This handy pocket reference provides a wealth of practical information relating to solar energy and solar energy technologies. Topics covered include solar radiation and its detailed measurement, the emissivity and absorption properties of materials, solar thermal energy collection and storage, photovoltaics (both at all scales), solar cooling, and the use of solar energy for desalination and drying. The book also includes conversion factors, standards and constants and is peppered throughout with helpful illustrations, equations and explanations, as well as a chapter making the business case for solar power.Anyone with an interest in solar energy, including energy professionals and consultants, engineers, architects, academic researchers and students, will find a host of answers in this book – a practical assimilation of fundamentals, data, technologies and guidelines for application.