Saving Fossils with Sunlight
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| Gender | Male |
|---|---|
| Industry | Engineering |
| Occupation | Solar Power Engineer |
| Location | Haynersville, Upstate New York, United States |
| Introduction | I began by making tools for living: snowshoes, clothing, tents and packs progressed to homesteading on an island near Alaska where we built a log cabin and lived well off-the-sea. I now have extensive workshops where I build from scratch, modify from surplus or repair almost anything. Talk doesn't slow climate change. And we can't afford solar systems that deliver less than a quarter of the available sunlight, remote plants less than 15%. We need solar tools that harness more than 60% and do for energy what iPhones do for connecting. Starting in 1974 I designed, built and tested ever larger point focus solar collectors that use many mirrors to direct sunlight into a receiver, intensifying it 500 to 1,000 times. In 1988 the series of over 40 culminated in testing the largest solar collector ever built (3,200 square feet of mirrors generating 45 kilowatts of electricity) that was also my doctoral thesis. After eight unsuccessful years chasing solar work, I earned money in other industries to put our daughters through college without debt. I now homestead, growing and making things for family and friends. |
| Interests | I no longer build & test high performance solar collectors but I still preserve fossil fuels, save seeds, grow many fruits and veggies, cook and preserve, raise chickens, hike and camp. |
| Favorite music | Pachelbel Canon in D major |
| Favorite books | Ox-Cart Man by Donald Hall, The Giver Quartet Series by Lois Lowry, Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins |