Control of Solar Energy Systems

Solar energy is one form of renewable energy, which is becoming ever more important owing to the need to reduce the environmental problems caused by using traditional fossil fuels. Only a fraction of solar energy that reaches the Earth s surface would be enough to satisfy the global expected energy demand. One of the greatest scientific and technological challenges that we face is to develop efficient ways to collect, convert, store, and utilise solar energy at affordable costs. Control of Solar Energy Systems details the main solar energy systems, problems involved with their control, and how control systems can help in increasing their efficiency. Thermal energy systems are explored in depth, as are photovoltaic generation and other solar energy applications such as solar furnaces and solar refrigeration systems. This second and updated edition of Advanced Control of Solar Plants includes new material on: solar towers and solar tracking; heliostat calibration, characterization and offset correction; solar radiation, estimation, prediction, and computation ; and integrated control of solar plants. This new edition contains worked examples in the text as well as proposed exercises and simulation models and so will be of great use to the student and academic, as well as the industrial practitioner.