Welcome to the Delftx course Solar Energy.

My name is Arno Smets, and I will be your lecturer for the coming 8 weeks.
This course is a general introduction into the variety of technologies which har
vest
the energy in solar light and convert it in to electricity, heat or fuels.
In this first block, I would like to give you a short overview of the course.
The course can be divided in three major parts.
The first part, week 1 up to 3, covers the fundamental physical principles on wh
ich the
solar energy technologies are based.
The second part, week 4, 5 and 6, discusses all solar energy technologies.
The third and last part, week 7 and 8, discusses the solar energy systems.
At the end you are expected to be able to design your own solar system.
The lectures are given in short video clips of around ten minutes, like this one
.
Between all video clips, you will find many exercises.
In addition we have included more general questions, which can act as discussion
material
for the students on the course blog.
We encourage you to participate in these lively discussions.
My experience is that we can learn a lot from each other.
Last edition we had some great interaction between students on the forums.
Later in the course you will have the opportunity to share the solar energy tech
nology from
your home, neighborhood or city through pictures or selfmade youtube movies.
At the end of each of the three parts we will have a short exam, which covers th
e material
discussed in that part of the course.
This means you can do an exam at the end of week 3, 6 and 8.
Supplementary to the lectures, exercises, assignments and exams, we offer you ou
r new
educational book from the photovoltaic material & devices group at the Delft Uni
versity of
Technology - Solar Energy Fundamentals - Technology and Systems.
Now I will give a more detailed overview of the course content for each week.
In week 1, I will give you a general introduction into solar energy.
I will discuss the variety of technologies for energy conversion we are using to
day for
our energy needs.
I will try to put the role of solar energy in perspective in reference to other
energy
sources.
I will teach you the difference between photovoltaic and solar heat.
You will be introduced to the concept of photovoltaics and its related technolog
ies.
The current status and prospects of solar energy will be discussed.
In addition, I will give a quick overview of the history of solar technology.
Finally, I will finish this week by discussing some important physical propertie
s of the
energy source itself: sun light.
Week two is the most fundamental week of the course.
I will introduce you to semiconductor physics and how we use semiconductor mater
ials in
devices to directly convert solar light in to electricity.
Dont be afraid if physics is not your thing.
I am using many animations to explain the physical principles of semiconductor m
aterials
and photovoltaic devices.
In week 3 we will discuss how we determine the performance of solar cells using
the external
parameters, like open circuit voltage, short circuit current density, fill facto
r, maximum
power point and conversion efficiency.
In addition, I will discuss the general design rules for solar cells.
The basics you learn in the first three weeks form an excellent toolbox to under
stand the
various solar technologies and solar systems we introduce in the last five weeks
.
Note, that week 3 has the highest workload, so please divide your time wisely.
After week 3, you will have your first small exam based on part 1.
In week 4 we will discuss the most dominant solar cell technology, which is base
d on c-Si
wafers.
We will discuss the processing methods, the various different device concepts an
d the
challenges of the c-Si PV technology for the future.
In week 5 we will discuss the other PV technologies based on thin films.
Thin film PV technology uses less materials and is produced by cheaper processin
g methods
to further reduce the cost-price of solar energy.
In addition we discuss the concentrator multijunction solar cells, which have up
to date the highest
conversion efficiencies among all PV technologies.
In week 6 the future generation concepts are discussed which are supposed to bea
t the Shockley
Queisser efficiency limit of a single junction solar cell.
Secondly, I will introduce you to the solar heat and concentrated solar power te
chnology.
Finally, we will talk about the solar fuel technology.
Photoelectrochemical approaches will be discussed.
After week 6 we will have the second exam moment, covering weeks 4, 5 and 6.
In week 7, we start to discuss the PV system.
We will introduce you to other components of PV systems, such as batteries, inve
rtors,
maximum power point trackers, charge controllers.
In week 8, we will discuss the most popular system topologies, like off-grid sys
tems and
grid connected systems.
We will provide you the tools to be able to design any PV system on paper for an
y application.
After week 8, you will have your last exam.
One of the most beautiful aspects of this course is that solar energy is interes
ting
for people from different study backgrounds to come and learn about it.
Although this course is aimed at bachelor level students, anybody with a good gr
asp
of high school physics & mathematics, and especially an open mind can not only u
nderstand
but enjoy this course experience.
Only a very few exercise/assignment questions require basic calculus.
But dont worry, if you are not skilled in calculus, you are still able to success
fully
complete the course.
In addition, I realize that people with various backgrounds participate in this
course.
Therefore, in the first week, we start with exercises to make people familiar wi
th typical
units used during the course.
So, the course has been designed to take you through the various aspects of sola
r energy
discussed before over the 8 weeks in a gradual way.
The exercises will increase your comfort level with using basic math to understa
nd solar
energy better.
So, after this introduction, lets get started.
Solar energy technology is based on the conversion of the energy of light into e
lectricity, heat
and solar fuels.
It means we are talking about energy conversion.
We will discuss that in great detail in the next block.
See you in the next block!