Dear Colleagues,

Strictly speaking, all forms of energy on the earth surface are derived from the sun. There are four primary sources of energy viz. Petroleum, Natural gas and Natural-gas-liquids, Coal and Wood. These fossil fuels are receiving their solar energy input eons ago and possess the energy in a greatly concentrated form. The demand for energy is increasing rapidly, which has led to the excessive use of fossil fuels in industrial sectors. It is expected that with the increasing demand, oil consumption might reach 123 million barrels per day by the year 2025. Due to the depleting nature of the above said conventional energy sources, the world moves towards the consumption of renewable energy resources. Among the different options of renewable energy technologies, the solar energy is one of the best alternatives because of various advantages as it is abundantly available, sustainable and ecologically clean to the environmental concern. At the same time, it can be produced on a larger scale at a comparatively lower cost than other renewable energy sources.

Over the last few decades, around the world the researchers are putting their tireless effort to come up with more innovative and efficient ways to harness solar energy. Solar energy can be used in number of ways by using its heat for various thermal purposes and by converting the sunlight directly into electricity. Possible ways of harnessing solar energy may be divided into three categories which include:1. Photovoltaic cells, 2. Solar thermal technology, and 3. Passive solar heating. This section mainly focused on “Solar Thermal Applications”. The objective of this section is to publish research articles and review articles that support the theoretical and numerical advancement of "Solar Thermal Applications" , which is based on industrial and domestic requirements, given its interdisciplinary

structure and potential impact on scientific and technological development in almost all fields.

We accept your significant contributions as research articles and review articles in this field of “Solar

Thermal Applications”.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr.Murugan Manickam

Section Editor

Flat plate solar collector; Evacuated tube collector; Concentrator; Solar desalination system; Solar air heater; Solar dryer; Solar cooker; Solar thermal power system.