Physics fields with relevance for energy technologies - Solar energy

Kurzfassung

There are many images of science and the activities of scientists. Some would imply that science will eventually reach the limits of knowledge while others create an expectation of endless horizons. Some people would believe that science has or will provide the answers to key open questions that lie ahead, while others experience fear regarding its development. In this book, we will look at all these aspects, going from particles, via atoms, cells, stars, galaxies, our place in the universe, to explore what makes us, human beings, really unique in nature: our ability to imagine and shape the future by making use of the scientific method. The book is an EPS action designed to address the social dimension of science and the grand challenges in physics that will bring radical change to developed societies, raise standards of living at the global scale, and provide basic understanding of nature on the horizon 2050.