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 Managing Global Warming written by Trevor Letcher and published by Academic Press. This book was released on 2018-11-08 with total page 822 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Managing Global Warming: An Interface of Technology and Human Issues discusses the causes of global warming, the options available to solve global warming problems, and how each option can be realistically implemented. It is the first book based on scientific content that presents an overall reference on both global warming and its solutions in one volume. Containing authoritative chapters written by scientists and engineers working in the field, each chapter includes the very latest research and references on the potential impact of wind, solar, hydro, geo-engineering and other energy technologies on climate change. With this wide ranging set of topics and solutions, engineers, professors, leaders and policymakers will find this to be a valuable handbook for their research and work. - Presents chapters that are accompanied by an easy reference summary - Includes up-to-date options and technical solutions for global warming through color imagery - Provides up-to-date information as presented by a collection of renowned global experts

Download or read book Physics of Solar Energy written by C. Julian Chen and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2011-08-15 with total page 372 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: PHYSICS OF Solar Energy Science/Physics/Energy The definitive guide to the science of solar energy You hold in your hands the first, and only, truly comprehensive guide to the most abundant and most promising source of alternative energy—solar power. In recent years, all major countries in the world have been calling for an energy revolution. The renewable energy industry will drive a vigorous expansion of the global economy and create more “green” jobs. The use of fossil fuels to power our way of living is moving toward an inevitable end, with sources of coal, petroleum, and natural gas being fiercely depleted. Solar energy offers a ubiquitous, inexhaustible, clean, and highly efficient way of meeting the energy needs of the twenty-first century. This book is designed to give the reader a solid footing in the general and basic physics of solar energy, which will be the basis of research and development in new solar engineering technologies in the years to come. As solar technologies like solar cells, solar thermal power generators, solar water heaters, solar photochemistry applications, and solar space heating-cooling systems become more and more prominent, it has become essential that the next generation of energy experts—both in academia and industry—have a one-stop resource for learning the basics behind the science, applications, and technologies afforded by solar energy. This book fills that need by laying the groundwork for the projected rapid expansion of future solar projects.

Download or read book Concentrating Solar Power Technology written by Keith Lovegrove and published by Elsevier. This book was released on 2012-10-19 with total page 709 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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

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 Solar Energy Engineering written by Soteris A Kalogirou and published by Academic Press. This book was released on 2009-07-22 with total page 779 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As perhaps the most promising of all the renewable energy sources available today, solar energy is becoming increasingly important in the drive to achieve energy independence and climate balance. This new book is the masterwork from world-renowned expert Dr. Soteris Kalogirou, who has championed solar energy for decades. The book includes all areas of solar energy engineering, from the fundamentals to the highest level of current research. The author includes pivotal subjects such as solar collectors, solar water heating, solar space heating and cooling, industrial process heat, solar desalination, photovoltaics, solar thermal power systems, and modeling of solar systems, including the use of artificial intelligence systems in solar energy systems, modeling and performance prediction. *Written by one of the world's most renowned experts in solar energy*Covers the hottest new developments in solar technology, such as solar cooling and desalination*Packed with quick look up tables and schematic diagrams for the most commonly used systems today'

Download or read book Solar Power Generation written by Paul Breeze and published by Academic Press. This book was released on 2016-06-13 with total page 101 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Solar Power Generation is a concise, up-to-date, and readable guide providing an introduction to the leading renewable power generation technology. It includes detailed descriptions of solar photovoltaic and solar thermal generation systems, and demystifies the relevant solar energy technology functions in practice while also exploring economic and environmental risk factors. Engineers, managers, policymakers, and those involved in planning and delivering energy resources will find this reference a valuable guide to help establish a reliable power supply to address social and economic objectives. - Focuses on the evolution and developments in solar energy generation - Evaluates the economic and environmental viability of the systems with concise diagrams and accessible explanations - Demystifies the relevant solar energy technology functions in practice - Explores economic and environmental risk factors

Download or read book Solar Power to the People written by A.J.M. van Wijk and published by IOS Press. This book was released on 2018-05-03 with total page 98 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: You read about it every day: How can we create a sustainable, reliable and affordable energy supply? Does a local water supply play a role in this? Why don’t we drive hydrogen cars that are powered by the sun and rain? The availability of cheap green energy is increasing. . We have solar and wind power, and even energy derived from ambient heat. At the same time we have very diverse energy needs: fuel for cars, electricity, heat for buildings, feedstock for industrial processes, to name just a few. Energy supply and demand do not match, which means that we have to match resources, storage and consumption in an intelligent way. Solar Power to the People casts a thoughtful vision on sustainable energy. We have to bring the power of the sun to the people. That is what sustainable energy and water is all about. The authors believe we have to act quickly. The matter is urgent.

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 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 Solar Energy Projects for the Evil Genius written by Gavin D J Harper and published by McGraw Hill Professional. This book was released on 2007-03-08 with total page 210 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: FOLLOW THE SUN TO MORE EVIL FUN! Let the sun shine on your evil side - and have a wicked amount of fun on your way to becoming a solar energy master! In this guide, the popular Evil Genius format ramps up your understanding of powerful, important, and environmentally friendly solar energy - and shows you how to build real, practical solar energy projects you can use in your home, yard - even on the road! In Solar Energy Projects for the Evil Genius, high-tech guru Gavin Harper gives you everything you need to build more than 50 thrilling solar energy projects. You'll find complete, easy-to-follow plans, with clear diagrams and schematics, so you know exactly what's involved before you begin. Illustrated instructions and plans for 30 amazing pretested solar energy projects that assume no prior experience with energy science Explanations of the science and math behind each project Projects that progress in difficulty - from simple ones that may inspire science fair entries - all the way to converting a real home to solar energy Frustration-factor removal-needed parts are listed, along with sources-plus all the tools you'll need Solar Energy Projects for the Evil Genius provides you with complete plans, instructions, parts lists, and sources for: Crushed berries solar cell Solar "death ray" Solar powered hot dog cooker Solar furnace Sun-powered refrigerator Camping shower, oven, and more Hot recipes for solar cooking Water purifier Flashlight Garden lights Solar vehicle Environmentally friendly robot Much more!

Download or read book Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conversion written by Shiva Gorjian and published by Academic Press. This book was released on 2020-07-17 with total page 464 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conversion - Technologies, Applications and Environmental Impacts features comprehensive and up-to-date knowledge on the photovoltaic solar energy conversion technology and describes its different aspects in the context of most recent scientific and technological advances. It also provides an insight into future developments in this field by covering four distinct topics include "PV Cells and Modules", "Applications of PV Systems", "Life Cycle and Environmental Impacts" and "PV Market and Policies". An up-to-date reference book on the advances of photovoltaic solar energy conversion technology Describes different aspects of PV and PVT technologies in a comprehensive way Provides information on design, development, and monitoring of PV systems Covers applications of PV and PVT systems in the urban, industry, and agriculture sectors Features new concepts, environmental impacts, market and policies of the PV technology

Download or read book Solar Energy Conversion Systems written by Jeffrey R. S. Brownson and published by Academic Press. This book was released on 2013-11-09 with total page 471 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Solar energy conversion requires a different mind-set from traditional energy engineering in order to assess distribution, scales of use, systems design, predictive economic models for fluctuating solar resources, and planning to address transient cycles and social adoption. Solar Energy Conversion Systems examines solar energy conversion as an integrative design process, applying systems thinking methods to a solid knowledge base for creators of solar energy systems. This approach permits different levels of access for the emerging broad audience of scientists, engineers, architects, planners, and economists. Traditional texts in solar energy engineering have often emerged from mechanical or chemical engineering fields. Instead, Solar Energy Conversion Systems approaches solar energy conversion from the perspectives of integrative design, environmental technology, sustainability science, and materials science in the wake of amazing new thin films, polymers, and glasses developed by the optoelectronics and semiconductor industries. This is a new solar text for the new generation of green job designers and developers. It's highlighted with vignettes that break down solar conversion into useful stories and provides common points of reference, as well as techniques, for effective estimation of evolving technologies. - Contextualizes solar conversion for systems design and implementation in practical applications - Provides a complete understanding of solar power, from underlying science to essential economic outcomes - Analytical approach emphasizes systems simulations from measured irradiance and weather data rather than estimations from "rules of thumb" - Emphasizes integrative design and solar utility, where trans-disciplinary teams can develop sustainable solar solutions that increase client well-being and ecosystems services for a given locale

Download or read book Solar Hydrogen written by Mario Pagliaro and published by Royal Society of Chemistry. This book was released on 2012 with total page 185 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: With reference to many examples as well as to new technologies, written by experts in the field, this accessible book provides insight into a crucial technology and numerous color pictures contribute to the book's readability.

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 The Great Transition Shifting from Fossil Fuels to Solar and Wind Energy written by Lester R. Brown and published by W. W. Norton & Company. This book was released on 2015-04-20 with total page 247 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The great energy transition from fossil fuels to renewable sources of energy is under way. As oil insecurity deepens, the extraction risks of fossil fuels rise, and concerns about climate instability cast a shadow over the future of coal, a new world energy economy is emerging. The old economy, fueled by oil, natural gas, and coal is being replaced with one powered by wind, solar, and geothermal energy. The Great Transition details the accelerating pace of this global energy revolution. As many countries become less enamored with coal and nuclear power, they are embracing an array of clean, renewable energies. Whereas solar energy projects were once small-scale, largely designed for residential use, energy investors are now building utility-scale solar projects. Strides are being made: some of the huge wind farm complexes under construction in China will each produce as much electricity as several nuclear power plants, and an electrified transport system supplemented by the use of bicycles could reshape the way we think about mobility.

Download or read book Solar Energy Perspectives written by Cédric Philibert and published by OECD. This book was released on 2011 with total page 236 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In 90 minutes, enough sunlight strikes the earth to provide the entire planet's energy needs for one year. While solar energy is abundant, it represents a tiny fraction of the world's current energy mix. But this is changing rapidly and is being driven by global action to improve energy access and supply security, and to mitigate climate change. Around the world, countries and companies are investing in solar generation capacity on an unprecedented scale, and, as a consequence, costs continue to fall and technologies improve. This publication gives an authoritative view of these technologies and market trends, in both advanced and developing economies, while providing examples of the best and most advanced practices. It also provides a unique guide for policy makers, industry representatives and concerned stakeholders on how best to use, combine and successfully promote the major categories of solar energy: solar heating and cooling, photovoltaic and solar thermal electricity, as well as solar fuels. Finally, in analysing the likely evolution of electricity and energy-consuming sectors - buildings, industry and transport - it explores the leading role solar energy could play in the long-term future of our energy system.