This book describes methods for adaptive control of distributed-collector solar fields: plants that collect solar energy and deliver it in thermal form. Controller design methods are presented that can overcome difficulties found in these type of plants:

• they are distributed-parameter systems, i.e., systems with dynamics that depend on space as well as time;
• their dynamics is nonlinear, with a bilinear structure;
• there is a significant level of uncertainty in plant knowledge.

Adaptive methods form the focus of the text because of the degree of...