ECE 414A
Photovoltaic Solar Energy Systems
Required course: No
Course Level
Units
Instructor(s)
Prerequisite(s)
Course Texts
Recommended Texts:
- Solar Energy, Arno Smets, et al,,UIT, ISBN 978 1 906860 73 8 (free e-book).
- Photovoltaics: Fundamentals, Technology, and Practice, Konrad Mertens, Wiley, ISBN 978-1-118-63416-5 (2014).
- Applied Photovoltaics 2nd Ed., S.R. Wenham, M. A. Green, M. E. Watt, and R. Corkish, Earthscan, ISBN-13 978-84407-401-3 (2007). (Not Required).
- The Physics of Solar Cells, by Jenny Nelson, Imperial College Press, 2006.
- Physics of Solar Cells,2nd Ed., Peter Wurfel, Wiley-VCH, ISBN: 978-3-527-40857-6 (2009).
Schedule
Course Description
Specific Course Information:
2021-2022 Catalog Data: Computer architecture is the science and art of selecting and interconnecting hardware components to create a computer that meets functional, performance and cost goals. This course qualitatively and quantitatively examines computer design trade-offs and teaches the fundamentals of computer architecture and organization, including CPU, memory, registers, arithmetic unit, control unit, and input/output components. Topics include a reduced instruction set computer architectures (RISC), using the MIPS central processor as an example, the interface between assembly and high-level programming constructs and hardware, instruction and memory cache systems, performance evaluation, benchmarks, and use of the SPIM/WinDLX/Verilog Simulators for the MIPS architecture. ECE 369A serves students in two ways. For those who will continue in computer architecture, it lays the foundation of state-of-the-art techniques implemented in current and future high-performance computing platforms. For those students not continuing in computer architecture, it gives an overview of the kind of techniques used in today's microprocessors.
Learning Outcomes
Outcomes of Instruction: By the end of this course the student will be able to:
- Compute basic solar irradiance characteristics;
- Understand circuit properties of photovoltaic cells;
- Understand the physical parameters of solar cell operation;
- Understand the properties of solar cells and modules and the basic design properties affecting their performance;
- Design a photovoltaic system to meet specific requirements;
- Have a basic understanding of thin film and multi-junction PV cells and;
- Have a basic understanding of solar concentrators.
Course Topics
Brief list of topics to be covered:
- Introduction: Energy needs of the planet/US; Energy available from solar radiation; Greenhouse effect; Different types of PV systems; examples from manufacturers; CdTe; CIGS; Si, a-Si, organic PV, concentrator systems; Basic properties of solar radiation – sun movement, AM1.5; Spectrum; Problems with PV energy systems – efficiency, intermittency, storage;
- Economics and metrics of PV systems: Cost of different energy sources; Cost per area; $/Wp;Performance ratio; Normalized performance metric;Levelized cost of energy (LCOE); Feed in tariffs (FITs); Energy payback time (EPBT);
- Radiometric properties of solar radiation (3 lectures): Spectral content of solar illumination; Air mass conditions; solar constant; Radiometric parameters – measuring illumination on a collector; Black body characteristics; Modeling the sun as a blackbody;
- Limits to solar energy conversion: Thermal equilibrium considerations; Carnot efficiency, Landsberg, and Black Body limit;
- PV cell operating characteristics;
- PV Cell Physics;
- PV Cell Design;
- Modules and arrays;
- System design issues;
- Solar concentrators and concentrator systems;
- Testing and characterization Methods;
- Thin Film Materials: Amorphous silicon; CIGS; CdTe; Light trapping techniques and structures;
- Storage Systems: Batteries; Hydrogen production systems; Compressed gas storage systems;
- Third generation systems and future prospects: Plasmonic enhancement of PV cell energy yield; Refinement of silicon processing; Optical techniques to increase PV system energy yield.
Relationship to Student Outcomes
ECE 414A contributes directly to the following specific electrical and computer engineering student outcomes of the ECE department:
1. An ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics.
2. An ability to apply engineering design to produce solutions that meet specified needs with consideration of public health, safety, and welfare, as well as global, cultural, social, environmental, and economic factors.
6. An ability to develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions.
7. An ability to acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies.