Electricity from Sunlight, 2nd Edition

Electricity from Sunlight, 2nd Edition

by Vasilis M. Fthenakis, Paul A. Lynn
Released March 2018
Publisher(s): Wiley
ISBN: 9781118963807

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Book description

Praised for its visual appeal, conversational style and clear explanation of complex ideas with minimal mathematics, Electricity from Sunlight has been thoroughly revised and updated to reflect advances in the global PV market, economics and installed capacity.

Key features of the 2nd edition include:

  • A timely update of the advances of photovoltaics (PV), with major new material on grid-connected systems.
  • More in-depth treatment of PV scientific principles, solar cells, modules, and systems.
  • Up-to-date coverage of the PV market including conversion efficiencies and the expansion of grid-friendly power plants.
  • End-of-chapter questions to support instructors and students through guided self-study.
  • New chapters on manufacturing processes and on materials and other resources availability.
  • New large-scale PV section covering the growth of global capacity, utility-scale PV and affordable solutions for intermittency.
  • Systems analysis of new applications empowered by low-cost PV, such as energy storage and water desalination.
  • Significantly expanded economics and environmental section explaining leveled cost of electricity versus upfront costs, energy return on investments, and lifecycle analysis.

Electricity from Sunlight: Photovoltaics Systems Integration and Sustainability, Second Edition is an essential primer for new entrants to the PV industry, needing a basic appreciation of complete PV systems, and to students on undergraduate and graduate courses on renewable energy and photovoltaics.  It also offers a unique treatise of the sustainability of emerging transformative technologies, which makes it useful to both system analysts and energy policy strategists.

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Title Page
  3. About the Authors
  4. Foreword
  5. Preface to the First Edition
  6. Preface to the Second Edition
  7. Acknowledgment to the First Edition
  8. Acknowledgment to the Second Edition
  9. About the Companion Website
  10. 1 Introduction
    1. 1.1 Energy and Sustainable Development
    2. 1.2 The Sun, Earth, and Renewable Energy
    3. 1.3 The Solar Resource
    4. 1.4 The Magic of Photovoltaics
    5. 1.5 A Piece of History
    6. 1.6 Coming Up to Date
    7. Appendix 1.A Energy Units and Conversions
    8. Self‐Assessment Questions
    9. Problems
    10. Answers to Questions
    11. References
  11. 2 Solar Cells
    1. 2.1 Setting the Scene
    2. 2.2 Crystalline Silicon
    3. 2.3 Second‐Generation Photovoltaics
    4. 2.4 Cell Efficiency and Module Cost
    5. 2.5 Third‐Generation Solar Cells
    6. Self‐Assessment Questions
    7. Problems
    8. Answers to Questions
    9. References
  12. 3 PV Modules and Arrays
    1. 3.1 Introduction
    2. 3.2 Electrical Performance
    3. 3.3 Capturing Sunlight
    4. 3.4 One‐Axis Tracking
    5. 3.5 Concentration and Two‐Axis Tracking
    6. Appendix 3.A
    7. Self‐Assessment Questions
    8. Problems
    9. Answers to Questions
    10. References
  13. 4 Grid‐Connected PV Systems
    1. 4.1 Introduction
    2. 4.2 From DC to AC
    3. 4.3 Completing the System
    4. 4.4 Building‐Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV)
    5. 4.5 The Growth of Global PV Markets
    6. 4.6 Current Status of the PV Industry
    7. 4.7 Large PV Power Plants
    8. 4.8 PV Grid Connection and Integration
    9. 4.9 Electricity Markets and Types of Power Generators
    10. 4.10 The Variability Challenge and Solutions
    11. 4.11 Energy Storage
    12. Self‐Assessment Questions
    13. Problems
    14. Answers to Questions
    15. References
  14. 5 Stand‐Alone PV Systems
    1. 5.1 Remote and Independent
    2. 5.2 System Components
    3. 5.3 Hybrid Systems
    4. 5.4 System Sizing
    5. 5.5 Applications
    6. Self‐Assessment Questions
    7. Problems
    8. Answers to Questions
    9. References
  15. 6 Photovoltaic Manufacturing
    1. 6.1 Production of Crystalline Si Solar Cells
    2. 6.2 Opportunities and Challenges in Si PV Manufacturing
    3. 6.3 Thin‐Film PV Manufacturing
    4. Self‐Assessment Questions
    5. Problems
    6. Answers to Questions
    7. References
  16. 7 PV Growth and Sustainability
    1. 7.1 Affordability
    2. 7.2 Resource Availability
    3. 7.3 Life‐Cycle Environmental Impacts
    4. 7.4 The Growth of PV is Sustainable and Greatly Needed
    5. Self‐Assessment Questions
    6. Problems
    7. Answers to Questions
    8. References
  17. Index
  18. End User License Agreement

Product information

  • Title: Electricity from Sunlight, 2nd Edition
  • Author(s): Vasilis M. Fthenakis, Paul A. Lynn
  • Release date: March 2018
  • Publisher(s): Wiley
  • ISBN: 9781118963807