Call it technological overkill, or a kind of Rube Goldberg
like fixation, or whatever the fact is, a lot of engineers
and scientists involved in today’s solar research are
coming up with solar energy devices so complicated and costly that most
Graham, however, is one man who still sees the sun as a
“people’s” power provider and his newly released, self-published book — Capture the Sun: The Parabolic Curve and its
Applications— may prove to be the opening of a new door for
those who simply want to make use of Ole Sol in the most
direct and economical manner possible.
Parabolic curves are nothing new — nor are mirrors and
reflectors constructed in that shape — but a detailed,
thoroughly outlined explanation of the basic mathematics
behind them is new … and useful. If you have a working
knowledge of high school algebra and geometry, Mr. Graham’s
book can show you how to design and construct economical,
sun tracking parabolic mirrors of infinitely variable size,
which are able to perform virtually any task requiring
heat.
Plans for a solar oven and water heater are included in
Capture the Sun, but the main idea is to provide you with a
“tool” — an ability to gather and focus the sun’s rays — for
devising your own applications. The possibilities are
endless.
Mr. Graham writes, “It is vitally necessary that we, as
individuals, protect our heritage — and compete with whatever
or whomever is striving to strangle our nation — by
constructing our own devices, and thereby producing at
least a part of our energy needs. We can do it. YOU can do
it. You can change the world!”
Maybe with the help of men like George Donald Graham, we
can do just that. Copies of Capture the Sun: The Parabolic
Curve and its Applications are available for $2.50 from
Enterprises Unlimited, Ferndale, California,
or from MOTHER’S Bookshelf.