A Golden Thread: 2500 Years of Solar Architecture and Technology

Almost 2,500 years ago, the ancient Greeks began designing their homes to capture winter sunlight. This book describes the major advances in solar architecture and technology that have occurred since that time. Its emphasis is on developments occurring in Western civilization, but it also touches on important work from China and Japan. In writing this book, we took an evolutionary approach. We have tried to show the step-by-step development of solar architecture and technology, and to describe the process of discovery and the popularization of these applications. Thus, technological developments are always discussed within the economic, political, social and cultural milieu of each period.