Looking into the sky on a sunny day, the notion that humans could have an "energy crisis" seems absurd. Each day, the earth receives 1.78 x 1014 kilowatts of energy, more than 10,000 times the amount needed by the whole world this year....

Passive solar refers to means of using sunlight for energy without active mechanical systems (as contrasted to active solar). Such technologies convert sunlight into usable heat (water, air, thermal mass), cause air-movement for ventilating, or store...

If you are going to go solar, the easiest, least expensive way is to go passive. This means simply letting the sun shine into your house. And since the sun shines mostly from the south, the areas to let the sun shine into...

4425 Solar Radiation and Daylight Models, by T. Muneer. Second Edition. Elsevier-Butter-worth-Heinemann, Oxford 2004 (our copy from Elsevier Australia, 30-52 Smidmore Street, Marrickville NSW 2204). 345 pp., ill, index. Pbk. Price: $A 123.20. The author, who is on the staff of...

Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards on Tuesday defended the construction of a sprawling, 28,000-square-foot house in North Carolina, arguing that his home is a model of energy efficiency."The house was built from the beginning, both in its location for passive solar and the use of...

Q: How can I cut my home energy bills?A: "One of the biggest sources of energy we have is the energy we currently waste," said Craig Stevens, press secretary for the U.S. Secretary of Energy.You don't have to install solar panels on the roof to...