Beginning with an overview of renewable energy sources including biomass, hydroelectricity, geothermal, tidal, wind and solar power, this book explores the fundamentals of different renewable energy systems. The main focus is on technologies with high development potential such as solar thermal systems, photovoltaics and wind power. This text not only describes technological aspects, but also deals consciously with problems of the energy industry. In this way, the topics are treated in a holistic manner, bringing together maths, engineering, climate studies and economics, and enabling readers to gain a broad understanding of renewable energy technologies and their potential. The book also contains a free CD-ROM resource, which includes a variety of specialist simulation software and detailed figures from the book.
Following a successful edition in German and in response to growing demand for high quality, user-friendly textbooks on renewable energy, the author has prepared a revised version of this classic text in English. Understanding Renewable Energy Systems is an ideal companion for students of renewable energy at universities or technical colleges - on courses such as renewable energy, electrical engineering, engineering technology, physics, process engineering, building engineering, environment, applied mechanics and mechanical engineering - as well as scientists and engineers in research and industry.
'The book tackles the subject in a range of ways which provides a sense of the depth needed to understand fully the contributions that can be made by renewable resources.'
Paul Ganderton, author of Environmental Biogeography
List of Figures and Tables
List of Acronyms and Abbreviations
Preface
- Energy, Climate Change and Renewable Energy Sources
- Solar Radiation
- Solar Thermal Water Heating
- Photovoltaics
- Wind Power
- Economics
- Simulations and the CD-ROM of the Book
Appendices
References
Volker Quaschning is a Professor of renewable energy systems at Berlin University of Applied Sciences, Germany, having been Area Head of Systems Analysis at Plataforma Solar de Almería, a research centre for solar technologies in Spain. The manuscript was edited by Ralph Gottschalg, an EPSRC Advanced Research Fellow heading the photovoltaic systems research group at the Centre for Renewable Energy Systems Technology (CREST), Loughborough University, UK.