Energy from the desert: very large scale photovoltaic systems: socio-economic, f Komoto, Keiichi

Includes bibliographical references and index.

The world's deserts are sufficiently large that, in theory, covering a fraction of their landmass with PV systems could generate many times the current primary global energy supply. The book examines the socio-economic, environmental and financial issues surrounding the use of Very Large Scale Photovoltaic (VLS-PV). It provides detailed coverage of technology and financing options (including recent and future trends in PV technology), potential social benefits such as desalination and agricultural development, and environmental and ecological impacts of systems and how these can be monitored, illustrated by case studies from the Sahara and Gobi Deserts. The concluding section consists of a road map outlining the options and opportunities for future implementation of VLS-PV.