Rising energy costs and increasing environmental concerns have led to a focus on improving the efficiency of lighting systems. This book was edited by an expert in the field—Koshel is an adjunct professor at the University of Arizona Optical Sciences Center and vice-president of a consulting firm. It covers theoretical and practical aspects of illumination engineering based on nonimaging optics, which is useful for improving the efficiency of light collection for energy generation (solar energy) and the efficiency of light use. The first part is highly mathematical, dealing with the concept of entendue, the theoretical limit for illumination efficiency. In subsequent chapters, the concept is applied to several related illumination fields. This leads to some duplicated information, partly because each chapter is intended to be self-contained. Each chapter includes an extensive list of references and all charts and figures are in color. There also is a brief but useful index, as well as a glossary of terms and notations, indexed by chapter. Aside from illumination engineers, the book could be useful for graduate electrical or optical engineering students.
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