| - K.G. Craig, Journal of Environmental Quality, 2006
Throughout the text, it is abundantly clear the author is a knowledgeable engineer with considerable experience in the diverse sciences and technologies that provide the foundations of wind and photovoltaic power generation. It is also obvious that he is an experienced teacher, because the presentations are technically accurate, well organized, effectively paced, and appropriately targeted for the mid- to upper-level undergraduate student with reasonable technical exposure and interest. I wish I could have had this book when I taught my own alternative energy classes to Mechanical Engineering undergraduates.
The search for clean, renewable energy sources has yielded enormous growth and new developments in these technologies in a few short years, driving down costs and encouraging utilities in many nations, both developed and developing, to add and expand wind and solar power capacity. The first, best-selling edition of Wind and Solar Power Systems provided the most complete and modern treatment of renewable energy. This second edition continues the tradition by offering updated and expanded coverage of this growing field. The book begins with individual sections devoted to wind power and solar photovoltaic technologies, their engineering fundamentals, conversion characteristics, operational considerations to maximize output, and emerging trends. The discussion of wind power includes the theory of induction machine performance and operation as well as generator speed control, while the solar PV section includes array design, environmental variables, and sun-tracking methods. This edition includes two chapters devoted to new and specialized technologies. The third section explores large-scale energy storage technologies, overall electrical system performance, and total plant economy while the final section explores ancillary power systems derived from the sun. Focusing on the complete system rather than on a single component, Wind and Solar Power Systems: Design, Analysis, and Operation, Second Edition offers the most comprehensive reference to all aspects of modern renewable energy systems. |
