Photovoltaics for Commercial and Utilities Power Generation

Book excerpt: Photovoltaics for Commercial and Utilities Power Generation is an in-depth review of the solar industry development, and present day state-of-the-art. It emphasizes current and future applications of photovoltaic equipment in the commercial and utility energy sectors, highlighting its use in large scale power generating plants operating in the U.S. deserts. The book reviews all key aspects of the photovoltaic technologies from a theoretical point of view, looking closely at their design parameters, materials, manufacturing, quality and performance. It also covers the practical applications, focusing on large scale photovoltaics as a major alternative energy source. The author examines the advantages and disadvantages of each of today’s solar technologies and projects them into the future in search of optimized niche markets and maximum utilization. Key technical issues related to: manufacturing and test procedures, product quality and safety, field performance, environmental impact, and other issues are thoroughly analyzed. Lack of standardized manufacturing processes and operating procedures, fluctuating political and regulatory policies, and the different financing, legal and marketing aspects of the solar industry are amidst the topics discussed in detail as well. Photovoltaics for Commercial and Utilities Power Generation provides a 360 degree view of today’s solar energy products and the related manufacturing and operating procedures. It exposes the issues plaguing the solar industry, with the ultimate goal of finding the best solutions as needed to bring photovoltaic technologies to acceptable level of efficient, reliable and cost-effective operation in large scale power generation plants. Large scale PV power generation is one of the keys to meeting the energy and environmental demands of the 21st century. This book identifies the major issues and suggests solutions to the obstacles hindering the large scale deployment of photovoltaics in the U.S. and abroad.