Course Details

1. Identify the components and equipment associated with grid connected and off-grid photovoltaic systems.
2. Assess the technical characteristics of grid-connected photovoltaic system components and integrate them for small and large photovoltaic system design.
3. Assess the technical characteristics of off-grid photovoltaic system. components and integrate them for the design of off-grid photovoltaic systems.
4. Design of grid connected photovoltaic systems.
5. Design of off-grid and hybrid photovoltaic systems.

1.       Components associated with grid-connected photovoltaic systems: definitions, principles and applications of grid-connected PV systems, photovoltaic modules, grid inverters, solar cables, protective devices.

2.       Components associated with off-grid photovoltaic systems: principles and applications of off-grid PV systems, photovoltaic modules, off-grid inverters, batteries, solar charging regulators, protective devices, cabling, generators.

3.       Photovoltaic module technical characteristics: module design, module mismatch effects,by-pass diodes, temperature effects, ageing, shading, hotspots, I-Vcharacteristics, module efficiency.

4.       Invertertechnical characteristics: conformity with standards, islanding, efficiency,open circuit voltage and short circuit currents, protection, conditions forconnection and disconnection from the grid, inverter selection criteria,control of active and reactive power.

5.       Grid-connected PV system design: small scale PV systems for buildings, large scale PV systems,site survey, environmental conditions, performance ratio, considerations for proper plan, electrical circuit design, feasibility study, installation considerations, inspection requirements.

6.       Off- GridPV system design: applications, hybrid PV systems, load characteristics and maximum demand, inverter selection criteria, battery types/selection and sizing, types of solar charging regulators and selection, sizing of photovoltaic system in kWp, electrical circuit design, feasibility study,installation considerations, inspection requirements.

7.       Simulatio nof grid-connected PV systems: design and simulation for performance assessment of grid-connected PV systems using software tools.

• M. Boxwell, Solar Electricity Handbook : A Simple Practical Guide to Solar Energy - Designing and Installing Photovoltaic Solar Electric Systems, 2012 edition, Greenstream Publishing,
• Solar Energy International, Photovoltaics: Design and Installation Manual, New Society Publishers, 2004

• E. Kissell, Introduction to Solar Principles, Prentice Hall, 2012
• Soteris Kalogirou, Solar energy engineering : processes and systems, 1st ed., Academic Press, ISBN 978-0-12-374501-9, 2009
• P. Hurley, Solar II: How to Design, Build and Set Up Photovoltaic Components and Solar Electric Systems, 2012, Good Idea Creative Services, ISBN 978-0983784739, 2012
• G.N. Tiwari, Solar Energy: Fundamentals, design, modeling and applications, Narosa Publishing house, 2004

Studentsare taught the course through lectures (3 hours per week) in classrooms orlectures theatres, by means of traditional tools or using computerdemonstration.

Auditoryexercises, where examples regarding matter represented at the lectures, aresolved and further, questions related to particular open-ended topic issues arecompiled by the students and answered, during the lecture or assigned ashomework.

Topicnotes are compiled by students, during the lecture which serve to cover themain issues under consideration and can also be downloaded from the lecturer’swebpage. Students are also advised to use the subject’s textbook or referencebooks for further reading and practice in solving related exercises. Tutorialproblems are also submitted as homework and these are solved during lectures orprivately during lecturer’s office hours. Further literature search isencouraged by assigning students to identify a specific problem related to someissue, gather relevant scientific information about how others have addressedthe problem and report this information in written or orally.

Studentsare assessed continuously and their knowledge is checked through tests withtheir assessment weight, date and time being set at the beginning of thesemester via the course outline.

Studentsare prepared for final exam, by revision on the matter taught, problem solvingand concept testing and are also trained to be able to deal with timeconstraints and revision timetable.

The finalassessment of the students is formative and summative and is assured to complywith the subject’s expected learning outcomes and the quality of the course.