The earth surface receives more energy from sunlight in just one hour than the total energy utilized by mankind in entire year. The fossil-fuel based energy resources combined with all but solar renewable energy resources are de facto undersized before solar energy resource. Solar energy has served mankind since ages by providing heat for cooking and heating, wind for transportation on rivers and seas and power for grinding or pumping water. Solar energy utilization does not release any pollutants related to energy raw materials and is free of any charge. The volume 5 has a fine collection of articles to help the readers catch up with the latest developments made in the field of solar engineering. The temptation in compiling and finalizing this volume was to concentrate on solar engineering applications rather than the fundamentals of solar engineering given otherwise in most text books on renewable energy. The topics covered in this volume include: o Classification of solar radiation estimation techniques o Some solar energy technologies and applications o Parabolic trough solar technology o Thermal analysis of solar pond and solar still o Systems and materials for thermal storage of solar energy o Review of materials used in various solar thermal appliances o Review of mature solar thermal power stations o Techno economic assessment of integrated solar combined cycle power plants o Solar updraft power plants o Exchange of energy between the sun and outer space o Sunspaces (passive solar systems) o Thermo-fluid dynamic behavior of a district heating system in Brazil o Hybrid liquid desiccant air conditioning systems in survey o Heat transfer modelling of planetary rotary coolers o Ecological criteria for optimization of solar architecture The volume 5 contains 15 chapters from 35 researchers and/or academicians representing 13 nations, namely Algeria, Brazil, China, Ethiopia, France, India, Iran, Italy, Malaysia, Republic of Korea, Romania, Serbia and Spain giving an overview of the various research activities being carried out in different parts of the world in the field of Solar Engineering.
