Wolfgang Palz

Photovoltaics (PV), the solar power, which was nothing a few years ago, is the world leader in clean and sustainable energy today. It has become low-cost and affordable for everybody: Millions of people have already invested in it. This book reports on the euphoria resulting from solar PV that started about half a century ago in the United States, followed by Japan. By the turn of the century was triggered the first PV market explosion in Germany, followed by the great financial and industrial turmoil ending up with China’s leadership. Today, the solar euphoria has embraced the whole world, with hundreds of billions of dollars being invested in millions of PV plants on buildings or on the ground. The book is a guide to investing while helping to save the environment. It tells everything about solar power.

Dramatic forest fires in California, flooding in Mozambique, unusual heat waves in Europe, hurricanes of strength never seen before—the world’s climate is getting out of control. The list of human casualties and damage in billions of euros and dollars is getting longer day by day. Weather experts and climatologists make it clear that global carbon dioxide emissions are accelerating, and as a consequence, the world’s climate is becoming unpredictable.This book, an updated edition of The Triumph of the Sun: The Energy of the New Century, is not another disaster report. It brings good news. It presents the details of a solar revolution that started with the dawn of the new century. The new solar energy conquered the markets and sidelined the conventional sources. Supplemented with the latest facts and figures, the book features new and updated sections on topics such as climate change, greenhouse gas emissions, carbon allowances and CO2 taxes, auto-consumption, and renewable energy for heat and transport. Energy being at the heart of economic development and everybody’s well-being, the new dominance of the renewables, which are the key to combating global change, revolutionized our society as a whole for the better. The author of the book witnessed the progress of this solar revolution and was one of the pioneers in the development of modern solar technologies.

As the new century came, the world began to turn its back on the reckless developments of the past that resulted in global pollution and the deep misery it entails, a climate getting out of kilter, the threat of a nuclear war, and all perils brought about by the unchecked use of fossil and atomic resources. We have now resolutely begun to move to a life that believes in harmony with nature, with the Sun. Not only the climate but everyone is a winner going with the Sun, the celestial body that distinguishes itself with its constancy and bounties. Thanks to innovation and mass production, the power derived from the Sun now beats the conventional energy sector with its own strength: socio-economy. Solar energy has become cheaper than the energy harvested from conventional resources. The result is a booming economy that is not just sustainable, but is also capable of producing millions of new jobs. In this book, Wolfgang Palz, an independent expert on energy matters and the economy, presents his views on a solar revolution to which he made significant contributions. It is not a compendium of ecological dreams and wishful thinking for a better world, but a thorough report, buttressed with facts and figures, on what happened. Beginning with fundamentals, the book discusses the key role of the Sun in nature and life. It details what happened when the search for a cleaner world began and elaborates the efforts of the people who brought about the change.

Contents: Large Wind Turbine Technology - State of the Art. - Outline ofWEGA Large Wind Turbine Programme. - The WEGA Wind Turbines - Design and Construction. - Comparison of Essential Technical Criteria. - Commissioning and Early Operational Experiences. - Outlook to the Future Programme WEGA II.

The limited available of fossil energy carriers and the environmental impacts of energy consumtion demand mid-and long-term strategies both for the rational use of energy and for increased renewable energy utilization. Concepts of renewable energy conversion have been proposed and implemented during recent decades allover the world and their remarkable potential has been demonstrated. However, large scale implementation in the context of the requirements above has not yet taken place. The EUREC (European Renewable Energy Centres) Agency - an association of 25 European research centres from 11 EC countries, provides a framework of leading experts in the field of renewable energies, focusing on assessment studies, joint projects in research and development and on proposing future strategies in a European context. Under the leadership of Professor Wrixon, with the assistance and contributions of experts from the EUREC Agency, the document 'Renewable Energy - 2000' has been elaborated. This document critically evaluates the potential of renewable energies, focusing on the most relevant sources and methodologies, namely: wind energy, solar heating, cooling and daylighting, photovoltaics and biomass. It also proposes strategies for implementing components and systems to achieve economic operation in different regions of the European Community. It thereby makes use of the expert knowledge and experience concentrated in EUREC Agency member institutions.