WINNER OF THE 2018 BRAGE PRIZE '[T]his lovely book. An enjoyable sweep through topics ranging from respiration to space exploration -solid science presented in an engagingly human way' Andrew Crumey, author of The Great Chain of Unbeing 'Perfect popular science . . . not just a well-written story about the elements, but a book about being human in the world today' Asmund H. Eikenes, author of Splash: A History of Our Bodies We all know that we depend on elements for survival - from oxygen in the air we breathe to carbon in the molecular structures of all living things. But we seldom appreciate how, say, phosphorus holds our DNA together or how potassium powers our optic nerves enabling us to see. Physicist and award-winning author Anja Royne takes us on an astonishing journey through chemistry and physics, introducing the building blocks from which we humans - and everything else in the world - are made. Not only does Royne explain why our bodies need iron, phosphorus, silicon, potassium and many more elements in just the right amounts in order to function, she also shows us where in the world these precious elements are found (some of them in limited and quickly depleting quantities). Royne helps us understand how precariously balanced our lives - and ways of living - really are, and to appreciate little known and generally unsung heroes of the periodic table in an entirely new light.

Photovoltaic cells under concentrated illumination experience a high heat load which must be dissipated efficiently in order to maintain a low cell temperature. Tower and dish solar concentrators typically use arrays of densely packed cells where all of the heat must be removed in the direction normal to the surface. This book identifies jet impingement cooling as a promising technology for this type of configuration. A prototype cooling device is manufactured and the heat transfer and flow characteristics of this device are tested in the laboratory. Correlations for average heat transfer coefficient and pressure drop are established and combined to form a model for required pumping power at a given average heat transfer coefficient. This model is used to make general predictions for the optimal cooling device configuration and to propose an optimising design procedure. Combining this model with a model for PV output as a function of temperature gives the optimal system operating range. The effect of a nonuniform heat transfer coefficient distribution on single and interconnected PV cells is investigated and found to be minor.