Preface
At Delft University of Technology we believe that the energy system of the future will be
completely different from the system we know today. All the energy we use in the future
will come from the Sun; directly via solar photovoltaic modules and thermal collectors, or
indirectly in the form of wind and biomass. In this future energy system the conversion
and utilization of energy will be highly efficient. These two components, renewable
energy sources and energy efficiency, are the key components of sustainable energy. The
transition towards a sustainable energy system is a major societal challenge needed to
preserve Earth for future generations.
This transition means that electricity will gain a more dominant role in energy
demand. We expect electricity to become a universal energy carrier and the backbone of
energy supply in the future. By writing a book on solar energy with focus on the direct
conversion of solar energy into electricity, so-called photovoltaics (PV), we aim to make
more people familiar with this fascinating energy conversion technology. We believe that
this book is our contribution to facilitating and accelerating the energy transition towards
sustainable energy.
We hope that our book Solar Energy Conversion: Fundamentals, Technologies and
Systems will be a useful source for readers studying the different topics on solar energy.
These topics are discussed in three courses on photovoltaics at Delft University of
Technology: PV Basics, PV Technologies, and PV Systems. In addition, this book also
covers other aspects of solar energy, in particular solar thermal applications and solar
fuels. Hopefully this book inspires students and professionals around the world to
contribute to the realization of a sustainable energy infrastructure, for example by building
their own PV system. This book is an excellent supplement to the Massive Open Online
Course (MOOC) on Solar Energy (DelftX, ET.3034TU) that is presented by Arno Smets
on the edX and edraak platforms.
We received a lot of support and help during the preparation of the book. We are very
grateful to Ronald van Zolingen, professor at Eindhoven University of Technology, for
reviewing this book. He carried out this task very thoroughly and provided us with many
comments and suggestions that resulted in a better and more compact work. We are happy
that he also wrote the foreword.
We want to express our special thanks to Gireesh Ganesan Nair for supporting us
with figures, exercises, and text editing. We thank Mathew Alani and Adwait Apte for text
At Delft University of Technology we believe that the energy system of the future will be
completely different from the system we know today. All the energy we use in the future
will come from the Sun; directly via solar photovoltaic modules and thermal collectors, or
indirectly in the form of wind and biomass. In this future energy system the conversion
and utilization of energy will be highly efficient. These two components, renewable
energy sources and energy efficiency, are the key components of sustainable energy. The
transition towards a sustainable energy system is a major societal challenge needed to
preserve Earth for future generations.
This transition means that electricity will gain a more dominant role in energy
demand. We expect electricity to become a universal energy carrier and the backbone of
energy supply in the future. By writing a book on solar energy with focus on the direct
conversion of solar energy into electricity, so-called photovoltaics (PV), we aim to make
more people familiar with this fascinating energy conversion technology. We believe that
this book is our contribution to facilitating and accelerating the energy transition towards
sustainable energy.
We hope that our book Solar Energy Conversion: Fundamentals, Technologies and
Systems will be a useful source for readers studying the different topics on solar energy.
These topics are discussed in three courses on photovoltaics at Delft University of
Technology: PV Basics, PV Technologies, and PV Systems. In addition, this book also
covers other aspects of solar energy, in particular solar thermal applications and solar
fuels. Hopefully this book inspires students and professionals around the world to
contribute to the realization of a sustainable energy infrastructure, for example by building
their own PV system. This book is an excellent supplement to the Massive Open Online
Course (MOOC) on Solar Energy (DelftX, ET.3034TU) that is presented by Arno Smets
on the edX and edraak platforms.
We received a lot of support and help during the preparation of the book. We are very
grateful to Ronald van Zolingen, professor at Eindhoven University of Technology, for
reviewing this book. He carried out this task very thoroughly and provided us with many
comments and suggestions that resulted in a better and more compact work. We are happy
that he also wrote the foreword.
We want to express our special thanks to Gireesh Ganesan Nair for supporting us
with figures, exercises, and text editing. We thank Mathew Alani and Adwait Apte for text