Arno Smets, Klaus Jäger, Olindo Isabella, René van Swaaij, Miro Zeman

Packed with colourful graphs and diagrams to illustrate the research.

I. Introduction1. Energy2. Status and prospects of PV technology3. The working principle of a solar cellII. PV Fundamentals4. Electrodynamic basics5. Solar radiation6. Basic semiconductor physics7. Generation and recombination of electron-hole pairs8. Semiconductor junctions9. Solar cell parameters and equivalent circuit10. Losses and efficiency limitsIII. PV technology11. A short history of solar cells12. Crystalline silicon solar cells13. Thin-film solar cells14. A closer look to some processes15. PV modules16. Third generation conceptsIV. PV systems17. Introduction to PV systems18. Location issues19. Components of PV systems20. PV system design21. PV System economics and ecologyV. Alternative solar energy conversion technologies22. Solar thermal energy23. Solar fuelsAppendixA. Derivations in electrodynamicsB. Derivation of homojunctions J-V curvesC. Some aspects of surface recombinationD. The morphology of selected TCO samplesE. Some aspects on location issuesF. Derivations for DC-DC convertersG. Fluid-dynamic modelBibliographyIndex

This book provides a broad overview on the different aspects of solar energy, with a focus on photovoltaics, which is the technology that allows light energy to be converted into electric energy.Renewable energy sources have become increasingly popular in recent years, and solar is one of the most adaptable and attractive types - from solar farms to support the National Grid to roof panels/tiles used for solar thermal heating systems, and small solar garden lights.Written by Delft University researchers, Solar Energy uniquely covers both the physics of photovoltaic (PV) cells and the design of PV systems for real-life applications, from a concise history of solar cells components and location issues of current systems. The book is designed to make this complicated subject accessible to all, and is packed with fascinating graphs and charts, as well as useful exercises to cement the topics covered in each chapter.Solar Energy outlines the fundamental principles of semiconductor solar cells, as well as PV technology: crystalline silicon solar cells, thin-film cells, PV modules, and third-generation concepts. There is also background on PV systems, from simple stand-alone to complex systems connected to the grid. This is an invaluable reference for physics students, researchers, industrial engineers and designers working in solar energy generation, as well those with a general interest in renewable energy.