Edited by a leading solar expert, The Solar Century provides a groundbreaking vision of a sun-powered world. The first definitive book on the subject, it covers everything from how ancient societies viewed the sun through to present-day panels thin enough to be delivered by the roll . Presented in stunning full-colour throughout, The Solar Century showcases solar applications from the household scale through to great public architecture; from solar as a force for good in developing countries through to giant mirror-based solar thermal stations that could be positioned in deserts and hooked up to electricity grids thousands of miles away with DC cables. The book also debunks many myths about solar such as the idea that it and other renewable energies will always need fossil-fuel stations on standby.Essential reading for anyone interested in science, energy and the future of our planet.

Author Biography

Jeremy Leggett is one of the world's foremost experts on renewable power, energy policy and climate change. He worked as an oil geologist before become an environmental campaigner for Greenpeace. A prominent commentator around the world, Jeremy is executive chairman of the UK's leading solar company, founding director of the world's first private equity fund for renewable energy, and author of Half Gone: Oil, Gas, Hot Air and the Global Energy Crisis (titled Empty Tankin the US).