Covers a wide range of technologies that actively convert solar radiation into useful heat for applications ranging from space heating, cooking, and domestic hot water supply, to electrical power generation and high temperature thermochemical processes.

Table of Contents

• List of Contributors
• CdTe Solar Cells - Stephan Buecheler, Lukas Kranz, Julian Perrenoud and Ayodhya Nath Tiwari
• Concentrating Receiver Systems (Solar Power Tower) - Spiros Alexopoulos and Bernhard Hoffschmidt
• Linear Fresnel Collectors - Andreas Häberle
• Mesoscopic Solar Cells - Michael Grätzel
• Organic Solar Cells - Eric Daniel Głowacki, Niyazi Serdar Sariciftci and Ching W. Tang
• Parabolic Trough Solar Technology - Eckhard Lüpfert
• Photosynthetically Active Radiation: Measurement and Modeling - Matti Mõttus, Madis Sulev, Frédéric Baret, Raoul Lopez-Lozano and Anu Reinart
• Photovoltaic Energy, Introduction - Daniel Lincot
• Photovoltaics, Status of - Arnulf Jäger-Waldau
• PV Policies and Markets - Wolfgang Palz
• Silicon Solar Cells, Crystalline - Santo Martinuzzi, Abdelillah Slaoui, Jean-Paul Kleider, Mustapha Lemiti, Christian Trassy, Claude Levy-Clement, Sébastien Dubois, Remi Monna, Yves Veschetti, Isabelle Périchaud, Nam Le Quang and Jed Kraiem
• Silicon Solar Cells, Thin-film - Christopher R. Wronski and Nicolas Wyrsch
• Solar Cells, Chalcopyrite-Based Thin Film - Hans-Werner Schock
• Solar Cells: Energy Payback Times and Environmental Issues - Vasilis Fthenakis
• Solar Cells: Very High Efficiencies Approaches - Jean-François Guillemoles
• Solar Collectors, Non-concentrating - Stefan Fortuin and Gerhard Stryi-Hipp
• Solar Constant and Total Solar Irradiance Variations - Claus Fröhlich
• Solar Cookers and Dryers to Conserve Human and Planet Health - Shyam S. Nandwani
• Solar Cooling Systems - Hans-Martin Henning
• Solar Detoxification and Disinfection of Water - Sixto Malato, P. Fernández-Ibáñez, M. I. Maldonado, I. Oller and A. Zapata
• Solar Energy in Thermochemical Processing - Anton Meier and Aldo Steinfeld
• Solar Irradiance, Global Distribution - Richard W. Mueller
• Solar Radiation for Solar Energy Utilization - Daryl R. Myers
• Solar Radiation Spectrum - Christian A. Gueymard
• Solar Radiation, Spatial and Temporal Variability - Annette Hammer and H. G. Beyer
• Solar Thermal Desalination - Claus R. Mertes
• Solar Thermal Energy, Introduction - Christoph Richter
• Solar Updraft Towers - Gerhard Weinrebe, Rudolf Bergermann and Jörg Schlaich
• Thermal Energy Storage - Rainer Tamme, Doerte Laing, Wolf-Dieter Steinmann and Thomas Bauer
• Topographic Solar Radiation Modeling for Environmental Applications - Hofierka Jaroslav
• List of Glossary Terms