KEYNOTE SPEAKER

Present-Day Solar Energy Applications and Some Intriguing Prospects

Prof. William S. Duff
Colorado State University, USA

Abstract

Radiation from the sun is a viable replacement or supplement for many different forms of the energy we make use of in our daily lives. Some of the more viable end uses of solar energy include electric power generated by solar cells or by large thermal generation plants, heating of residential or commercial buildings, hot water supply to residences or industrial processes, cooling of buildings, refrigeration, disinfection or detoxification of water supplies and heat for industrial and agricultural processes. These applications and the suitable ways of converting solar energy in each case will be discussed along with some intriguing prospects for solar energy use over the next ten to twenty years, some of which may have a substantial impact on our present societal structures.