Viorel Badescu is Professor of Engineering Thermodynamics and affiliated with Candida Oancea Institute at Polytechnic University of Bucharest, in Romani. He has contributed over 300 papers and 40 books related to various fields in science and engineering. His research interests include terrestrial and space solar energy applications, including photo-thermal energy conversion by flat plate collectors and solar power plants, the physics of radiation, photovoltaic conversion of solar energy and solar radiation properties, and solar radiation distribution and forecasting. Prof. Badescu has been associate editor or editorial member of several international journals, including Space Power, Energy, Renewable Energy, and the Journal of Energy Engineering, and acts as a reviewer for more than 50 international journals. He is a member of the Romanian Academy and various other scientific societies, and has received 4 scientific awards, including the Romanian Academy Prize for Physics in 1979.