Solar Energy

Description

An introduction to the fundamental science and engineering of solar energy technologies. Gives a concise and detailed review of solar energy and its interaction with materials, and discusses photovoltaic devices and solar thermal technologies like the solar chimney, solar (power) tower, flat plate water heater, and electricity generation.

• Introductory textbook on solar energy at the advanced undergraduate and beginning graduate level
• Provides a consistent overview of solar photovoltaic and solar thermal technologies
• Includes detailed discussion of solar technologies such the solar chimney, solar (power) tower, and solar-thermal electricity generation
• Includes plenty of tutorial material, images, examples, end-of-chapter exercises
• Information presented in the book can be applied to the reader's problem at hand
• Provides a balanced and compelling case for why use of solar energy should be pursued

About the Author(s)

Michael E. Mackay, Professor of Materials Science & Engineering and Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware

Michael E. Mackay received his undergraduate degree in chemical engineering with distinction from the University of Delaware, then worked for Proctor and Gamble prior to attending graduate school at the University of Illinois (Urbana) where he received M.S. and PhD degrees in chemical engineering. He subsequently became a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Melbourne (Australia), and has had positions at the University of Queensland (Australia), Stevens Institute of Technology, Michigan State University, and is presently the distinguished Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Delaware. He is a nationally and internationally known leader in nanotechnology specializing in how nanoparticles improve polymer performance and their use in making novel devices and materials. Recently, he has focused his research efforts to make polymer-based solar cells that that can be made on any surface.

Table of Contents

1:Why solar energy is important
2:Solar radiation
3:Basic principles
4:Electrons in solids
5:Light absorption
6:The photovoltaic device
7:The solar chimney and tower
8:The flat plate solar energy collector
9:Solar thermal energy generated electricity
Appendix A: Physical properties

Reviews

"Solar Energy is an engaging collection of important information and insights that fills a valuable space between the growing collection of energy-themed textbooks and the more specialized treatises on renewable energy, solar engineering, and PV devices." - Nancy M. Haegel, Physics Today.

"The book is clear and, despite its small size, very dense in information. It stimulates learning by tackling the subject from many points of view." - Rosaria A. Puglisi, MRS Bulletin a

"Solar radiation is likely to be a key part of our energy future. This textbook presents, with admirable clarity and accessibility, the relevant physics, the technical approach and challenges, and the geopolitical arguments, behind the utilisation of solar power on a global scale." - Fred Taylor, University of Oxford, UK

"Michael Mackay's Solar Energy is a useful contribution to the field by combining photovoltaics and solar thermal energy—two subjects not often seen together in one textbook. The topics are explained at an approachable level, making the book a good entry text for a student or a teacher who may wish to understand solar energy conversion from this broader point of view." - Tom Markvart, University of Southampton, UK

"... this is a comprehensive guide to the mechanisms behind current solar technology as well as the physical, interpretable, and quantitative descriptions of how these technologies operate. ... Recommended." - R. J. Barthelmie, CHOICE