The first Earth Day in 1970 marked a turning point in our attitudes toward our environment; many people were encouraged to seek a more independent style of living. Despite this, we were at that time still locked into a dependence on fossil fuels and nuclear energy. Anyone trying to find out about energy alternatives discovered that the available information on solar energy or wind power was scattered and difficult to find.

With this in mind, SYNERJY was conceived in 1973 to provide a single comprehensive source of renewable energy information. Since then, we have been offering inexpensive print and electronic renewable energy publications, including:

• An index of Renewable Energy Manufacturers (solar, biomass, wind, small hydro)
• The semi-annual SYNERJY Directory: books, patents, government publications, and articles;
• Renewable Energy Databases: information cumulated from SYNERJY and other sources.

You'll also find general information on solar and other types of renewable energy, including a listing of organizations and publications in each section.

We've included three practical tools that we hope you'll find useful:

• Glossary of Renewable Energy terms
• Tables of Fuel Heating Values -- for wood and other biomass fuels as well as fossil fuels;
• Weather Data -- solar radiation, sun angles, temperature, degree days, precipitation and wind speeds for 168 U.S. cities and towns.