Taming the Sun

Taming the Sun
Author: Varun Sivaram
Publisher: MIT Press
Total Pages: 391
Release: 2019-02-26
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0262537079

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

How To Harness Solar Power for Your Home (and Who's Already Doing It)

How To Harness Solar Power for Your Home (and Who's Already Doing It)
Author: Stephanie Bearce
Publisher: Mitchell Lane Publishers, Inc.
Total Pages: 52
Release: 2010-08
Genre: Juvenile Nonfiction
ISBN: 1612282393

Imagine living in a world with clean air and very little pollution. Imagine never having to hear your parents complain about paying the electric bill. Does that sound too good to be true? It's all possible with solar energy. Learn how actor Ed Begley Jr. lives in his solar home. Read how solar power works and why scientists think solar energy will be the next great energy resource. You can learn how to save energy in your own home. You can even find out how to make your own solar oven and cook yourself a solar hot dog feast.

Harnessing Power from the Sun

Harnessing Power from the Sun
Author: Niki Walker
Publisher: Crabtree Publishing Company
Total Pages: 36
Release: 2006
Genre: Juvenile Nonfiction
ISBN: 9780778729129

Explores the different ways we use solar power known as the power of the sun.

The Einstein Almanac

The Einstein Almanac
Author: Alice Calaprice
Publisher: JHU Press
Total Pages: 212
Release: 2005
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 9780801880216

"The Einstein Almanac" takes a look at Einstein's year-by-year output, explaining his 300 most important publications and setting them into the context of his life, science, and world history.

Harnessing Solar Heat

Harnessing Solar Heat
Author: Brian Norton
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 271
Release: 2013-10-11
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 9400772750

Systems engineered by man to harness solar heat in a controlled manner now include a diverse range of technologies each serving distinctive needs in particular climate contexts. This text covers the breadth of solar energy technologies for the conversion of solar energy to provide heat, either as the directly-used output or as an intermediary to other uses such as power generation or cooling. It is a wholly updated, extended and revised version of “Solar Energy Thermal Technology” first published in 1992. The text draws on the own author’s research and that of numerous colleagues and collaborators at Cranfield University, University of Ulster, Dublin Institute of Technology, Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi and University of Nigeria. The initial chapters deal with relevant fundamental aspects of solar energy meteorology, radiative heat transfer, material properties and energy storage. Solar energy collectors are discussed in detail before a set of chapters deal with each of the full range of applications. The early chapters consider: the solar energy resource, its distribution in geographical, spectral, skyward geometrical and temporal domains; the physics of solar energy absorption, transmission and loss at surfaces; and techniques for storing collected solar energy. Specific collector sub-systems are then discussed in chapters seven to nine. For each system, practical issues are discussed and a proven analytical procedure for predicting performance described. Similarly analyses are presented in the concluding chapters on solar energy systems. These range from dryers to greenhouses to systems that render buildings solar energy systems in themselves and the associated design issues. The context for any use of solar energy is the prevailing climate. This text, being global in scope, definates the most appropriate regions for particular technologies and applications. It is a research-orientated academic work citing publications on the peer-reviewed literature covering engineering and applied science topics intended both for student use, as a reference tool for teaching solar energy and for those researching solar thermal applications in universities, industry or national/commercial laboratories. Insight into the challenges of implementation including practical constraints and operational considerations are provided to aid those undertaking feasibility studies, technical assistance, training assignments or operating testing facilities.

Harnessing Renewable Energy in Electric Power Systems

Harnessing Renewable Energy in Electric Power Systems
Author: Boaz Moselle
Publisher: Earthscan
Total Pages: 369
Release: 2010
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1936331861

Reflecting its reliance on fossil fuels, the electric power industry produces the majority of the world's greenhouse gas emissions. The need for a revolution in the industry becomes further apparent given that 'decarbonization' means an increasing electrification of other sectors of the economy'in particular, through a switch from gasoline to electric vehicles. Of the options for producing electric power without significant greenhouse gas emissions, renewable energy is most attractive to policymakers, as it promises increased national self-reliance on energy supplies and the creation of new industries and jobs, without the safety and political concerns of nuclear power or the unproven technology of carbon capture and storage. Drawing on both economic theory and the experiences of the United States and EU member states, Harnessing Renewable Energy addresses the key questions surrounding renewable energy policies. How appropriate is the focus on renewable power as a primary tool for reducing greenhouse gas emissions? If renewable energy is given specific support, what form should that support take? What are the implications for power markets if renewable generation is widely adopted? Thorough and well-evidenced, this book will be of interest to a broad range of policymakers, the electric power industry, and economists who study energy and environmental issues.

Power to the People

Power to the People
Author: Martin A. Green
Publisher: UNSW Press
Total Pages: 106
Release: 2000
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9780868405544

Green (photovoltaic research, U. of New South Wales) presents an overview of the present state of solar power. He notes that global warming is making the alternative more attractive, especially in Australia but also elsewhere. Distributed in the US by ISBS. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Sustainable Material Solutions for Solar Energy Technologies

Sustainable Material Solutions for Solar Energy Technologies
Author: Mariana Amorim Fraga
Publisher: Elsevier
Total Pages: 669
Release: 2021-08-18
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 0128215933

Sustainable Material Solutions for Solar Energy Technologies: Processing Techniques and Applications provides an overview of challenges that must be addressed to efficiently utilize solar energy. The book explores novel materials and device architectures that have been developed to optimize energy conversion efficiencies and minimize environmental impacts. Advances in technologies for harnessing solar energy are extensively discussed, with topics including materials processing, device fabrication, sustainability of materials and manufacturing, and current state-of-the-art. Leading international experts discuss the applications, challenges, and future prospects of research in this increasingly vital field, providing a valuable resource for students and researchers working in this field. - Explores the fundamentals of sustainable materials for solar energy applications, with in-depth discussions of the most promising material solutions for solar energy technologies: photocatalysis, photovoltaic, hydrogen production, harvesting and storage - Discusses the environmental challenges to be overcome and importance of efficient materials utilization for clean energy - Looks at design materials processing and optimization of device fabrication via metrics such as power-to-weight ratio, effectiveness at EOL compared to BOL, and life-cycle analysis

Harnessing Solar Energy

Harnessing Solar Energy
Author: Nancy Dickmann
Publisher: The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc
Total Pages: 34
Release: 2016-12-15
Genre: Juvenile Nonfiction
ISBN: 1499432143

Sunshine can do more than make us happy when skies are gray—it can also provide ammo for ancient ray guns! Readers will discover how humans have harvested this clean energy source – from Archimedes’ sunbeam weapons to today’s solar-powered movie theaters. Visuals of ancient, modern, and futuristic human inventions are sure to catch the interest of every reader. Readers will also love the fact boxes full of enlightening material as they soak in this highly relevant science topic.