Introduction To Photovoltaics

The photovoltaic (PV) industry has seen recent unprecedented growth in interest around the world. Many see this clean and abundant technology as the perfect power of the future. Written for those new to the industry, Introduction to Photovoltaics provides readers with an overview of PV principles and concepts and lays the groundwork for future study. With a focus on the fundamentals, this text highlights the components, system types, business aspects, and the future of this advancing industry. It provides readers with a solid foundation for continuing a PV-related career.

Photovoltaic system design is both an art and a science. Good design requires the integration of many different forms of knowledge, including physics, aesthetics, business acumen, engineering, and architecture. It also requires a systems approach that combines and assimilates different technologies and structures. Good design is accomplished when art meets science to achieve higher-performance and more-efficient and effective systems. Introduction to Photovoltaic System Design provides readers with the knowledge they need to design high-performance PV systems. The text takes a systematic approach to designing PV, with emphasis on custom-design approaches for every system. Readers will encounter the latest, real-world information regarding site evaluations, strings and wire sizing, designing to code, PV components, and monitoring and testing. About the Series: The Photovoltaics (PV) industry stands on the brink of a revolution. The appeal of a new and growing industry has brought an influx of new PV professionals to the market, but the availability of educational resources has not kept pace with market demands. This gap has led to serious quality and performance issues that the industry will need to face in the decades ahead. The Art and Science of Photovoltaics series was developed to fill this education gap. Each book in the series goes beyond simple systematic processes by tackling performance challenges using a systems perspective. Readers do not learn PV design and installation steps in a vacuum; instead they gain the knowledge and expertise to understand interrelationships and discover new ways to improve their own systems and positively contribute to the industry.

Despite their wide availability and relatively low prices, the conventional energy sources have harmful consequences on the environment and are exhaustible. In order to circumvent these negative effects, the renewable energies in general and the photovoltaic energy in particular are becoming more and more attractive. Solar cell is an electrical device that converts light into electricity at the atomic level. These devices use inorganic or organic semiconductor materials that absorb photons with energy greater than their bandgap to promote energy carriers into their conduction band. They do not pollute the atmosphere by releasing harmful gases, do not require any fuel to produce electricity, and do not move parts so they are rugged. Solar panels have a very long life and do not need much maintenance.

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.

This handbook opens with an overview of solar radiation and how its energy can be tapped using photovoltaic cells. Other chapters cover the technology, manufacture and application of PV cells in real situations. The book ends by exploring the economic and business aspects of PV systems.

A lively and authoritative account of today’s photovoltaic (PV) technology and its practical applications This book covers areas including: a brief history of PV, and the current international scene; the scientific principles of solar cells including silicon and new thin-film varieties; PV modules and arrays; grid-connected PV, from home systems up to large power plants; the wide diversity of stand-alone PV systems, and; the economic and environmental aspects of solar electricity. Key equations and numerical examples are fully discussed, providing essential theoretical background. The text is supported by copious illustrations and more than eighty inspiring full colour photographs from around the world to demonstrate PV’s huge range of practical applications. This book is aimed at a wide readership including professionals working in related areas, and students taking introductory courses in PV and renewable energy. Its style and level will also appeal to energy planners and decision makers, members of environmental organisations, and the increasing number of people interested in generating their own electricity from sunlight.

Perovskite Photovoltaics: Basic to Advanced Concepts and Implementation examines the emergence of perovskite photovoltaics, associated challenges and opportunities, and how to achieve broader development. Consolidating developments in perovskite photovoltaics, including recent progress solar cells, this text also highlights advances and the research necessary for sustaining energy. Addressing different photovoltaics fields with tailored content for what makes perovskite solar cells suitable, and including commercialization examples of large-scale perovskite solar technology. The book also contains a detailed analysis of the implementation and economic viability of perovskite solar cells, highlighting what photovoltaic devices need to be generated by low cost, non-toxic, earth abundant materials using environmentally scalable processes. This book is a valuable resource engineers, scientists and researchers, and all those who wish to broaden their knowledge on flexible perovskite solar cells. Includes contributions by leading solar cell academics, industrialists, researchers and institutions across the globe Addresses different photovoltaics fields with tailored content for what makes perovskite solar cells different Provides commercialization examples of large-scale perovskite solar technology, giving users detailed analysis on the implementation, technical challenges and economic viability of perovskite solar cells

This book covers solar energy and the use of solar radiation in connection with lighting. It provides a detailed introduction to solar energy, photovoltaic (PV) solar energy conversion, and solar lighting technologies, while also discussing all of these elements in the context of the Balkan Peninsula. In the context of solar energy, the book covers a range of elements, from the structure of the sun, to PV solar plants. It subsequently addresses the status quo of solar technologies in Bulgaria, Serbia and the Republika Srpska and analyses the development of these technologies over the years, including their economic status, and how these aspects have shaped their current status. Undergraduate and graduate students, researchers and professionals, particularly those based in the Balkans, will find this book both informative and interesting.