Universidad de Jaén

Subject: FUNDAMENTALS OF SOLAR PV

1   Introduction (one week)

1.1        General Introduction to the Course

1.2        Energy Conversion

1.3        Photovoltaics Introduction

1.4        History of Solar Energy

1.5        Solar Light

2   Working principle of a semiconductor based solar cell (two week)

2.1        How to Transform Light into Electricity

2.2        Band Gap -Electrons in Atoms & Molecular Bonds

2.3        Charge CarrierExcitation

2.4        Transport of Charge carriers

2.5        Semiconductor Junction - The Solar Cell

3   Solar cell operation, performance and design rules(three weeks)

3.1        Solar Cell Operation. The J-V curve

3.2        The External Parameters of an Ideal Solar Cell

3.3        The Series and Shunt Resistance

3.4        Design Rules -Utilization of Band Gap Energy, The External Quantum Efficiency,The Shockley-Queisser-limit

3.5        Light Trapping

4   Introduction to PV systems: components,  concepts, applications and design (one week)

4.1        PV Systems Introduction

4.2        PV Modules I-Module parameters, orientation and tilt, Temperature dependency of PV output

4.3        Maximum Power Tracking (MPPT)

4.4        Standalone PV Systems

4.5         Grid Connected PV Systems

5      Experimental characterisation & Simulation Tools (one week)

5.1         Experimental measure of the J-V curve of a solar cell

5.2         Outdoor characterisation of a PV module.

5.3         Free simulation solar software (eg. PVGIS JRC-EC)

Methodology

I) The course will run for eight weeks distributed as follows:

- Six weeks with large group classes, of four hours a week, with the following structure:

• 1.5 hours of exhibitions or class presentations, PowerPoint type, to develop the content of the subject.
• 1.5 hours of performing numerical exercises
• One hour of debate and discussion on a topic related to the course content.

- A week devoted to experimental work in small groups with:

• Two hours of laboratory  and outdoor measurements
• Two hours of practical use of simulation software in computer lab

- A week, with a four-hour session, for the presentation of the work done by the students.

II) It will be available, in advance, at the virtual teachingplatform of the subject:(http://dv.ujaen.es/docencia/goto_docencia_crs_616169.html)

• Slides of the lessons
• The proposal of numerical exercises
• Documentation for debate & discussion topics
• Instructions for performing the simulation & experimental practices
• Instructions and suggested topics for conducting student works

III) The overall self-work of the students to achieve the learning objectives of the course include the following activities:

- Theoretical study of the lessons through the documentation provided (class presentations) and recommended bibliography.

- Performing the numerical exercises.

- Carrying out the experimental practices and report thereof.

- Development of a work of a single topic with two possibilities:

        Preparation of a monograph on it(text and presentation) or

        Review of the monograph made by other student.

You can get samples of teaching material in:

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/sdh2jtnd40jnlf8/AABco60K60i-VezmgyeFsJ_sa

Students with special educational needs should contact the Student Attention Service (Servicio de Atención y Ayudas al Estudiante) in order to receive the appropriate academic support

The assessment of knowledge and student work in this course will be made by three methods:

1 -. Through the completion by the student of a monograph on a topic related to this course and its oral presentation in class.The objectives of this test are:
a) increase student culture on topics related to the subject;
b) To the students get use to the literature search andscientific and technical information, and
c) Increase the student's ability to perform a self-learnin gand oral presentations. (Weight 15%)

2 - Through the realization of experimental practices and/or simulation. To set the theoretical concepts, taking contact with the complexity of the experimental measurements and the actual devices. (Weight 20%)

3 - Through a written test with theoretical questions and numerical exercises to demonstrate acquired knowledge and mastery of techniques for applying thereof. (Weight 65%)