From the Back Cover
A technically authoritative overview of photovoltaics and its practical applications - now including sections on large-scale PV and the sustainability of its growth
Praised for its visual appeal, conversational style and clear explanation of complex ideas with minimal mathematics, Electricity from Sunlight has been thoroughly revised and updated to reflect advances in the global PV market, economics and installed capacity.
Key features of the 2nd edition include:
- A timely update of the advances of photovoltaics (PV), with major new material on grid-connected systems.
- More in-depth treatment of PV scientific principles, solar cells, modules, and systems.
- Up-to-date coverage of the PV market including conversion efficiencies and the expansion of grid-friendly power plants.
- End-of-chapter questions to support instructors and students through guided self-study.
- New chapters on manufacturing processes and on materials and other resources availability.
- New large-scale PV section covering the growth of global capacity, utility-scale PV and affordable solutions for intermittency.
- Systems analysis of new applications empowered by low-cost PV, such as energy storage and water desalination.
- Significantly expanded economics and environmental section explaining leveled cost of electricity versus upfront costs, energy return on investments, and lifecycle analysis.
Electricity From Sunlight: Photovoltaic-Systems Integration and Sustainability, Second Edition is an essential primer for new entrants to the PV industry, needing a basic appreciation of complete PV systems, and to students on undergraduate and graduate courses on renewable energy and photovoltaics. It also offers a unique treatise of the sustainability of emerging transformative technologies, which makes it useful to both system analysts and energy policy strategists.
Vasilis Fthenakis, Recipient of the William R. Cherry Award 2018. The Cherry Award recognizes an individual engineer or scientist who has made a significant contribution to the advancement of the science and technology of photovoltaic energy conversion, with dissemination by substantial publications and presentations.
VASILIS M. FTHENAKIS is the founder and director of the Center for Life Cycle Analysis (CLCA), Department of Earth and Environmental Engineering, Columbia University, New York, USA. He is also a senior scientist emeritus at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) where he conducted research for 36 years and directed the National Photovoltaics (PV) Environmental Research Center and several international networks. Dr. Fthenakis is the coauthor and editor of four books and about 400 scientific publications on topics at the interface of energy life cycles and the environment. Currently, he is leading research on solar desalination, energy systems modeling, life-cycle analysis, chemical process safety, and PV recycling. Vasilis Fthenakis is the recipient of the William R. Cherry Award 2018. The Cherry Award recognizes an individual engineer or scientist who has made a significant contribution to the advancement of the science and technology of photovoltaic energy conversion, with dissemination by substantial publications and presentations.
PAUL A. LYNN obtained his B.Sc.(Eng) and Ph.D. degrees from Imperial College London, UK. After several years in the electrical/electronics industry, he lectured at Imperial College and the University of Bristol. As a retired academic, Dr. Lynn's long-term interest in renewable energy has led to a trilogy of Wiley books (including this one), and three solar-powered boats. He is the author of ten other books and numerous technical papers and articles.
