renewable energy sources on this Web site from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Existing Solar Homes
Williamson Solar House (CA)
www.solartoday.org/2006/nov_dec06/Near_Zero_ND06.pdf
Norma and Alan Williamson turned their 1960s California home into a virtually zero-energy solar house in just over a year. This article from Solar Today Magazine gives the details—or see our abridged version, This Solar House.
Maine Solar House (ME)
www.solarhouse.com
Bill and Debbi Lord's house in Kennebunkport, Maine runs almost entirely on solar power. On their Web site, find out what it took to get there.
Watson Solar House (MA)
256.com/solar
With some help from state renewable energy grants, Grey Watson added solar panels to his Boston home. Read the details of the conversion and see graphs showing the daily efficiency of its panels through his Web site.
Solar Haven (AZ)
www.solarhaven.org/PVSystem.htm
Follow one couple's trials and tribulations while building "off the grid" in the Arizona desert.
A Passive Solar Manufactured House (CO)
strike.colorado.edu/solar/
This Colorado house has solar heat and electricity. View construction photos, read about the efficiency of the solar basement, and download a poster or talk slides in PDF format.
Books
Solar Revolution: The Economic
Transformation of the Global Energy Industry
by
Travis Bradford. MIT Press, 2006.
Designing With Solar
Power: A Source Book for Building Integrated Photovoltaics
by
Deo Prasad and Mark Snow. Earthscan books, 2005.
Solar Power: The Evolution of
Sustainable Architecture
by Sophia Behling and
Stefan Behling. Prestel Publishing, 2000.
Tackling Climate Change
in the U.S.: Potential Carbon Emissions Reductions from Energy Efficiency and
Renewable Energy by 2030
edited by Charles
Kutscher. American Solar Energy Society, 2007.
The Solar Economy: Renewable Energy for
a Sustainable Global Future
by Hermann Scheer.
Earthscan Books, 1999.
Articles
"Basic Research
Needs for Solar Energy Utilization"
www.science.doe.gov/bes/reports/files/SEU_rpt.pdf
by U.S. Department of
Energy Office of Basic Energy Sciences, 2005.
"Solar Energy
Technology Multi-Year Technical Plan: 2003-2007 and Beyond"
www.nrel.gov/docs/fy03osti/29381.pdf
by U.S. Department of
Energy, 2002.
