The origins of the Solar Energy Collections can be traced to the establishment of the Association for Applied Solar Energy (AFASE) in Phoenix, Arizona, in 1954. Founded to encourage research on solar energy and promote its use, the Association organized conferences addressing solar issues and began building its own library of technical literature. Prominent individuals involved in these early efforts included Dr. Jesse Hobson of the Stanford Research Institute, engineer John Yellott, and solar researcher Maria Telkes.
In the 1960s, the organization moved its headquarters and library to the ASU campus and reorganized to reflect a broader geographical scope. The resultant International Solar Energy Society (ISES) remained at ASU until 1970, at which time it relocated to Australia. Before the move, ISES donated its library materials and records to ASU. During the next decade, the volume of solar and other renewable energies holdings increased dramatically through acquisitions of personal papers of several research pioneers.
Today the Solar Energy Collections consist of several distinct collections described below that include correspondence, technical papers, reports, conference materials, manuscripts, photographs, drawings, meeting minutes, and printed matter reflecting activities in the research and development of various alternative energy technologies and their applications.
The Solar Energy Collection, General Reference Collection originated as the reference library of the Association for Applied Solar Energy (AFASE), later called the International Solar Energy Society (ISES). This collection is indexed in Solar Energy Index and Solar Energy Index Supplement 1. The organizational records of the society comprise the International Solar Energy Society (ISES) Collection. Click here to view the International Solar Energy Society Collection finding aid (PDF).
The John I. Yellott Collection documents the activities of a founding member of the Association for Applied Solar Energy and the developer of a graduate program in solar energy at Arizona State University. Click here to view the John I. Yellott Collection preliminary inventory.
The Maria Telkes Collection includes research materials, publications, and correspondence related to prominent solar researcher Maria Telkes. Click here to view the Maria Telkes Collection preliminary inventory.
Efforts to develop solar motors in the period from 1891 to 1926 are documented in the E. H. McHenry Collection. Click here to view the E. H. McHenry Collection finding aid.
The Anna Fay Williams Collection includes materials on solar energy from the 1940s through the 1980s collected by energy economist, researcher, and writer Anna Fay Williams. The collection includes reports, conference materials, news clippings, correspondence, and research files. Click here to view the Anna Fay Williams Collection finding aid.
The Daniel Halacy Collection and the Kenneth Carpenter Collection consist of correspondence and papers relating to the effort to bring the Solar Energy Research Instititue (SERI) to Arizona. Click here to view the Daniel Halacy Collection finding aid. Click here to view the Kenneth Carpenter Collection finding aid.
The Donald Beattie Collection includes a variety of materials showing Beattie’s work as a solar energy scientist and an administrator with a number of national energy agencies during the Carter administration. Click here to view the Donald Beattie Collection finding aid.
Conferences and organizations in the field are documented in the 2nd International Thermionic Conference Collection and the National Solar Water Heater Workshop Collection. Click here to view the 2nd International Thermionic Conference Collection finding aid (PDF).