This book provides a concise overview of the physical basics of different forms of renewable energy (water, waves, wind, solar, thermal, geothermal, biofuels), focusing on the physical limits for the efficiency and energy densities of different current technologies. It also discusses relevant aspects of materials science, physical chemistry, and biophysics. The book is based on the lecture notes of a course taught at TU München to undergraduate and graduate students of Applied Physics and related engineering disciplines. It provides material that can be taught in a one-semester course with 4 hours per week and includes a self-test section to enable students to check their understanding.
About the Author: Martin Stutzmann is Professor at the Technical University of Munich. His education was:
- Habilitation, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Germany, 1990
- Ph.D. in Physics, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Germany, 1983
- Diploma in Physics, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Germany, 1982
- 1980 Licence de Physique, University Paris VII, France.
His professional experience includes:
- 2009-2012 Dean, Physics Department, TUM
- 2000-2002 Dean of Studies, Physics Department, TUM
- 1993-2022 Chair for Experimental Semiconductor Physics, Walter Schottky Institute, TUM
- 1985-1993 Permanent Member of Research Staff, Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research, Stuttgart - 1983-1985 Postdoc, Xerox Palo Alto Research Center, USA
- 1982-1983 Research Scholar, Stanford University, USA.
His scientific interests cover:
- Epitaxy of wide bandgap semiconductors (III-nitride and II-VI-oxide thin films and nanowires)
- Sustainable materials for photovoltaics and thermoelectrics
- Hybrid organic/inorganic semiconductor systems
- Electronic and optical properties of semiconductors
- Advanced spin resonance techniques for defect spectroscopy and quantum computation
- Carbon-based bioelectronics
- Novel applications of semiconductors for sensors, biosensors, and photo-catalysis. He received the following awards/honors and external offers:
- 1976 Fellow, Studienstiftung des Deutschen Volkes
- 1988 Walter Schottky Prize, German Physical Society
- 1999 Sir Nevill Mott Lecture, Int. Conf. Amorphous and Microcryst. Semiconductors
- 2001 call as Director, Institute of Photovoltaics, Research Center Jülich, and Chair for Photovoltaics, RWTH Aachen, Germany - 2004 call as Senior Kodosky Constellation Chair, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, New York, USA
- 2006 Fellow, American Physical Society
- 2015 Werner Heisenberg Medal of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation for the Promotion of International Scientific Collaborations
- 2017 Chair Professor, Soochow University, Suzhou, China.
He has been Inventor and Co-inventor in 21 patents.
His publication record includes more than 750 papers with an overall number of citations in peer-reviewed journals of 30.000. His current Hirsch index is h=80 (WoS).
Christoph Csoklich is a young scientist and holds a Ph.D. degree from ETH Zurich.
His professional experience includes:
- 2022 scientist, Paul Scherrer Institute, Switzerland - 2018-2021 research scholar, Paul Scherrer Institute, Switzerland
- 2016 Potentiostat development with Prof. Linhardt, TU Wien, Austria
- 2010 Internship in sustainable architecture and construction at GrAT, TU Wien, Austria
His education is:
- 2022 Ph.D. in Chemistry, Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich, Switzerland - 2016 M.Sc. in Physics, TUM, Germany
- 2015 B.Sc. in Physics, Technische Universität Wien, Austria
His scientific interests concern:
- Functional materials for PEFC gas diffusion layers
- Catalysts for the OER in fuel cells and catalyst activity determination
- Electrochemical energy conversion and storage systems
- Energy and heat storage systems
- Power grid operation and energy market.
