Solar thermal conversion is the simplest and most direct method of harnessing solar energy. Some published work exists to describe and review the structures, mechanisms and applications of different solar absorbers.
This book presents a fundamental understanding of the optical properties of solar absorber materials and structures, from the most fundamental Maxwell theory and the optical constants and optical properties of different materials to structure design, fabrication and measurements. The optical principles and methods used to evaluate the performance of solar absorber devices with broad applications in different physical conditions are also included.
A group of people who have been working together through international cooperation to conduct research in the field of solid-state optics, thin optical films, solar absorbers and instrumentation has contributed to this book. The book is suitable for graduate students in applied physics and provides a good resource with an extensive list of references (327) for researchers in the solar energy field.
Review by Reva Garg, Institute of Physics, University of Brasilia, Brazil
The opinions expressed in the book review section are those of the reviewer and do not necessarily reflect those of OPN or its publisher, Optica (formerly OSA).