Download or read book How Solar Energy Became Cheap written by Gregory F. Nemet and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2019-05-20 with total page 261 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.

Download or read book Project Development in the Solar Industry written by Albie Fong and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2012-12-05 with total page 282 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book provides an extensive overview of utility scale solar project development and the various tasks required to bring large solar power plants from plans to realities. The various topics have been organized and presented in a way to clearly define important development fundamentals including basic business and legal considerations. The reader is also guided through the more complex aspects of renewable energy development such as how to choose the ideal project site. Further, while the book is appropriate for a cover to cover read-through it is also designed to be an excellent go-to reference, a HANDBOOK FOR RENEWABLE ENERGY DEVELOPMENT. Edited by: Albie Fong and Jesse Tippett with contributions from: Arturo Alvarez, Jeffery Atkin, William DuFour III, Perry Fontana, William Hugron, Jason Keller, Tyler M. Kropf, Michael Mendelsohn, Brett Prior, Scott Reynolds, Pilar Rodriguez-Ibáñez, Katherine Ryzhaya Poster and Alfonso Tovar ELECTRONIC ENHANCEMENTS The book’s companion website http://www.solarbookteam.com provides contact information for all authors to the book and access to the key resources highlighted in the text. This tailored media platform provides supplemental and exclusive information that is up-to-date with the present state of the solar industry.

Download or read book Solar Energy written by Andy Walker and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2013-08-07 with total page 480 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Solar Energy is an authoritative reference on the design of solar energy systems in building projects, with applications, operating principles, and simple tools for the construction, engineering, and design professional. The book simplifies the solar design and engineering process, providing sample documentation and special tools that provide all the information needed for the complete design of a solar energy system for buildings to enable mainstream MEP and design firms, and not just solar energy specialists, to meet the growing demand for solar energy systems in building projects.

Download or read book Solar Revolution written by Travis Bradford and published by MIT Press. This book was released on 2008-09-26 with total page 255 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An innovative analysis that shows how the shift to solar energy—in particular, the use of photovoltaic cells—is both economically advantageous and inevitable, and will rival the information and communication technologies revolution in its transformative effects. In Solar Revolution, fund manager and former corporate buyout specialist Travis Bradford argues—on the basis of standard business and economic forecasting models—that over the next two decades solar energy will increasingly become the best and cheapest choice for most electricity and energy applications. Solar Revolution outlines the path by which the transition to solar technology and sustainable energy practices will occur. Developments in the photovoltaic (PV) industry over the last ten years have made direct electricity generation from PV cells a cost-effective and feasible energy solution, despite the common view that PV technology appeals only to a premium niche market. Bradford shows that PV electricity today has become the choice of hundreds of thousands of mainstream homeowners and businesses in many markets worldwide, including Japan, Germany, and the American Southwest. Solar energy will eventually be the cheapest source of energy in nearly all markets and locations because PV can bypass the aging and fragile electricity grid and deliver its power directly to the end user, fundamentally changing the underlying economics of energy. As the scale of PV production increases and costs continue to decline at historic rates, demand for PV electricity will outpace supply of systems for years to come. Ultimately, the shift from fossil fuels to solar energy will take place not because solar energy is better for the environment or energy security, or because of future government subsidies or as yet undeveloped technology. The solar revolution is already occurring through decisions made by self-interested energy users. The shift to solar energy is inevitable and will be as transformative as the last century's revolutions in information and communication technologies.

Download or read book Solar Energy written by Robert Foster and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2009-08-18 with total page 366 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Drawing on the authors' extensive research and project implementation around the globe, Solar Energy: Renewable Energy and the Environment covers solar energy resources, thermal and photovoltaic systems, and the economics involved in using solar energy. It provides background theory on solar energy as well as useful technical information for implem

Download or read book Power Shift written by Robert Arthur Stayton and published by . This book was released on 2015 with total page 346 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Power Shift is the most compelling argument for solar energy that has ever been assembled. The book blends crystal-clear explanations of energy with visionary thinking into a plausible blueprint for reaching a 100% solar future in fifty years. Power Shift goes far beyond other solar books by exploring the human relationship with energy, showing how solar energy fits into the historical progression of human energy use. The book describes how solar is so fundamentally different from other energy sources that it marks the beginning of a new era of human advancement.

Download or read book Solar Energy Fundamentals written by Robert K. McMordie and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2021-12-20 with total page 216 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A compilation of decades of knowledge spanning the author's career as a mechanical engineer specializing in heat transfer and thermodynamics in the solar and aerospace industries, this book is instantly practicable. Topics include definitions of energy terms, relationship of the sun and earth, sunlight on the earth, heat transfer, solar collectors, absorbed solar energy, solar domestic hot water systems, solar photovoltaic systems, solar space heating, solar power towers, Stirling engine solar power systems, passive solar energy, and greenhouse solar collector.

Download or read book Solar Energy Markets written by Philip G. Jordan and published by Academic Press. This book was released on 2013-11-14 with total page 159 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This groundbreaking new book features holistic coverage of technological breakthroughs, financing trends, workforce development issues, and comparative regional case studies in solar energy. It provides a global bird's-eye view of the industry for scientists, engineers, business leaders, and policymakers — anyone seriously engaged in the rapidly evolving field of solar energy. The expert author's analysis includes primary data from the first comprehensive solar industry survey conducted in the United States, insights from key thought leaders in the energy sector, and case studies from international leaders in solar development. Solar Energy Markets examines six key drivers of the solar industry: 1) a new culture of environmentalism; 2) policy and markets; 3) financing and venture capital; 4) economics and cost-competitiveness; 5) innovation; and 6) labor. In a field too often marked by divisive over-specialization, this resource provides invaluable context, demonstrating how the solar field's innovative triumphs and inherent challenges play out in the real global marketplace. - Analyzes key drivers of the solar industry at international, national and local levels - Synthesizes the first comprehensive surveys of the U.S. solar industry - Uniquely ties together technological innovation with market implications for engineers, business leaders and policymakers alike - Examines the evolving role of China in global solar markets

Download or read book Rooftop Revolution written by Danny Kennedy and published by Berrett-Koehler Publishers. This book was released on 2012-09-03 with total page 209 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Here is the truth that the powerful Dirty Energy public relations machine doesn't want you to know: the ascent of solar energy is upon us. Solar-generated electricity has risen exponentially in the last few years and employment in the solar industry has doubled since 2009. Meanwhile, electricity from coal has declined to pre-World War II levels as the fossil fuel industry continues to shed jobs. Danny Kennedy systematically refutes the lies spread by solar's opponents—that it is expensive, inefficient, and unreliable; that it is kept alive only by subsidies; that it can't be scaled; and many other untruths. He shows that we need a rooftop revolution to break the entrenched power of the coal, oil, nuclear, and gas industries Solar energy can create more jobs, return our nation to prosperity, and ensure the sustainability and safety of our planet. Now is the time to move away from the dangerous energy sources of the past and unleash the amazing potential of the sun.

Download or read book Sun Above the Horizon written by Peter F. Varadi and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2014-05-23 with total page 550 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The meteoric rise of the photovoltaic (PV) industry is an incredible story. In 2013, Google’s investments in PV systems totaled about half a billion dollars and Warren Buffet, one of the famous investors, invested $2.5 billion in the world’s largest PV system in California. These gigantic investments by major financial players were made only 40 years after the first two terrestrial PV companies, Solarex and Solar Power Corporation, were formed in the USA. Back in 1973, the two companies employed 20 people and produced only 500 watts of PV power. Now, just 40 years later, over a million people work in the PV industry. The worldwide capacity of operating PV electric generators equals the capacity of about 25 nuclear power plants. The PV industry is growing at an annual rate of 30 percent, equivalent to about five new nuclear power plants per year. Today, solar electricity is a significant supplier of electricity needs, to the extent that PV is forcing the restructuring of 100-year-old electric power utilities. This book describes how this happened and what lies ahead for PV power generation.

Download or read book Photovoltaic Solar Energy written by Angèle Reinders and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2017-02-06 with total page 755 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Solar PV is now the third most important renewable energy source, after hydro and wind power, in terms of global installed capacity. Bringing together the expertise of international PV specialists Photovoltaic Solar Energy: From Fundamentals to Applications provides a comprehensive and up-to-date account of existing PV technologies in conjunction with an assessment of technological developments. Key features: Written by leading specialists active in concurrent developments in material sciences, solar cell research and application-driven R&D. Provides a basic knowledge base in light, photons and solar irradiance and basic functional principles of PV. Covers characterization techniques, economics and applications of PV such as silicon, thin-film and hybrid solar cells. Presents a compendium of PV technologies including: crystalline silicon technologies; chalcogenide thin film solar cells; thin-film silicon based PV technologies; organic PV and III-Vs; PV concentrator technologies; space technologies and economics, life-cycle and user aspects of PV technologies. Each chapter presents basic principles and formulas as well as major technological developments in a contemporary context with a look at future developments in this rapidly changing field of science and engineering. Ideal for industrial engineers and scientists beginning careers in PV as well as graduate students undertaking PV research and high-level undergraduate students.

Download or read book Solar Photovoltaic Projects in the Mainstream Power Market written by Philip Wolfe and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2013-09-27 with total page 264 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is the first and probably the only book devoted to utility-scale solar power – perhaps the fastest-growing sector of the global energy market. Philip Wolfe’s book describes the development and operation of large-scale solar power stations, and will interest all those who want to understand how these multi-million dollar projects are designed, structured, financed, constructed and maintained. It contains case studies of the Waldpolenz Energy Park, Germany, Lopburi Solar Plant in Thailand and the Topaz Solar Farm in California. Also included are interviews from leading figures in the PV industry. It shows the state of the world market and links to an online resource that continues to track the explosive growth of the sector. The book is arranged in three sections: A description of solar projects in context, and how they are undertaken. Chapters on developing and structuring projects; siting, consenting and connection issues; building and operating solar plants; design and technology basics; economies of solar photovoltaics. The second section reviews individual aspects of the project development and operational process in more detail. In particular it advises on strategies to manage technology, commercial, regulatory and implementation risks. These are supported by a comprehensive reference section, including case studies and overviews of key parameters applicable in different parts of the world. Supported by figures and photographs, this book is for anyone wanting to master the commercial, professional, financial, engineering or political aspects of developing multi-mega-watt solar PV projects in a mainstream power market. It is a ‘user manual’ to accompany a sector which by 2015 had surpassed a value of $100 billion.

Download or read book Solar Trillions written by Tony Seba and published by Tony Seba. This book was released on 2010 with total page 294 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Solar Trillions reveals market opportunities worth $35+ trillion of the $382 Trillion we'll spend in energy by 2050. The author shows why solar is the only clean energy source that can scale and why disruptive tech make it inevitable. Here are the seven amazing opportunities. 1: Desert Power: $9 trillion To provide all of America's electricity today, we would need just 100-by-100-mile square of desert. 2: Powering Industry: $7.1 trillion 24/7 solar power is here-and can reliably run factories & industry. 3. Island/Village Power: $2.6 trillion Two billion people around the world pay up to 10 times today's PV cost. 4: Power to the People: $8.7 trillion With Solar BIPV, walls, windows, and bricks will make money for building owners. 5: Bottled Electricity: $1.5 trillion We will hit peak water before we hit peak oil. 6: Energy in a Box: $5 trillion The race for electricity batteries is on. Solar thermal is ahead. 7: Internet Times Ten: $6.5 trillion The eBay of electricity is coming.

Download or read book Taming the Sun written by Varun Sivaram and published by MIT Press. This book was released on 2019-02-26 with total page 391 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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

Download or read book Solar Energy written by Arno Smets and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2016-01-28 with total page 488 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.

Download or read book Solar Market Studies written by Rebecca Vories and published by . This book was released on 1980 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Photovoltaic Solar Energy Generation written by Adolf Goetzberger and published by Springer. This book was released on 2005-09-06 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The intention of this book is to provide an impression of all aspects of p- tovoltaics (PV). It is not just about physics and technology or systems, but it looks beyond that at the entire environment in which PV is embedded. The ?rst chapter is intended as an introduction to the subject. It can also be considered an executive summary. Chapters 2–4 describe very brie?y the basic physics and technology of the solar cell. The silicon cell is the vehicle for this description because it is the best understood solar cell and also has the greatest practical importance. A reader who is not interested in the ph- ical details of the solar cell can skip Chap.2 and still understand the rest of the book. In general, it was the intention of the authors to keep the book at a level that does not require too much previous knowledge of photovoltaics. Chapter5isdevotedtoothermaterialsandnewconceptspresentlyunder- velopment or consideration. It intends to provide an impression of the many possibilities that exist for the conversion of solar radiation into electricity by solid state devices. These new concepts will keep researchers occupied for decades to come. Chapter 6 gives an introduction to cell and module techn- ogy and also informs the reader about the environmental compatibility and recycling of modules. The following chapters are devoted to practical applications. Chapters 7 and 8 introduce systems technology for di?erent applications. The envir- mental impact of PV systems and their reliability is the subject of Chap.9.