A Comprehensive Guide to Solar Energy Systems

Author: Trevor Letcher
Publisher: Academic Press
ISBN: 0128114800
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 542

Book Description
A Comprehensive Guide to Solar Energy Systems: With Special Focus on Photovoltaic Systems, the most advanced and research focused text on all aspects of solar energy engineering, is a must have edition on the present state of solar technology, integration and worldwide distribution. In addition, the book provides a high-level assessment of the growth trends in photovoltaics and how investment, planning and economic infrastructure can support those innovations. Each chapter includes a research overview with a detailed analysis and new case studies that look at how recent research developments can be applied. Written by some of the most forward-thinking professionals, this book is an invaluable reference for engineers. Contains analysis of the latest high-level research and explores real world application potential in relation to developments Uses system international (SI) units and imperial units throughout to appeal to global engineers Offers measurable data written by a world expert in the field on the latest developments in this fast moving and vital subject

Solar Power

Author: Dustin Mulvaney
Publisher: University of California Press
ISBN: 0520288173
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 342

Book Description
In this important new primer, Dustin Mulvaney makes a passionate case for the significance of solar power energy and offers a vision for a more sustainable and just solar industry for the future. The solar energy industry has grown immensely over the past several years and now provides up to a fifth of California’s power. But despite its deservedly green reputation, solar development and deployment have potential social and environmental consequences, from poor factory labor standards to landscape impacts on wildlife. Using a wide variety of case studies and examples to trace the life cycle of photovoltaics, Mulvaney expertly outlines the state of the solar industry, exploring the ongoing conflicts between ecological concerns and climate mitigation strategies, as well as current trade disputes and the fate of toxins in solar waste products. This exceptional overview will outline the industry’s current challenges and possible future for students in environmental studies, energy policy, environmental sociology, and other aligned fields.

Solar Energy

Author: Arno Smets
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1906860750
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 488

Book Description
This book provides a broad overview on the different aspects of solar energy, with a focus on photovoltaics, which is the technology that allows light energy to be converted into electric energy. Renewable energy sources have become increasingly popular in recent years, and solar is one of the most adaptable and attractive types – from solar farms to support the National Grid to roof panels/tiles used for solar thermal heating systems, and small solar garden lights. Written by Delft University researchers, Solar Energy uniquely covers both the physics of photovoltaic (PV) cells and the design of PV systems for real-life applications, from a concise history of solar cells components and location issues of current systems. The book is designed to make this complicated subject accessible to all, and is packed with fascinating graphs and charts, as well as useful exercises to cement the topics covered in each chapter. Solar Energy outlines the fundamental principles of semiconductor solar cells, as well as PV technology: crystalline silicon solar cells, thin-film cells, PV modules, and third-generation concepts. There is also background on PV systems, from simple stand-alone to complex systems connected to the grid. This is an invaluable reference for physics students, researchers, industrial engineers and designers working in solar energy generation, as well those with a general interest in renewable energy.

Taming the Sun

Author: Varun Sivaram
Publisher: MIT Press
ISBN: 0262537079
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 391

Book Description
How solar could spark a clean-energy transition through transformative innovation—creative financing, revolutionary technologies, and flexible energy systems. Solar energy, once a niche application for a limited market, has become the cheapest and fastest-growing power source on earth. What's more, its potential is nearly limitless—every hour the sun beams down more energy than the world uses in a year. But in Taming the Sun, energy expert Varun Sivaram warns that the world is not yet equipped to harness erratic sunshine to meet most of its energy needs. And if solar's current surge peters out, prospects for replacing fossil fuels and averting catastrophic climate change will dim. Innovation can brighten those prospects, Sivaram explains, drawing on firsthand experience and original research spanning science, business, and government. Financial innovation is already enticing deep-pocketed investors to fund solar projects around the world, from the sunniest deserts to the poorest villages. Technological innovation could replace today's solar panels with coatings as cheap as paint and employ artificial photosynthesis to store intermittent sunshine as convenient fuels. And systemic innovation could add flexibility to the world's power grids and other energy systems so they can dependably channel the sun's unreliable energy. Unleashing all this innovation will require visionary public policy: funding researchers developing next-generation solar technologies, refashioning energy systems and economic markets, and putting together a diverse clean energy portfolio. Although solar can't power the planet by itself, it can be the centerpiece of a global clean energy revolution. A Council on Foreign Relations Book

Concentrating Solar Power Technology

Author: Keith Lovegrove
Publisher: Elsevier
ISBN: 0857096176
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 709

Book Description
Concentrating solar power (CSP) technology is poised to take its place as one of the major contributors to the future clean energy mix. Using straightforward manufacturing processes, CSP technology capitalises on conventional power generation cycles, whilst cost effectively matching supply and demand though the integration of thermal energy storage. Concentrating solar power technology provides a comprehensive review of this exciting technology, from the fundamental science to systems design, development and applications. Part one introduces fundamental principles of concentrating solar power systems. Site selection and feasibility analysis are discussed, alongside socio-economic and environmental assessments. Part two focuses on technologies including linear Fresnel reflector technology, parabolic-trough, central tower and parabolic dish concentrating solar power systems, and concentrating photovoltaic systems. Thermal energy storage, hybridization with fossil fuel power plants and the long-term market potential of CSP technology are explored. Part three goes on to discuss optimisation, improvements and applications. Topics discussed include absorber materials for solar thermal receivers, design optimisation through integrated techno-economic modelling, heliostat size optimisation, heat flux and temperature measurement technologies, concentrating solar heating and cooling for industrial processes, and solar fuels and industrial solar chemistry. With its distinguished editors and international team of expert contributors, Concentrating solar power technology is an essential guide for all those involved or interested in the design, production, development, optimisation and application of CSP technology, including renewable energy engineers and consultants, environmental governmental departments, solar thermal equipment manufacturers, researchers and academics. Provides a comprehensive review of concentrating solar power (CSP) technology, from the fundamental science to systems design, development and applications Reviews fundamental principles of concentrating solar power systems, including site selection and feasibility analysis and socio-economic and environmental assessments Provides an overview of technologies such as linear Fresnel reflector technology, parabolic-trough, central tower and parabolic dish concentrating solar power systems, and concentrating photovoltaic systems

How Solar Energy Became Cheap

Author: Gregory F. Nemet
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 0429643853
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 238

Book Description
Solar energy is a substantial global industry, one that has generated trade disputes among superpowers, threatened the solvency of large energy companies, and prompted serious reconsideration of electric utility regulation rooted in the 1930s. One of the biggest payoffs from solar’s success is not the clean inexpensive electricity it can produce, but the lessons it provides for innovation in other technologies needed to address climate change. Despite the large literature on solar, including analyses of increasingly detailed datasets, the question as to how solar became inexpensive and why it took so long still remains unanswered. Drawing on developments in the US, Japan, Germany, Australia, and China, this book provides a truly comprehensive and international explanation for how solar has become inexpensive. Understanding the reasons for solar’s success enables us to take full advantage of solar’s potential. It can also teach us how to support other low-carbon technologies with analogous properties, including small modular nuclear reactors and direct air capture. However, the urgency of addressing climate change means that a key challenge in applying the solar model is in finding ways to speed up innovation. Offering suggestions and policy recommendations for accelerated innovation is another key contribution of this book. This book will be of great interest to students and scholars of energy technology and innovation, climate change and energy analysis and policy, as well as practitioners and policymakers working in the existing and emerging energy industries.

A History of Solar Power Art and Design

Author: Alex Nathanson
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 100041289X
Category : Art
Languages : en
Pages : 222

Book Description
This book examines the history of creative applications of photovoltaic (PV) solar power, including sound art, wearable technology, public art, industrial design, digital media, building integrated design, and many others. The growth in artists and designers incorporating solar power into their work reflects broader social, economic, and political events. As the cost of PV cells has come down, they have become more accessible and have found their way into a growing range of design applications and artistic practices. As climate change continues to transform our environment and becomes a greater public concern, the importance of integrating sustainable energy technologies into our culture grows as well. The book will be of interest to scholars working in art history, design history, design studies, environmental studies, environmental humanities, and sustainable energy design.

Wind and Solar Power Systems

Author: Mukund R. Patel
Publisher: CRC Press
ISBN: 9780849316050
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 372

Book Description
Wind and solar energy are pollution-free sources of abundant power. With renewable power generation expected to become more and more profitable with open access to transmission lines and rapid growth around the world, the design, operation, and control of alternative energy resources becomes an essential field of study. Wind and Solar Power Systems provides a comprehensive treatment of this rapidly growing segment of the power industry. It provides the fundamentals of wind and solar power generation, energy conversion and storage, and the operational aspects of power electronics and the quality of power. It covers in detail the design, operation, and control methods applicable to stand-alone as well as grid-connected power systems and discusses the present status of and the on-going research in renewable power around the world. Wind and Solar Power Systems stands as the most modern, complete book available on renewable energy. Electrical, environmental and mechanical engineering professionals along with policy-makers evaluating the renewable energy potential of their regions will find in it the background and the details they need for decision making.

Mobile Solar Power Made Easy!

Author: William Errol Prowse, IV
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
ISBN: 9781546567110
Category : Electric automobiles
Languages : en
Pages : 92

Book Description
Official website: http: //www.mobile-solarpower.com Finally an easy approach to mobile solar design and installation: -Add a solar system to your RV, Van, Trailer, Car or Boat -Step-by-step instructions that anyone can follow -Beginner/Intermediate/Advanced methods for calculating your solar system. You choose! -Tips and tricks that will save you time and money -You can read this book from start to finish, or use it as a reference -Large, easy to understand pictures And much more! I promise that this book will be worth your time, or you will get your money back. There are many solar system books on the market that are just too hard to understand, and impractical. Tired of googling every question you have about setting up your own solar system? Then give this book a chance. It will show you everything that you need to know, from start to finish.

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Solar Power for Your Home

Author: Dan Ramsey
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 9780028643939
Category : House & Home
Languages : en
Pages : 342

Book Description
Offers advice and suggestions for building a solar-powered home, including estimating energy needs, selecting the right equipment, and maintaining the system once it is installed.