PHOTON International - The Photovoltaic Magazine

»Everything you always wanted to know about PV« would be a good subtitle for the Handbook of Photovoltaic Science and Engineering, issued by Antonio Luque, professor at the Institute of Solar Energy at the Polytechnical University of Madrid in Spain, and Steven Hegedus from the US Institute of Energy Conversion at the University of Delaware.

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The only question this book leaves open: Who can afford it?

The book starts with an overview of the history, status quo, and future of PV and the impetus for application and development of this energy source. The next chapters go into the physics and theoretical limits of solar cells. The following part of the book deals with cell technology, starting with the manufacture of silicon feedstock and wafers. All important cell and module concepts, from dye-sensitized solar cells to concentrator cells, are treated in their own chapters. Attention is given to methods of measurement and characterization, as well as to PV systems and their components. The last part of the book deals with economic and environmental aspects of PV and the role that PV plays in developing countries. The opus is culminated with one of the most important topics: financing. Readers who are left wanting more after the overview on financing schemes throughout the world will appreciate the contact pages for PV financing.

Many of the authors of the various chapters are among the leading experts in their fields: the Dutch architect Tjerk Reijeng, who probably designed more PV houses than any other architect, writes about PV architecture; NASA's Sheila Bailey covers space solar technology; and the editor Luque himself looks ahead to third generation cells in the chapter Theoretical Limits of PV Conversion.

The book is certainly the most comprehensive publication about PV to date. And in comparison to the 2001 release, Clean Electricity From Photovoltaics by Mary D. Archer and Robert Hill (see PI 10/2001, p. 32), the handbook is better structured. It is also more detailed, providing more photos, graphics, and tables – but at about 300 more pages, this is no wonder. The illustrations are also the weak point of the handbook, since they are all black and white and often not very appealing. For the unbelievable high price of £195.00 ($314), one expects more.

Handbook of Photovoltaic Science and Engineering
John Wiley & Sons Ltd., 2003
Ed: Antonio Luque, Steven Hegedus
1,142 pages, hardcover
£195 ($314)
ISBN 0-471-49196-9