Materials Science for Solar Energy Conversion Systems


Book Description

Rapid advances in materials technology are creating many novel forms of coatings for energy efficient applications in solar energy. Insulating heat mirrors, selective absorbers, transparent insulation and fluorescent concentrators are already available commercially. Radiative cooling, electrochromic windows and polymeric light pipes hold promise for future development, while chemical and photochemical processes are being considered for energy storage. This book investigates new material advances as well as applications, costs, reliability and industrial production of existing materials. Each contribution represents a landmark in the field of materials science.




Solar Energy Conversion Systems


Book Description

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




Materials for Solar Energy Conversion


Book Description

MATERIALS FOR SOLAR ENERGY CONVERSION This book provides professionals and students with a resource on the basic principles and applications of solar energy materials and processes, as well as practicing engineers who want to understand how functional materials operate in solar energy conversion systems. The demand for energy is increasing daily, and the development of sustainable power generation is a critical issue. In order to overcome the energy demand, power generation through solar energy is booming. Many research works have attempted to enhance the efficiency of collection and storage of solar energy and, as a result, numerous advanced functional materials have been developed for enhancing the performance of solar cells. This book has compiled and broadly explores the latest developments of materials, methods, and applications of solar energy. The book is divided into 2 parts, in which the first part deals with solar cell fundamentals and emerging categories, and the latter part deals with materials, methods, and applications in order to fill the gap between existing technologies and practical requirements. The book presents detailed chapters including organic, inorganic, coating materials, and collectors. The use of modern computer simulation techniques, conversion and storage processes are effectively covered. Topics such as nanostructured solar cells, battery materials, etc. are included in this book as well. Audience The book is aimed at researchers in materials science, chemistry, physics, electrical and mechanical engineering working in the fields of nanotechnology, photovoltaic device technology, and solar energy.




Nanostructured Materials for Solar Energy Conversion


Book Description

Nanostructured Materials for Solar Energy Conversion covers a wide variety of materials and device types from inorganic materials to organic materials. This book deals with basic semiconductor physics, modelling of nanostructured solar cell, nanostructure of conventional solar cells such as silicon, CIS and CdTe, dye-sensitized solar cell, organic solar cell, photosynthetic materials, fullerene, extremely thin absorber (ETA) solar cell, quantum structured solar cell, intermediate band solar cell, carbon nanotube, etc. including basic principle and the latest results. There are many books written on conventional p-n junction solar cells, but few books focus on new concepts in this area. * Focuses on the use of nanostructured materials for solar energy* Looks at a wide variety of materials and device types* Covers both organic and inorganic materials




Solar Materials Science


Book Description

Solar Materials Science is a collection of lecture series on solar and other related energy technologies, sponsored by the New Mexico Joint Center for Materials Science. This book is divided into three sections encompassing 21 chapters that discuss the basic concepts of materials science, their utilization in solar technology, and examples of this utilization and the technology. The introductory chapters present an overview of the solar materials science and technology. Section I describes the optical properties, microstructure, and materials used in solar collectors and mirrors. This section also examines metals emissivity, spectral selectivity of composite for absorbers, and corrosion of solar thermal energy materials. Section II deals with the application of thermodynamic principles and reversible chemical reactions to solar storage systems. This section also considers the materials problems encountered during the development of thermochemical concepts and schemes. Section III focuses on the principles, materials used, and encountered problems in the development of photovoltaic systems. The optimization of solar conversion devices is also covered in this section. Undergraduate and graduate students in metallurgy, metallurgical and materials engineering, materials science, electrical and mechanical engineering, engineering science, and solid-state physics and chemistry will greatly benefit from this book.




Renewable energy conversion systems


Book Description

Fundamentals of Renewable Energy Systems goes beyond theoretical aspects of advances in renewable energy and addresses future trends. By focusing on the design of developing technologies, relevant operation and detailed background and an understanding of the application of power electronics and thermodynamics processes in renewable energy, this book provides an analysis of advancing energy systems. The book will be of interest to engineering graduates, researchers, professors and industry professionals involved in the renewable energy sector and is ideal for advanced engineering courses dealing with renewable energy, sources, thermal and electrical energy production and sustainability. With increasing focus on developing low carbon energy production, audiences need to have the engineering knowledge and practical skills to develop and implement creative solutions to engineering problems encountered with renewable energy technologies. By looking at renewable energy capture and conversion, system design and analysis, project development and implementation, each modular chapter examines recent advances in specific renewable energy systems with detailed methods, calculations and worked examples. Includes recent techniques used to design and model different renewable energy sources (RES) Demonstrates how to use power electronics in renewable systems Discusses how to identify, design, integrate and operate the most suitable technologies through key problems




Solar Energy Conversion in Communities


Book Description

This book presents novel findings concerning the systems, materials and processes used in solar energy conversion in communities. It begins with the core resource – solar radiation – and discusses the restrictions on the wide-scale implementation of conversion systems imposed by the built environment, as well as potential solutions. The book also describes efficient solar energy conversion in detail, focusing on heat and electricity production in communities and water reuse. Lastly, it analyzes the concept of sustainable communities, presenting examples from around the globe, along with novel approaches to improving their feasibility and affordability. Though chiefly intended for professionals working in the field of sustainability at the community level, the book will also be of interest to researchers, academics and doctoral students.




Solar Energy Conversion Systems in the Built Environment


Book Description

This book focuses on solar energy conversion systems that can be implemented in the built environment, at building or at community level. The quest for developing a sustainable built environment asks for specific solutions to provide clean energy based on renewable sources, and solar energy is considered one of the cleanest available energy on Earth. The specific issues raised by the implementation location are discussed, including the climatic profile distorted by the buildings, the available surface on the buildings for implementation, etc. This book also discusses the seasonal and diurnal variability of the solar energy resource in parallel with the variability of the electrical and thermal energy demand in the built environment (particularly focusing on the residential buildings). Solutions are proposed to match these variabilities, including the development of energy mixes with other renewables (e.g. geothermal or biomass, for thermal energy production). Specific solutions, including case studies of systems implemented on buildings all over the world, are presented and analyzed for electrical and for thermal energy production and the main differences in the systems design are outlined. The conversion efficiency (thus the output) and the main causes of energy losses are considered in both cases. The architectural constraints are additionally considered and novel solar energy convertors with different shapes and colors are presented and discussed. The durability of the solar energy conversion systems is analyzed considering the specific issues that occur when these systems are implemented in the built environment; based on practical examples, general conclusions are formulated and specific aspects are discussed in relation to experimental results and literature data. With renewables implemented in the built environment likely to expand in the near future, this book represents welcome and timely material for all professionals and researchers that are aiming to provide efficient and feasible solutions for the sustainable built environment.




Nanostructured, Functional, and Flexible Materials for Energy Conversion and Storage Systems


Book Description

Nanostructured, Functional, and Flexible Materials for Energy Conversion and Storage Systems gathers and reviews developments within the field of nanostructured functional materials towards energy conversion and storage. Contributions from leading research groups involved in interdisciplinary research in the fields of chemistry, physics and materials science and engineering are presented. Chapters dealing with the development of nanostructured materials for energy conversion processes, including oxygen reduction, methanol oxidation, oxygen evolution, hydrogen evolution, formic acid oxidation and solar cells are discussed. The work concludes with a look at the application of nanostructured functional materials in energy storage system, such as supercapacitors and batteries. With its distinguished international team of expert contributors, this book will be an indispensable tool for anyone involved in the field of energy conversion and storage, including materials engineers, scientists and academics. Covers the importance of energy conversion and storage systems and the application of nanostructured functional materials toward energy-relevant catalytic processes Discusses the basic principles involved in energy conversion and storage systems Presents the role of nanostructured functional materials in the current scenario of energy-related research and development




Emerging Materials for Energy Conversion and Storage


Book Description

Emerging Materials for Energy Conversion and Storage presents the state-of-art of emerging materials for energy conversion technologies (solar cells and fuel cells) and energy storage technologies (batteries, supercapacitors and hydrogen storage). The book is organized into five primary sections, each with three chapters authored by worldwide experts in the fields of materials science, physics, chemistry and engineering. It covers the fundamentals, functionalities, challenges and prospects of different classes of emerging materials, such as wide bandgap semiconductors, oxides, carbon-based nanostructures, advanced ceramics, chalcogenide nanostructures, and flexible organic electronics nanomaterials. The book is an important reference for students and researchers (from academics, but also industry) interested in understanding the properties of emerging materials. Explores the fundamentals, challenges and prospects for the application of emerging materials in the development of energy conversion and storage devices Presents a discussion of solar cell and photovoltaic, fuel cell, battery electrode, supercapacitor and hydrogen storage applications Includes notable examples of energy devices based on emerging materials to illustrate recent advances in this field