Advances in Solar Energy

Advances in Solar Energy
Author: Karl W. Böer
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 629
Release: 2012-12-06
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 1461399483

In Volume 6 of the Advances in Solar Energy we have specifically targeted for a review the rich experience of the Power Utilities. Their hands-on experience in a large variety of means to employ solar energy conversion and to evaluate the technical and economical feasibilities is of great importance to their future use. In designing the lay-out for this volume, we wanted to collect all relevant information, including success and failures and wanted to emphasize the lessons learned from each type of experiment. The publication of such a review now has the advantage of a settled experience in the first phase of solar involvement of the utility industry with a large amount of data analyzed. We are confident that this information will be of great value to direct the future development of the solar energy mix within this industry. We have added to this set of reviews three articles which deal with the most promising high-technology part of solar energy conversion using exclusively solid state devices: solar cells. The development over the last two decades from barely 10% to now in excess of 30% conversion efficiency is breathtaking. In addition, the feasibility of economic midrange efficient thin-film technology holds the promise of opening large sc ale markets in the near future. This field will enter head-on competition for large power generation with more conventional technology.

From Space to Earth

From Space to Earth
Author: John Perlin
Publisher: Harvard University Press
Total Pages: 244
Release: 2002
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 9780674010130

From Space to Earth tracks the evolution of the technology of photovoltaics, the use of solar cells to convert the sun's energy into electricity. John Perlin's painstaking research results in a fascinating account of the development of this technology, from its shaky nineteenth-century beginnings mired in scientific controversy to its high-visibility success in the space program, to its current position as a versatile and promising power source.

Let It Shine

Let It Shine
Author: John Perlin
Publisher: New World Library
Total Pages: 546
Release: 2022-02-15
Genre: House & Home
ISBN: 1608687910

The definitive history of solar power and technology Even as concern over climate change and energy security fuel a boom in solar technology, many still think of solar as a twentieth-century wonder. Few realize that the first photovoltaic array appeared on a New York City rooftop in 1884, or that brilliant engineers in France were using solar power in the 1860s to run steam engines, or that in 1901 an ostrich farmer in Southern California used a single solar engine to irrigate three hundred acres of citrus trees. Fewer still know that Leonardo da Vinci planned to make his fortune by building half-mile-long mirrors to heat water, or that the Bronze Age Chinese used hand-size solar-concentrating mirrors to light fires the way we use matches and lighters today. With thirteen new chapters, Let It Shine is a fully revised and expanded edition of A Golden Thread, Perlin’s classic history of solar technology, detailing the past forty years of technological developments driving today’s solar renaissance. This unique and compelling compendium of humankind’s solar ideas tells the fascinating story of how our predecessors throughout time, again and again, have applied the sun to better their lives — and how we can too.

The Solar Generation

The Solar Generation
Author: Philip R. Wolfe
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 428
Release: 2018-04-10
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 111942559X

The first book to address the early development of the photovoltaic industry, and the pioneering researchers and companies in the sector Well before the end of this century, solar power will be the world's dominant power source. This book looks at the origins of this smart sustainable energy technology, tracing the pioneering years from its inception following the 1973 oil crisis to the end of the last millennium—just as the sector was poised for explosive growth. It focuses on the progress of the early terrestrial photovoltaic sector, often in the face of skepticism or apathy. It also covers the research and achievements of people and organizations within the PV business. Written by a leader in the field with more than 40 years of experience and an international reputation in the sustainable energy industry, The Solar Generation: Childhood and Adolescence of Terrestrial Photovoltaics offers enlightening coverage on the terrestrial PV industry. The first part of this 3-volume set provides a historical backdrop to the technology and tracks the development of research, markets, prices, applications, policies, and more. Part II is called the ‘encyclopedia’ and features a Who’s Who of the most influential people and profiles of key companies, events, and developments. Finally, Part III is the reference section and comes complete with glossaries, bibliography, and an incredibly comprehensive index. This text also: Addresses the early development of the PV sector from a global perspective Focuses on a defined period, leaving scope for later follow-ups as the sector matures Offers a study on the interactions between technology, policy, and market drivers The Solar Generation is an ideal book for all professionals in the power and energy field from every corner of the globe.

Handbook of Crystal Growth

Handbook of Crystal Growth
Author: Tom Kuech
Publisher: Elsevier
Total Pages: 1384
Release: 2014-11-02
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0444633057

Volume IIIA Basic TechniquesHandbook of Crystal Growth, Second Edition Volume IIIA (Basic Techniques), edited by chemical and biological engineering expert Thomas F. Kuech, presents the underpinning science and technology associated with epitaxial growth as well as highlighting many of the chief and burgeoning areas for epitaxial growth. Volume IIIA focuses on major growth techniques which are used both in the scientific investigation of crystal growth processes and commercial development of advanced epitaxial structures. Techniques based on vacuum deposition, vapor phase epitaxy, and liquid and solid phase epitaxy are presented along with new techniques for the development of three-dimensional nano-and micro-structures.Volume IIIB Materials, Processes, and TechnologyHandbook of Crystal Growth, Second Edition Volume IIIB (Materials, Processes, and Technology), edited by chemical and biological engineering expert Thomas F. Kuech, describes both specific techniques for epitaxial growth as well as an array of materials-specific growth processes. The volume begins by presenting variations on epitaxial growth process where the kinetic processes are used to develop new types of materials at low temperatures. Optical and physical characterizations of epitaxial films are discussed for both in situ and exit to characterization of epitaxial materials. The remainder of the volume presents both the epitaxial growth processes associated with key technology materials as well as unique structures such as monolayer and two dimensional materials.Volume IIIA Basic Techniques - Provides an introduction to the chief epitaxial growth processes and the underpinning scientific concepts used to understand and develop new processes. - Presents new techniques and technologies for the development of three-dimensional structures such as quantum dots, nano-wires, rods and patterned growth - Introduces and utilizes basic concepts of thermodynamics, transport, and a wide cross-section of kinetic processes which form the atomic level text of growth process Volume IIIB Materials, Processes, and Technology - Describes atomic level epitaxial deposition and other low temperature growth techniques - Presents both the development of thermal and lattice mismatched streams as the techniques used to characterize the structural properties of these materials - Presents in-depth discussion of the epitaxial growth techniques associated with silicone silicone-based materials, compound semiconductors, semiconducting nitrides, and refractory materials