Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
1.1.4
Plan of This Topic
The underlying physics of solar energy, with a fairly detailed account of how the sun
delivers its energy to earth are treated in Chapter 2. To prepare the reader for
nanophysics-based energy conversion devices, principally solar cells of various
types, background is provided in Chapter 3. Chapter 4 explains three methods that
are known to release fusion energy in laboratory situations on earth. The power
output from a Tokamak-type fusion reactor is analyzed and numerically estimated
by scaling the simpli
ed reaction model, shown in Chapter 2, to predict the suns
output, to the Tokamak realm of parameters. The topics then turn, in Chapter 5, to
exploiting the solar radiation input to earth, converting some of the energy to
electricity. The physics of solar thermal energy conversion is compared to that of
photovoltaic conversion, and a survey of solar cell types is presented. Chapters 6
-
8
deal inmore detail with types of solar cells, including prospects for developing new
cells with higher ef
ciency and possibly at lower cost. Chapter 9 deals with aspects
of producing hydrogen gas by photocatalytic cells, as well as practical possibilities
for making hydrogen a storage medium for energy produced by wind or solar
power. Chapter 10 deals with manufacturing and economic aspects of solar power,
with attention to processes that might be scalable to large volume and low cost to
replace a signi
cant fraction of the power now obtained from oil, natural gas, and
coal. Finally, Chapter 11 deals with the future of renewable energy, as a part of the
global energy future.
