Solar Energy Sciences and Engineering Applications

Solar energy is available all over the world in different intensities. Theoretically, the solar energy available on the surface of the earth is enough to support the energy requirements of the complete planet. However, in reality, progress and development of solar science and technology depends to a large extend on human desires and needs. This is due to the various barriers to overcome and to deal with the economics of practical utilization of solar energy.

The book will introduce the rapid development and progress in the field of solar energy applications for science and technology: the advancement in the field of biological & chemical processes; electricity production; mechanical & building operations enhanced by solar energy.

The book covers bio-fuel, enzymes and other biological processes related to solar energy; chemical processes for the production of hydrogen from water and natural gas and other endothermic processes using solar energy; the development of the thermo-electric production through solar energy; the development of solar ponds for electric energy production; the mechanical operation with solar energy; the building operation with solar energy optimization.

The book is an invaluable resource for scientists who need the scientific and technological knowledge of the wide coverage of solar energy sciences and engineering applications. This will further encourage researchers, scientists, engineers, and students to stimulate the use of solar energy as an alternative energy source.

Napoleon Enteria, originally from the Philippines is now a Researcher of the Graduate School of Engineering, Tohoku University, Japan for the Industry-Academia-Government Collaboration. He is doing research in collaboration with different Japanese universities and companies with the prime support of the Japanese Government agencies in the area of solar energy, HVAC systems and building sciences. In addition, he is providing technical and scientific advice for graduate and undergraduate students. He was a Scientist of the newly founded Solar Energy Research Institute of Singapore as a component of the National University of Singapore performing collaborative research with the Fraunhofer Institute of Solar Energy Systems in Germany, a German company and with the Department of Mechanical Engineering of the National University of Singapore in the field of solar thermal energy, HVAC system and membrane heat exchanger supported by the Singaporean Government agency during his stay in Singapore. Before going to Singapore, he was a Global Center of Excellence Researcher in the Wind Engineering Research Center of Tokyo Polytechnic University doing research in natural ventilation and air-conditioning system in collaboration with Japanese universities, companies and the Global Center of Excellence Program of the Japan Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. In addition, he was a guiding instructor to two undergraduate students for theses research.
He has authored several scientific papers in books, review journals, research journals and conference proceedings. He has presented and submitted dozens of technical reports for collaborative projects with companies. He is regularly invited as reviewer for several international journals in the field of air handling systems, energy systems and building environment. On occasion he was invited to review research funding applications and give technical and scientific comments in international scientific activities. He is a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), International Solar Energy Society (ISES), and an associate member of the International Institute of Refrigeration (IIR).
In the Philippines, he founded a start-up company named Enteria Grun Energietechnik to promote the research, technology development and awareness of alternative air-conditioning systems, building envelopes, building environment and utilization of alternative energy sources for the Philippine tropical climate. He got his Doctor of Philosophy (2009) in Engineering specializing in the Building Thermal Engineering at the Tohoku University, Japan as Japanese Government Scholar; his Master of Science (2003) and Bachelor of Science (2000) in the field of Mechanical Engineering from the Mindanao State University at Iligan Institute of Technology, Philippines as Philippine Government Scholar.

Aliakbar Akbarzadeh was born in Iran in 1944. He received his B.Sc. degree in Mechanical Engineering from Tehran University in 1966. In 1972, he obtained his M.Sc. and in 1975 his Ph.D., also in Mechanical Engineering and both from University of Wyoming in USA. From 1975 to 1980 he was an Associate Professor and also the Head of Mechanical Engineering Department at Shiraz University in Shiraz, Iran. Later he worked at the University of Melbourne as a Research Fellow (1980 - 1986), primarily doing research on applications of solar energy as well as energy conservation opportunities in thermodynamic systems. Since June 1986, Aliakbar has been working as an academic at RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia. During this period he also worked as a visiting fellow for half a year at the Nuclear Engineering Department of The University of California at Berkeley, where he did research on passive cooling of nuclear reactors through computer modelling as well as experimental simulations. At present Aliakbar is a Professor in the School of Aerospace, Mec