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Course Catalog 2012-2013
SET-6346 Solar Power Systems, 4 cr |
Additional information
Suitable for postgraduate studies
Person responsible
Seppo Valkealahti
Lessons
| Study type | P1 | P2 | P3 | P4 | Summer | Implementations | Lecture times and places |
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Learning outcomes
Students having taken the course are able to provide a general overview on solar energy resources and on technologies to utilise solar energy in power production. Students will obtain a good general understanding on solar photovoltaic (PV) power production technologies. This will include various semiconducting PV materials, generator topologies, power grid interfacing, system installation and operation etc. Students will also achieve a basic knowledge on concentrating PV and solar thermal power production technologies. In particular, student having taken the course are able to explore solar PV power systems operating in various environmental conditions. Both the solar PV system building environment and the climatic conditions will be considered. Solar PV systems will include solar PV power plants within the power range from kW up to GW as well as building integrated PV power plants. Also basics understanding on solar PV power plants as electrical systems and their electrical safety and lightning protection will be obtained. Furthermore, students will be able to explain and argue plausibly on the forthcoming development of solar PV market and its role in power production in the future.
Content
| Content | Core content | Complementary knowledge | Specialist knowledge |
| 1. | Introduction provides a general overview on solar PV systems, Solar radiation as a source of energy and power and a brief glossary of key photovoltaic terms. | ||
| 2. | Key properties of solar radiation: What is solar radiation, solar radiation measurements, radiation on the horizontal surfaces and methods to calculate radiation on inclined surfaces. | ||
| 3. | Conversion principles of solar radiation to electrical power: Photovoltaic (PV) conversion, conversion via Carnot cycle and fundamental limitations of conversion efficiency. | ||
| 4. | PV conversion technologies: Silicon based PV cells, thin film PV cells, other PV technologies under investigation, PV modules build by using Si etc. as cell material and concentrating PV modules with GaAs cells. Also characteristic behaviour of PV cells and dependence on solar radiation intensity and temperature etc. are considered. | ||
| 5. | Solar PV power plants: From cell voltages to grid connected voltages, building systems from cells to modules and futher to string, solar generator design and operation, electrical power plant topologies, fixed installations and tracking installation. | ||
| 6. | Efficiency and losses of PV power plants: Internal losses in PV modules, losses due to external conditions and losses due to shading (shading sources, mismatch losses and losses due to failed maximum power point tracking). | ||
| 7. | Building integrated power plants including integration of PV modules to building modules and efficiency and losses due to non-ideal installations. | ||
| 8. | PV power plant safety: General electric safety instructions, personal safety against electrical accidents, basic principles of lightning protection and protection of PV installations against lightning. | ||
| 9. | Economy of solar PV power: Cost of solar energy, payback time, yield factor, achieving grid parity and it's dependence on power generation mix and on location and solar power cost in the future. |
Evaluation criteria for the course
Continuous evaluation and exam.
Assessment scale:
Numerical evaluation scale (1-5) will be used on the course
Study material
| Type | Name | Author | ISBN | URL | Edition, availability, ... | Examination material | Language |
| Book | Photovoltaics system design and practice | Heinrich Häberlin | 978-1-1199-9285-1 | English | |||
| Lecture slides | Seppo Valkealahti | English |
Prerequisites
| Course | Mandatory/Advisable | Description |
| SET-6226 Introduction to Renewable Energy Sources | Advisable | |
| SET-6236 Fundamentals of Electrical and Power Engineering | Advisable |
Prerequisite relations (Requires logging in to POP)
Correspondence of content
| Course | Corresponds course | Description |
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More precise information per implementation
| Implementation | Description | Methods of instruction | Implementation |
| Lectures Seminar work |
Contact teaching: 25 % Distance learning: 5 % Self-directed learning: 70 % |