Reviews for Solar Engineering of Thermal Processes

The average rating for Solar Engineering of Thermal Processes based on 2 reviews is 3.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2009-10-08 00:00:00 Hunter Brown Yes, this is a textbook. It also happens to be the only textbook I've ever actually read the entirety of, so I thought I'd at least give it the dignity of a rating. I took this course at the University of Wisconsin, which is where the author is from, but he no longer taught it. Aside from everything you'd expect to see (solar radiation, collectors, energy storage, water heating, etc.), there's also a very useful chapter on economics and life-cycle cost/benefits. The book also very briefly touches on wind energy (~20 pages). It's interesting to note that there's only one chapter on photovoltaic panel design. So many people think solar energy and PV panels are synonymous, but that's far from the truth. If all you're interested in is photovoltaics, which is a mistake in my opinion, then you'll need to look elsewhere. It's a great reference, and definitely one of the few textbooks I own that I have no intention of ever selling.

Review # 2 was written on 2017-02-15 00:00:00 Patrick Hogan This book was a very fun read for me. As a plasma physicist in the fusion field, I was already familiar with the physics and very much wanted to know some of the history of the ITER project. This book is exactly the sort of book to read if you want to know the "pre-history" of the ITER project. It details the INTOR workshop only, which eventually led to the ITER project as it now stands (with plenty of years intervening). As Stacey was a major participant, he gives plenty of interesting information on how the project was begun and a couple of fun anecdotes. He does not give very much information about how magnetic fusion works, as this is primarily a history, although he gives some information now and then.