Publisher's Synopsis
Sun is the basic source of energy on Earth - be it conventional fossil fuels or the non-conventional Renewable Energy Sources. Most Renewable Energy Technologies are in a budding stage. The diffused, dilute, intermittent and variable, season and region dependent nature of most renewable energy sources imposes obvious challenges in their utilization.Also, Fuel-switching does not happen overnight. The transition of a new, better, non-conventional, i.e. commercially untried and growing technology into a conventional, techno-commercially viable and accepted technology is a challenging transformation on a mass scale. It requires research and development along with systematic planning and implementation of smooth supplementing of / taking over of one established system by another, new one, with considerably different concepts, features, components and systems. New standards and methods need to be established and training programmes have to be conducted for the new systems.The key to studies in Solar Energy Utilization and Solar Energy Technology lies in understanding the quality, quantum and pattern of availability of Solar Energy at a given location on Earth's surface. The present book gives the fundamental concepts of Solar Energy availability and availability patterns with respect to geographical and climatic conditions under which the Solar Energy Utilization system is located.The topics include: THE SOLAR ENERGY OPTIONSOLAR ENERGY ON EARTH: EARTH'S ROTATIONEARTH'S REVOLUTIONImportant positions in Earth's path of RevolutionExtra-terrestrial Energy FluxSolar ConstantTILT OF EARTH'S AXISSolstice And EquinoxSPECTRAL DISTRIBUTION OF SOLAR RADIATIONSOLAR RADIATION ON EARTH'S SURFACEMEASUREMENT OF SOLAR RADIATIONPYRANOMETERSPYRHELIOMETERSSUNSHINE DURATION MEASUREMENTSSOLAR ANGLESBASIC ANGLESLatitude-LongitudeDeclinationHour AngleLocal Solar TimeEquation of TimeDERIVED ANGLESRelated to relative position of SunRelated to the orientation of surface intercepting solar radiationRELATIONS BETWEEN BASIC AND DERIVED ANGLESGENERAL EQUATION FOR ANGLE OF INCIDENCEDAY LENGTHThe special feature of this book is the simplicity, lucidity and precise presentation of facts. The language is simple. The facts are presented in short, concise sentences, easy to understand and remember, hence very handy for students.The author has taught undergraduate and post-graduate Engineering students, most of whom were from Vernacular medium, for more than a decade. In her attempts to simplify concepts and their realization in real life systems for her students, many of whom found it difficult to express / write in English, she prepared presentations and notes that were very useful to her students. She spoke in English / Hindi / Gujarati while conveying her lectures to them with the help of these presentations / notes on the screen - giving live translations of difficult words / terms and relating them to familiar concepts / facts / systems.
