She Believed in Solar Power When Everyone Said It Was Impossible скачать в хорошем качестве

She Believed in Solar Power When Everyone Said It Was Impossible

1900: Born Budapest, Hungary. Studies physical chemistry, earns PhD 1924. 1925: Immigrates to U.S., age 24. Works Cleveland Clinic, then MIT. 1941: WWII—develops inflatable solar still for desalinating seawater. Device saves shipwrecked sailors, downed pilots in Pacific. After war: focuses on solar heating. Key innovation: thermal storage using phase-change materials (Glauber's salt) that store heat when melting, release it when solidifying. 1948-49: Designs Dover Sun House with architect Eleanor Raymond, funded by Amelia Peabody—all-female team builds first modern solar-heated house. Uses solar collectors, stores heat in Glauber's salt, maintains warmth through Massachusetts winter. Initial success, later problems, but proves solar heating works. 1950s-60s: Solar energy dismissed as impractical—cheap fossil fuels, no environmental concerns. Telkes persists, researching solar applications when few care. 1973: Oil crisis—suddenly solar energy urgent national priority. Telkes vindicated. 1977: First Achievement Award from Solar Energy Society. Dies 1995, age 94. Legacy: 20+ patents, pioneered solar thermal storage, proved solar energy practical decades before adoption.