A Golden Thread: 2500 Years of Solar Architecture and Technology

Dust jacket notes: "Buried in distant archives and deep in the memories of a few old-timers lies the evidence that solar energy is not an exotic new energy source. Greek cities faced south to catch winter sunlight, Roman villas and communal baths were solar heated, and nineteenth-century European greenhouses provided winter heat as well as food. Solar water-heater industries thrived in California in the early 1900's and flourished in Florida two decades later. These are but a few of the early applications of solar energy examined in A Golden Thread, whose authors trace the evolution of solar architecture and technology through 2500 years of Western civilization. Not surprisingly, solar energy has been used repeatedly - usually when such 'conventional' fuels as wood and coal were in short supply. During those age-old times of 'energy crisis,' the sun proved to be an economical and practical alternative. Thus, this book serves as a mirror for our own times, when oil and gas supplies are dwindling and people once again clamor for energy from the sun. But A Golden Thread is much more than a historical survey of solar energy applications. The energy used by a society is closely tied to its economic, cultural and political life, and Butti and Perlin have not ignored this human element. Their carefully researched narrative is told through the eyes and words of its actual participants - architects, inventors, scientists and visionaries who advocated a solar society long before the present day. It is this emphasis on the human side of technological innovation that distinguishes this hopeful book. History not only proves the possibility of solar energy; it also gives us a glimpse of the future society that might come to depend on the sun for a large part of its heat, light and motive power. A Golden Thread should be read by solar advocates, policymakers and the concerned public alike."