Worldwide adoption of Photovoltaic Systems continues to grow at a higher rate than any other energy source.  As a result, there is currently a shortage of engineers who are familiar with the design and operation of these systems.

 

The purpose of this 3-credit course is to introduce most of the basic topics that a PV engineer should understand in order to keep up with this rapidly-growing industry.  The mathematical foundations of various concepts are presented in detail, with the goal of assisting engineers with various backgrounds in deciding whether to extend their knowledge to PV system design. 

 

The course begins with an introduction to how PV cells work and continues with incorporating cells into modules, modules into arrays and arrays into systems.  Following are sections on site evaluation, structural and wind load calculations and electrical design calculations.  Emphasis is on residential straight grid-connected systems with no battery backup in order to provide a solid background of the design fundamentals that can then be extended to large-scale systems and systems that incorporate energy storage for backup and demand management.

Upon completion of the course, the student should understand
· How PV cells convert sunlight into electricity,

· How and why PV cells are incorporated into PV modules,

· How to evaluate the performance of systems.

· How to evaluate the suitability of a proposed site for a PV system.

· How to select an appropriate array mounting system.

· How to calculate the wind load on a rooftop PV array.

· How to determine acceptable means of fastening the array to the roof.

· How to identify the electrical code requirements of a residential PV system.

· How to design residential PV systems that use microinverters or AC modules.

· How to design residential PV systems that uses DC:DC power optimizers.