Handbook of Research on Solar Energy Systems and Technologies

The last ten years have seen rapid advances in nanoscience and nanotechnology, allowing unprecedented manipulation of nanoscale structures controlling solar capture, conversion, and storage. Filled with cutting-edge solar energy research and reference materials, the Handbook of Research on Solar Energy Systems and Technologies serves as a one-stop resource for the latest information regarding different topical areas within solar energy. This handbook will emphasize the application of nanotechnology innovations to solar energy technologies, explore current and future developments in third generation solar cells, and provide a detailed economic analysis of solar energy applications.

Dr. Sohail Anwar is an Associate Professor of Engineering at the Altoona College of The Pennsylvania State University. In addition, he is a Professional Associate of the Management Development Programs and Services at The Pennsylvania State University, University Park. Dr. Anwar has served as the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Engineering Technology. He is currently serving as the Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Modern Engineering and an Associate Editor of the Journal of The Pennsylvania Academy of Science. In addition, he is serving as the Series Editor of the Nanotechnology and Energy Series, Taylor and Francis Group/CRC Press.

Harry Efstathiadis Ph.D. is an Associate Professor at the College of Nanoscale Science & Engineering (CNSE) at the University at Albany - State University of New York (SUNY). Over the past 15+ years Dr. Efstathiadis' research has focused on science and technology of photovoltaics, thermoelectrics, thin film development, nanostructures and devices. He is experienced in characterization of thin film surfaces, interfaces and optical, electrical and chemical properties of materials by optical-, electron-, ion- and x-ray spectroscopies and electrical measurements. The last 10+ years, he has worked and interacted with several industrial partners. His work objectives were to enable technology and commercialization acceleration through research, development, integration, deployment of emerging nanoscale innovations in renewable energy related applications. Dr Efstathiadis worked with the industrial partners funded this work to scale up the developed research activities and to transfer part of these R&D activities to from university laboratories into the market place through the development of commercial products by the industrial partners. Dr. Efstathiadis research is focused in thin film process development of nc-Si, a-Si:H, poly-Si and Cu(In, Ga)Se2 using vacuum and non-vacuum deposition methods, vacuum deposition system design, chemical bath deposition of ZnS and CdS and deposition of metal contacts, multilayer structures, antireflective and barrier layers such as oxides and nitrides on glass and flexible metal substrates. His expertise includes CIGS- and Si-based PV device fabrication and testing.

Salahuddin Qazi received his PhD in electrical engineering from the University of Technology, Loughborough, England and his BS in electronic engineering from the University College of Wales, Bangor, United Kingdom. He is currently a full professor in the School of Information Systems and Engineering Technology at the State University of New York Institute of Technology, Utica, New York. Dr. Qazi has been a chair and coordinator of several programs including electrical engineering technology, photonics and graduate programs in advanced technology, which he helped to develop. He has worked, conducted research and taught in the United Kingdom and theMiddle East before coming to the United States. Dr. Qazi won several research awards and grants to conduct research and has published several articles and book chapters in the area of fiber-doped amplifiers, wireless security, optical wireless communications and microelectromechanial system (MEMS)-based wireless and optical communications.