Overview

The world's deserts are sufficiently large that, in theory, covering a fraction of their landmass with PV systems could generate many times the current primary global energy supply. The Energy from the Desert three-volume set details the background and concept of Very Large Scale Photovoltaics (VLS-PC) and examines and evaluates their potential as viable power generation systems. The authors present case studies of both virtual and real projects based on selected regions (including the Mediterranean, Sahara, Chinese Gobi, Mongolian Gobi, Indian Thar, Australian Desert and the US) and their specific socio-economic, environmental and technological dynamics, and argue that VLS-PV systems in desert areas will be readily achievable in the near future.

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9781849711104

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Kosuke Kurokawa has over 30 years of experience in energy systems technology, including HVDC transmission and solar photovoltaics. In recent years he has researched a wide variety of photovoltaic systems, from small AC modules to very large scale PV systems, at the Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology. Professor Kurokawa received the PVSEC award at the 4th World Conference on Photovoltaic Energy Conversion in Waikoloa, Hawaii, in May 2006. He is the Operating Agent of the IEA PVPS Task 8 project on VLS-PV, and chairman for a number of technical committees. Keiichi Komoto has contributed to VLS-PV activity since its preliminary stages. He currently works as a senior consultant in the field of renewable energy for Mizuho Information and Research Institute, and is focusing on photovoltaic technology from environmental and socio-economic viewpoints. Peter van der Vleuten has an extensive background in photovoltaics: as president of Free Energy Europe he gained experience with the development, manufacture and worldwide marketing of thin film silicon module, while his presidency of Free Energy International involved him in strategy and finance in the field of solar electricity, as well as in joint research and development projects. As chairman of the Free Energy Foundation, Peter's focus has been on awareness campaigns and dealer support in rural areas in developing countries. He has been involved in work on VLS-PV for desert applications from the beginning, some 8 years ago, and has enjoyed contributing significantly to the IEA Task 8 project, being eager to see the first gigawatt projects appear, which he believes could take place much earlier than many people have expected. David Faiman is a professor of physics at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and director of Israel's National Solar Energy Center. He was a founder member, 30 years ago, of the university's Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research at Sede Boqer, whose Department of Solar Energy and Environmental Physics he heads. Masakazu Ito is an assistant professor of Integrated Research Institute in Tokyo Institute of Technology in Japan. He research on photovoltaic system fields, especially, how to use, manage, and evaluate it. He awarded as Academic Researcher Award, and was selected as JSPS Research Fellow in his doctoral course.

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