Daniel D. Chiras
Author of The Solar House: Passive Heating and Cooling
About the Author
Daniel D. Chiras holds a Ph.D. in physiology and teaches courses on sustainability and environmental health at the universities of Colorado and Denver. He is also an avid musician, organic gardener, river runner, and bicyclist. He lives with his family in a passive solar/solar electric, straw bale, show more and rammed tire house in Evergreen, Colorado. show less
Image credit: Photo courtesy of Sustainable Systems Design, Inc. Dan Chiras, Ph. D.
Works by Daniel D. Chiras
The Homeowner's Guide to Renewable Energy: Achieving Energy Independence through Solar, Wind, Biomass and Hydropower (2006) 121 copies
The Natural House: A Complete Guide to Healthy, Energy-Efficient, Environmental Homes (2000) 105 copies
The New Ecological Home: A Complete Guide to Green Building Options (Chelsea Green Guides for Homeowners) (2004) 79 copies
The Chinese Greenhouse: Design and Build a Low-Cost, Passive Solar Greenhouse (Mother Earth News Wiser Living Series) (2020) 18 copies
The Scoop on Poop: Safely Capturing and Recycling the Nutrients in Greywater, Humanure, and Urine (2016) 10 copies
Solar Electricity Basics - Revised and Updated 2nd Edition: Powering Your Home or Office with Solar Energy (2019) 9 copies
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Birthdate
- 1950-10-26
- Gender
- male
- Occupations
- professor (Colorado College)
Members
Reviews
This book is a really great beginners guide to small wind systems. It is accessible to people with no prior knowledge without being condecending. From how to assess your needs, to what to look for and what to expect, this book is a fantastic place to start.
The only issue I had is that this information is going to be most useful to people in North America (and maybe UK), where you can make use of the websires listed and availability of the specific brands refered to. Otherwise, most of the show more information is general enough to give a beginner enough knowledge to assess whether or not a small wind system is going to meet their needs, or at least be able to ask the right sort of questions of a sales-person or wind technician, which I think is what the book is trying to do. show less
The only issue I had is that this information is going to be most useful to people in North America (and maybe UK), where you can make use of the websires listed and availability of the specific brands refered to. Otherwise, most of the show more information is general enough to give a beginner enough knowledge to assess whether or not a small wind system is going to meet their needs, or at least be able to ask the right sort of questions of a sales-person or wind technician, which I think is what the book is trying to do. show less
Like his book on wind energy, this is an excellent introduction to solar energy. The terms have been explained clearly, and simply.
The chapter layout is excellent, and this makes it easy to keep going back to specific sections of the book whenever you want.
The writing style is clear, simple and yet covers enough matter for the lay reader to lay back and feel satisfied. For the person who wants to go deeper, the ways in have been clearly indicated.
I recommend this book
The chapter layout is excellent, and this makes it easy to keep going back to specific sections of the book whenever you want.
The writing style is clear, simple and yet covers enough matter for the lay reader to lay back and feel satisfied. For the person who wants to go deeper, the ways in have been clearly indicated.
I recommend this book
This is an excellent book, to start learning about Wind Power. The chapters have been laid out very logically, and Dan takes you through the basics of wind, wind systems, assessing your power needs, the types of windmills etc.
The style is simple enough for the lay reader, yet covers enough matter; and this makes it an excellent starting point to learn about wind power.
The style is simple enough for the lay reader, yet covers enough matter; and this makes it an excellent starting point to learn about wind power.
A good summary of the various technologies used in electric vehicles. I now know what are the differences among various hybrid fuel and fuel-electric vehicles. Chiras also provides a summary of related biodiesel, hydrogen and fuel-cell, and biomethane vehicles. Well-written, provides an understanding of basics without involving a lot of engineering calculations.The concepts and comparisons are still current.
Awards
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Statistics
- Works
- 40
- Members
- 1,049
- Popularity
- #24,562
- Rating
- 4.0
- Reviews
- 8
- ISBNs
- 100












