Resources

Technical Resources

If you just want to learn more about the technical aspects of renewable energy we suggest that you look for what we consider the "best of the best" materials out of our growing reference library. Some can be found in your public library, others out of the magazine section of your local book store, and still others off the internet:

Wind Turbine Technology 

Gipe, Paul. 2004. Wind Power, Renewable Energy for Home, Farm, and Business. Chelsea Green Publishing Company, P. O. Box 428, White River Junction, Vermont, 05001, (800) 639-4099, www.chelseagreen.com

Passive Solar Energy

Kachadorian, James. 1997. The Passive Solar House: Using Solar Design to Heat and Cool Your Home. Chelsae Green Publishing Company, P. O. Box 428, White River Junction, Vermont, 050001

Thermal Solar Energy

Lane, Tom. 2004. Solar Hot Water, Lessons Learned 1977 to Today. Energy Conversation Services of North Florida, Inc., 6120 SW 13th Street, Gainesville, FL 32608, (352) 377-8866, www.ecs-solar.com

Photovoltaic (PV) Energy

We don't have a favorite reference book concerning this renewable energy resource but we do like Home Power Magazine (internet access at homepower.com) in this area.

Geothermal Energy

We know of no reference book or magazine that is available to the public in this area of renewable energy. Other than the occasional magazine article which describes the benefits of ground source heat pump technology, all of the technical information is developed for designers and installers of the equipment.  

We consider these resources the best we've found. We must warn you though, they do delve extensively into the numbers game that must be played to effectively take advantage of renewable energy. All design and ultimately construction projects do!

Literary Resources that Shape Our Motivation to "Do What We Do"

If on the other hand you're more interested in "why we're so concerned about resource scarcity in the very near future and why we do what we do" then consider reading the following books (can be purchased from Amazon or any other book distributor):

Water

• Unquenchable: America's Water Crisis and What To Do About It, by Robert Glennon.
• The Cul-de-Sac Syndrome: Turning Around the Unsustainable American Dream, by John F. Wasik.
• Aqua Shock: The Water Crisis in America, by Susan J. Marks.

Food

• Tough Choices: Facing the Challenge of Food Scarcity (The Worldwatch Environmental Alert Series), by Lester R. Brown.

Oil/Other Resources

• Twilight in the Desert, by Matthew Simmons.
• Resource Wars, by Michael T. Klare.
• Limits of Growth: The 30-Year Update, by Donella H. Meadows.

All of the these issues are either directly or indirectly resolved through the development and use of renewable energy technologies. Some more than others, but in concert, all play a roll. That's why we are so passionate about what we do.