Introduction
Solar energy, the heat and light from the sun, was first used in the United States by the Anasazi Indians to heat and cool their homes more than 2000 years ago. In the last thirty years, starting with the energy crisis in the 1970's and the continued awareness of the need to clean and protect our environment, there has been a growing desire to rely more on renewable energy to heat and cool our homes.
Scope
The purpose of this pathfinder is to provide a starting point for individuals interested in the implementation of solar and renewable energy. These sources are appropriate for undergraduates that may be searching for material for a research project or for members of the general public interested in building passive or active solar homes.
Many texts were published in the mid-seventies and early eighties regarding solar energy. For the purpose of this pathfinder, however, selection of materials was largely limited to items published in the late eighties and nineties in order to reflect the advances in solar technology.
The materials mentioned in this pathfinder are available in or can be accessible from Davis Library at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC-CH), D.H. Hill Library at North Carolina State University (NCSU) and the North Carolina Solar Center at NCSU.
