ABSTRACT
The oil and nuclear industries have started to decline worldwide: U.S. oil production peak occurred in the early 1970s, and Japan decided to put an end to its nuclear program after 2011. Meanwhile, solar technologies have attracted attention in China and the European Union (Patlitzianas et al. 2005; Pitz Pall et al. 2005; Hang et al. 2008; Lu 2010). The growth rates of these markets are indicative of their high protability. Worldwide in 2004 photovoltaic (PV) solar energy production rose to 1256 MWp,* a 67% increase from 2003 (Flamant et al. 2006). Photothermal technology has exceeded 430 MW (Morse 2008). The PV industry doubles in size every 2 years. The installed capacity of grid-connected PV grew over 120% during 2010. No industry has grown
CONTENTS
Solar Energy Transition ...................................................................................... 139 Soaring Solar Markets, Lingering Roadblocks ........................................... 139 The Magnitude of Solar Resources .............................................................. 140
Photovoltaic Systems .......................................................................................... 141 Novel Solar Technologies ................................................................................... 142
Concentrated Solar Power ............................................................................ 143 Hybridizing Solar and Geothermal Energy ............................................... 146 Metamaterials ................................................................................................. 146 Storing Thermal and Electric Energy .......................................................... 147 Oxides and Polymers in PV Cells ................................................................ 148
Industrial Applications of Solar Thermal Energy .......................................... 148 Sustainability of Solar Systems ......................................................................... 149 Discussion ............................................................................................................ 151
Skirting Roadblocks ....................................................................................... 152 References ............................................................................................................. 153
so much in so little time, not even the cell phone, computer, or electronics industries.
