[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 46 (Friday, March 29, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E506]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 SALUTE TO J. DOUGLAS BALCOMB AND HIS CONTRIBUTIONS TO RENEWABLE ENERGY

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                           HON. DAN SCHAEFER

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, March 29, 1996

  Mr. SCHAEFER. Mr. Speaker, this morning the Department of Energy 
awarded the John Ericcson Award in Renewable Energy to Dr. J. Douglas 
Balcomb of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, CO.
  A pioneer in the field of solar energy research for 17 years, Dr. 
Balcomb received his Ph.D. in nuclear engineering from the 
Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1961. One of his earliest 
notable offerings was the solar load ratio technique for qualifying the 
energy performance of passive and active components and mixed systems. 
This accomplishment gave the solar energy design community a direct, 
verifiable method of evaluating solar features--a method that is now 
used worldwide and has led to the development of many passive-design 
tools. The American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, and Air 
Conditioning Engineer's design manual, Passive Solar Heating Analysis, 
is an outgrowth of the method.
  Dr. Balcomb's involvement in design has led to a collaboration with 
the Passive Solar Industries Council and the National Association of 
Home Builders. The collaboration has produced Builderguide, a user-
friendly computer-based spreadsheet that calculates locale-specific 
energy performance and comfort. Dr. Balcomb is now adjusting his basic 
methodology for residential design to small commercial buildings, thus 
making the technology widely available in the private sector.
  Dr. Balcomb has published over 100 technical papers and lectured in 
26 countries on effective passive design and is a past chairman of the 
American Solar Energy Society.
  I congratulate Dr. J. Douglas Balcomb as he receives the prestigious 
John Ericcson Award in Renewable Energy today for his important work in 
helping to secure our country's energy future.

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