Time to Shine: Applications of Solar Energy Technology

The perfect primer for the engineer, scientist, and laypersonalike to learn about the practical applications of solar energytechnology and how it is being used today, all over theworld.

Solar energy heats our homes, lights our city streets, andprovides power worldwide. As solar energy becomes increasingly moreimportant in all of our lives, it becomes increasingly moreimportant to learn how it works and how it can be implemented.

Solar energy has been the "new" energy for a long time. As thistechnology becomes a larger and larger piece of the energyspectrum, it is increasingly important for engineers, scientists,managers, and other decision–makers to understand solar energytechnology and its applications. This book, written ineasy–to–understand language, with plentiful color photos andillustrations, is the perfect primer on solar energy for anyoneworking in the energy industry or anyone who wants to learn moreabout solar energy technology.

With a focus on its current uses, including developingcountries, this book shows examples of actual and potential uses ofsolar energy. It presents an original view of solar energytechnology, as well as tools for the understanding of consequencesof energy–related decisions. Parts of this book draw to a largeextent on the work of the Synopsis Institute in Lodève,France, a leading research and development firm in the area ofsolar energy technology and its practical uses in our everydaylives.

This groundbreaking new volume:

Is written in easy–to–understand language, explaining theconcepts of solar energy technology for the scientist and laypersonalike

Covers the most up–to–date methods being used in solar energytoday

Is written by one of the best–known solar energy researchers andengineers in the world

Summary ix

About this book xi

Terminology xiii

Introduction: Solar Energy xv

The Incoming Solar Radiation 1

The Availability and Power Density Issue – Fossil vs. SolarEnergy 3

The Need for Tracking 4

The Basic Solar Energy Heat Transfers 7

Heat Transfer – Experiment and Simulation 8

Solar Energy Heat Transfer Modes 18

Individual Transfers 18

Compound or Grouped Heat

Transfer (CHT) 28

Heat Capacity: Phase Change Materials (PCM), Heat Storage and Thermal Mass 31

Overall Heat Transfer 35

Solar Thermal Energy Product Requirements 43

Selected Solar Thermal Applications 47

Solar Water Heaters (SWH) 47

Solar Space Heating 52

Direct Gain 53

Windows and Glazings in Solar Space Heating 53

Active and Passive Solar Energy 56

Passive Solar Heating and Overheating 58

Purely Active Solar Heating 62

Large–Scale Glazed Solar Thermal Plants 63

Solar High Temperature Applications 70

Solar Tower Central Receiver Plants 70

Trough Plants 72

Dish Stirling 72

Solar Chimney Power Plants (CSP) 73

Solar Thermal Pumps 77

Divers Applications 77

Cookers 78

Domestic Solar Cookers 78

Institutional Solar Cookers 81

Autoclave Sterilizers 84

Direct UV Pasteurizers 87

Solar Driers 88

Solar Thermal Energy – The Software 92

Impacts 92

The Market 93

The Determination of Solar Food Mass and Cooking Time 95

Solar PV 101

PV – Basic Characteristics 101

Shading 102

The Temperature Effect 103

Electricity and Grids 103

PV Applications 105

Solar Air Planes 108

Solar Boats 109

Dedicated Power Supplies 112

Plug Power Supplies 112

PV Power Plants 113

Conclusions Beyond Solar 117

Case Studies 118

Solar Energy in a High–density Urban Environment 118

Solar Casbah : Low–Cost Solar

Energy Vision 119

An Up–market, High–Tech Vision 123

Solar Thermal vs. Solar PV: The Battle of the Water Heaters124

The Evolving Grid: 125

Remarks on Energy Planning 126

Solar for Existing Settlements 127

Michael Grupp obtained his PhD in nuclear solid–statephysics at the University of Heidelberg, Germany. In 1977, he setup an independent energy research unit called Synopsis in southernFrance, undertook innovative solar energy R&D, and soonbroadened his scope to applications for less developed countries.He has proposed and coordinated projects in Europe, Africa, andIndia concerning technical, production, market, and acceptanceaspects, as well as their methodological implications. Dr. Grupphas received a European Solar Prize in 2004 and serves on severalscientific committees and editorial boards. Married with fourchildren, Michael Grupp was diagnosed with Parkinson′s disease inthe early ′90s.