George Oscar Löf (13 December 1913 – 12 October 2009) was an American engineer and inventor who was best known for his contributions to

solar energy Solar energy is the radiant energy from the Sun's sunlight, light and heat, which can be harnessed using a range of technologies such as solar electricity, solar thermal energy (including solar water heating) and solar architecture. It is a ...

research. "Nobody played a more enduring role in the 20th century solar house movement than George Löf."

Early life

Löf was born in

Aspen, Colorado Aspen is the List of municipalities in Colorado#Home rule municipality, home rule city that is the county seat and the List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous municipality of Pitkin County, Colorado, United States. The city population ...

, on 13 December 1913. His family later moved to

Denver Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...

, where he graduated from East High School. He earned an undergraduate degree from the

University of Denver The University of Denver (DU) is a private research university in Denver, Colorado, United States. Founded in 1864, it has an enrollment of approximately 5,700 undergraduate students and 7,200 graduate students. It is classified among "R1: D ...

in 1935, and a

PhD A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...

chemical engineering Chemical engineering is an engineering field which deals with the study of the operation and design of chemical plants as well as methods of improving production. Chemical engineers develop economical commercial processes to convert raw materials ...

from

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of moder ...

in 1940. He married Laura Davadell Scobey in 1940.

Career

Löf became interested in solar energy at

MIT The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of modern technology and sc ...

, where he worked under

Hoyt C. Hottel Hoyt Clarke Hottel (1903 – 18 August 1998) was a professor in the department of Chemical Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He was an expert on energy, radiant heat transfer, fire, fuels and combustion. In 1984, ...

and analyzed data from MIT Solar House I. In 1943, Löf designed an early flat-plate solar heating unit and installed it on the roof of his house in Boulder, Colorado. It was called the "first solar-heated home" in the United States. In 1957, he built a house in the Cherry Hills neighborhood of Denver which used a novel method to collect and store solar heat. It was designed by architect James M. Hunter, and Löf designed a flat-plate collection system which heated air and circulated the heat to be stored in rock beds in large cardboard tubes inside the house. Löf published several technical papers describing the house and its performance. It cost $40,000 excluding the cost of the heating equipment, which was financed by the American Window Glass Company. Löf lived in the house for more than 50 years until his death. In 1974, he oversaw the construction of a research home that was the world's first to also be cooled by solar energy. Löf taught chemical engineering at the

University of Colorado The University of Colorado (CU) is a system of public universities in Colorado. It consists of four institutions: the University of Colorado Boulder, the University of Colorado Colorado Springs, the University of Colorado Denver, and the U ...

and the

before serving on the faculty of

Colorado State University Colorado State University (Colorado State or CSU) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Fort Collins, Colorado, United States. It is the flagship university of the Colorado State University Syst ...

in the

civil engineering Civil engineering is a regulation and licensure in engineering, professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including public works such as roads ...

department from 1967 - 1987. He founded the university's Solar Energy Applications Laboratory in 1972. From 1973 - 1975, he was the president of the

International Solar Energy Society ' The International Solar Energy Society (ISES), founded in 1954, is a UN-accredited membership organization promoting renewable energy Renewable energy (also called green energy) is energy made from renewable resource, renewable natura ...

. Löf invented a solar cooker, marketed as the Umbroiler, but it was not a commercial success.

Awards and honors

Löf was the first Colorado State University recipient of the

Charles Greeley Abbot Charles Greeley Abbot (May 31, 1872 – December 17, 1973) was an American astrophysicist and the fifth secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, serving from 1928 until 1944. Abbot went from being director of the Smithsonian Astrophysical Obse ...

Award, in 1980. The award is given by the

American Solar Energy Society The American Solar Energy Society (ASES) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization advocating for renewable energy in the United States. Founded in 1954, ASES' goal is to speed the transition toward a sustainable energy economy and 100% renewable en ...

in recognition of contributions in the

field.

Published works

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References

Patents

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External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lof, George American chemical engineers Colorado State University faculty MIT School of Engineering alumni People from Aspen, Colorado University of Colorado Boulder faculty University of Denver alumni University of Denver faculty 1913 births 2009 deaths 20th-century American engineers East High School (Denver, Colorado) alumni