Solar radiation data is important for a wide range of applications, e.g. in engineering, agriculture, health sector, and in many fields of the natural sciences. A few examples showing the diversity of applications may include: architecture and building design, e.g. air conditioning and cooling systems; solar heating system design and use; solar power generation; evaporation and irrigation; calculation of water requirements for crops; monitoring plant growth and disease control; skin cancer research.

"The premise of the conference was to assess the impact and relevance of contemporary paradigms in architectural research including substantial developments in technology, public consciousness and economic pressures."--Page 4 of printed paper wrapper.

The rather specialized field of solar and infrared radiation measurements has become increasingly important due to the increased demands by the renewable energy and climate change research communities for data with higher accuracy and increased temporal and spatial resolutions. Recent advances in radiometry, measurement systems, and information dissemination also have increased the need for refreshing the literature available for this topic. This book provides the reader with an up-to-date review of the important aspects of solar and infrared radiation measurements: radiometer design; equipment installation, operation, maintenance, and calibration; data quality assessment parameters; and the knowledge necessary to properly interpret and apply the measured data to a variety of topics. Each of the authors has more than 40 years of experience with this subject, primarily as the result of developing and operating multiple measurement stations, working with the industry to improve radiometry, and conducting various research projects. The book’s scope and subject matter have been designed to help a wide audience gain a general understanding of this subject and to serve as a technical reference. A student new to the field will benefit from the review of terminology and the historical perspective for radiometry before addressing more detailed topics in radiometry that we hope will be of interest to the more experienced reader.  Describes the strengths and weaknesses of irradiance instruments  Provides detailed information on how to assess uncertainty in measurements  Offers comprehensive background information needed to understand the use of solar instrumentation  Discusses design concepts for shadowband radiometers, sky imagers, and satellite-based estimates of solar irradiance at the Earth’s surface  Includes chapter-end questions, references, and useful links

The three-volume handbook showcases the state of the art in the use of concentrated sunlight to produce electricity, industrial process heat, renewable fuels, including hydrogen and low-carbon synthesis gas, and valuable chemical commodities. The handbook illustrates the value and diversity of applications for concentrating solar power to contribute to the expanding decarbonization of multiple cross-cutting energy sectors.Volume 1: Concentrating Solar Thermal Power, provides an overview of key technologies, principles, and challenges of concentrating solar power (CSP) as well as the use of concentrating solar thermal for process heating and district markets. The ten chapters of this volume provide the reader with the technical background on the solar resource for concentrating solar thermal, the principles and design of concentrating optics, and descriptions of state-of-the-art and emerging solar collector and receiver technologies, thermal storage and thermal-to-electric conversion and power cycles for CSP. It also contains a comprehensive summary of operations and maintenance requirements for CSP plants, and commercial CSP plants and markets around the world.Volume 2, Solar Thermochemical Processes and Products, covers the use of concentrated solar radiation as the heat source to drive endothermic chemical reactions to produce renewable fuels and valuable chemical commodities, equivalently storing solar energy in chemical bonds. The thermodynamic underpinnings of a number of approaches to produce fuel and results of demonstrations of solar thermochemical reactors for these processes at prototype scale are presented. Processes presented include thermochemical metal oxide reduction/oxidation cycles to split water and carbon dioxide solar chemical looping reformation of methane to produce synthesis gas, high temperature electrochemistry, and gasification of biomass. Research on the thermochemical storage for CSP and high temperature production of cement and ammonia to illustrate the use concentrated solar energy to produce valuable chemical products are also included.Volume 3 contains reprinted archival papers to support and supplement the material in Volumes 1 and 2. These papers provide background information on the economics and alternative use cases of CSP not covered in Volume 1, and expand on the material related to the chapter topics presented in Volume 2. Potential commercialization, such as prototype and demonstration projects, are highlighted. The papers are intended as a starting point for a more in-depth study of the topics.