Solar Power: Technologies, Environmental Impacts and Future Prospects

Solar and other renewable power can play an important role in future electricity system, as shown by numerous energy and electricity system model studies. Many of these studies have in common that they focus on cost as the central issue, either by optimizing it or using it as a key variable in simulation. This book examines the renewable energy policies in Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland and the UK in order to identify the policy motivations and constraints for expanding renewables in these countries. It also discusses safety hazards associated with the use of solar panels; rotating prism array for solar tracking; fabrication, electronic properties and microstructure of TiO2-based dye-sensitized solar cells; solar tower power plants performance and reliability analysis; liquid crystal devices for photovoltaic systems; and mechanisms for solar technologies.