Since 1975, when Sunlight to Electricity was first published, changes in public awareness of energy issues, the price of energy, governmental policies toward energy development, and technical progress in solar-cell manufacture have been dramatic. The author has revised this book accordingly, providing a new forecast for the development of the solar cell business into the 21st century. In six chapters the book covers: Energy usage in the United States; Solar energy as a resource; Principles of photovoltaic energy conversion; State of the art in photovoltaic conversion technology; Projected development in photovoltaic solar conversion systems; and Business opportunities in photovoltaic energy conversion. Numerous references to papers, articles, or statements to government departments are provided throughout. Sunlight to Electricity is the only source of information on the solar cell business which combines the analyses of energy demand and supply, sunlight availability in relation to needs, market as a function of price, and technological forecasts to yield a complete technically-based business analysis for deciding whether to invest in the solar cell business. It provides a fundamental grounding in why solar cells work and why they offer a viable alternative energy source for the future. The last six or seven years, constituting the recent solar cell business history, are analyzed by classical techniques to aid in projecting opportunities for the future.
