Solar Energy Sciences and Engineering Applications

Abstract

As the world’s conventional energy supply nears its peak, and with the demand for that energy increasing year on year, it is expected that balancing supply and demand will become increasingly challenging. Consequently it is expected that non-conventional energy sources and renewable energy resources are likely to play a greater role in addressing the imbalance between supply and demand. Many experts advocate increased harnessing of renewable energy as an important alternative energy source. Utilization of renewable energy resources is sometimes expensive and difficult to apply fully in particular sectors of society because of the location, intensity and nature of the applications. Therefore specific matching of the renewable energy source to the application is a very important aspect of maximizing the utilization of renewable energy. Solar energy is available in differing intensities in different parts of the planet. Maximization of its potential as a primary alternative renewable energy source depends however on the specific usage made of it. Hence, this book was conceived to serve the purpose of identifying primary and secondary applications of solar energy in order to maximize their potential. As solar energy applications can span almost the entire spectrum of human activity, including for example biological processes, chemical processes, mechanical processes and other aspects of our daily lives, preparation of a book that considers all these facets is very important in determining how existing sciences and technologies can further refine and expand solar energy utilization and applications..