Page 15 - Alternative Energy Systems in Building Design

xiv INTRODUCTION

■ State-by-state analysis shows that U.S. photovoltaic grid-connected potential in
2010 will be 2900 MW/year, and solar power will be reduced to $2.00–$2.50 per
installed watt, representing a $6.6 billion business.
■ Residential rooftop space available could accommodate 710,000 MW of solar electric
power.
■ The Pacific and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States will account for 52 percent
of solar power installation.
■ California has the potential to accommodate 40 percent of the total building rooftop
solar power market in the United States.
■ Projections of global solar power demand for 2020 indicate that solar power energy
will be in parity with grid energy.
■ By 2020, global solar power production is expected to increase from 10 to 300 GW,
an investment that will represent approximately $500 billion.
■ Over the next decade, 20–40 GW of solar power installed globally would provide
15 percent of the annual power consumed.
■ Global polysilicon production capacity is estimated to triple within the next 5 years.
The cost of silicon ingot production may drop by as much as 50–60 percent.
■ In California, principal electric service providers are undertaking measures to inte-
grate substantial amounts of green energy into their grids.

All these indicators suggest that alternative energy technologies, particularly the solar
photovoltaic industry, in the United States and the rest of the world will be expanding at
an unprecedented rate that will result in the creation of thousands of job opportunities
for trained scientists, engineers, and technologists.
Alternative Energy Systems in Building Design is intended primarily to be a design
reference guide for engineers, architects, scientists, management personnel, and uni-
versity students. This book also can be supplemented with a teacher’s reference guide,
which will allow it to be used in undergraduate and postgraduate courses.
The main objective of this book is to provide readers with a pragmatic design ref-
erence manual for the design and implementation of some of the most commercially
viable alternative energy technologies. In view of the unprecedented worldwide demand
for solar power cogeneration systems, this book has extensive coverage of solar physics,
associated technologies, and pragmatic design guidelines for professionals who must
assume responsibility for all aspects of a solar power project design. Design guidelines
discussed in the book reflect my personal experiences as a consulting engineer and
educator.
Material on fusion reactors is included. Although fission reactors are not consid-
ered an alternative energy technology, the coverage is intended to provide a com-
parative reference with the specifics of fusion reactors. In writing this book, I have
attempted to incorporate all significant alternative energy technologies; in the process,
I have made extensive use of material from my previous publications and published arti-
cles from the Department of Energy (DOE), National Renewable Energy Laboratories
(NREL), Web resources such as Wikipedia, and many contributors (as cited and acknowl-
edged throughout the book).