This is the final volume of a 3-volume history of solar power generating systems covering the approximately 50 years of research and development surrounding the energy crisis of 1973. Volume 1 focused on solar-thermal systems and the second volume on photovoltaic systems in the 20th century. Volume 3 covers photovoltaic developments from the start of the 21st century. The history is based upon keynote lectures given by international specialists at the Sede Boqer Symposia on Solar Electric Power Production, a series that commenced in 1986. The lectures document many technical details that have become hard to find, including some pertaining to technologies that were successfully demonstrated but subsequently discontinued owing to their not having been deemed to be cost-effective at the time. However, in the event that different economic considerations may ensue, these volumes can provide a valuable starting point, including references, for the re-investigation of some of those once abandoned ideas.

This is the second volume of a 3-volume history of solar power generating systems covering the approximately 50 years of research and development surrounding the energy crisis of 1973. Volume 1 covered solar-thermal systems. The present volume covers photovoltaic systems in the 20th century. Volume 3 will cover photovoltaic developments from the start of the 21st century. The history is based upon keynote lectures given by international specialists at the Sede Boqer Symposia on Solar Electric Power Production, a series that commenced in 1986. The lectures document many technical details that have become hard to find, including some pertaining to technologies that were successfully demonstrated but subsequently discontinued owing to their not having been deemed to be cost-effective at the time. However, in the event that different economic considerations may ensue, these volumes can provide a valuable starting point, including references, for the re-investigation of some of those once abandoned ideas.

This book documents the development of solar electric power plants, reviewing their status during the decade that preceded the oil crisis of 1973 and spanning the approximately 40 years that followed. Its chapters contain, in historic order, a sequence of keynote lectures by specialists, each indicating what was considered to be important at the time. The lectures include important details of some systems that were successfully demonstrated but later abandoned due to economic considerations that may not be relevant in the future.

The fourth volume in the established Energy from the Desert series examines and evaluates the potential and feasibility of Very Large Scale Photovoltaic Power Generation (VLS-PV) systems, which have capacities ranging from several megawatts to gigawatts, and to develop practical project proposals toward implementing the VLS-PV systems in the future. It comprehensively analyses all major issues involved in such large scale applications, based on the latest scientific and technological developments by means of close international co-operation with experts from different countries. From the perspective of the global energy situation, global warming, and other environmental issues, it is apparent that VLS-PV systems can: contribute substantially to global energy needs become economically and technologically feasible soon contribute significantly to global environmental protection contribute significantly to socio-economic development. This book recognises that very large scale solar electricity generation provides economic, social and environmental benefits, security of electricity supply and fair access to affordable and sustainable energy solutions and that VLS-PV systems must be one of the promising options for large-scale deployment of PV systems and renewable energy technologies.