Solar hot water systems, and the technologies that make them possible, hold crucial pieces of information relevant to developing advanced photovoltaic systems. For the most part, photovoltaics are still just “flat plate collectors”, collecting thermal heat in addition to electricity. This talk by solar historian, John Perlin, offers an important glimpse of the historical context of solar energy technologies.
Video interview provided by Eon’s Video Blog on bliptv.
Books on solar energy by Perlin:
A Golden Thread: 2500 Years of Solar Architecture and Technology (1980) Ken Butti and John Perlin (foreward by Amory Lovins). Cheshire Books, Palo Alto.
From Space to Earth: The Story of Solar Electricity (1999, 2002) John Perlin. (Aatec Press) Harvard University Press.
