Macmillian Encyclopedia of Energy

Gibilisco, Stan

The direct conversion of daylight into electricity by photovoltaic solar cells is one of the most promising of the renewable energy options. The importance of the technology is reflected in the growth in the field. What was largely technology for space programmes in 1976 produced 28.6 MW of terrestrial modules in 1987. The popularity of the technology can partly be explained by its versatility. Arrays of any size and voltage can be constructed from standard modules, with the conversion efficiency being practically independent from output. Photovoltaics are also well suited to on-site generation of power in remote areas. This book is intended primarily to give students, engineers and scientists entering the photovoltaics field an overview of all aspects of the subject, with pointers to further reading. However, by using simple language and avoiding jargon, an effort has been made to make the work useful and interesting to the general public.

Midttun, A

Smith, A

Atle Midttun

<ul><li>2 real examples demonstrate how to obtain the service life of solar collector systems</li><li>Durable, providing fundamentals that will continue to be valuable over the next 5-10 years</li><li>Lighting a pathway to the commercialisation of solar products</li></ul> <p>Solar devices lose their performance over time. The rate of degradation controls the service life of these devices. The essential concepts used to assess durability and performance of two specific solar collector systems are described, enabling researchers to assess durability in other solar devices. The examples of modelling, testing and performance measurements give researchers a how-to approach to reach crucial service lifetime predictions.</p> <p>Achieving successful and sustainable commercialisation of solar products relies on the fulfilment of 2 further criteria and these are also discussed.</p> <p>The methodology of service lifetime predictions (SLP), which is explained in detail in the book, is crucially needed in other solar technologies and is generally applicable to a wide variety of materials, components and systems used in other solar, biomedical, aerospace, electronic and coatings technologies.</p><br>