Undergraduate Course: Solar Energy Conversion 5 (ELEE11085)
Course Outline
| School | School of Engineering |
College | College of Science and Engineering |
| Course type | Standard |
Availability | Available to all students |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Year 5 Undergraduate) |
Credits | 10 |
| Home subject area | Electronics |
Other subject area | None |
| Course website |
None |
Taught in Gaelic? | No |
| Course description | This course presents and assesses the fundamentals of solar energy conversion. It starts with a discussion of the resource and the mechanisms of its propagation through the atmosphere up to the point of conversion. It then discusses the various conversion processes (solar heating/cooling, concentrated thermal power generation and the photovoltaic phenomenon). The state-of-the-art of each of these technologies is then discussed, including their market and economic aspects. The course includes a project, for which the students undertake the design and dimensioning of a solar energy conversion system. |
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
|
Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
| Additional Costs | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | Any visiting student registering to this course should possess the following:
- Solid understanding of electrical engineering principles
- Competency in Power Systems
- Competency in Power Electronics
- Basic understanding in thermal processes. |
| Displayed in Visiting Students Prospectus? | No |
Course Delivery Information
|
| Delivery period: 2013/14 Semester 2, Available to all students (SV1)
|
Learn enabled: Yes |
Quota: None |
|
Web Timetable |
Web Timetable |
| Course Start Date |
13/01/2014 |
| Breakdown of Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
100
(
Lecture Hours 22,
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 10,
Summative Assessment Hours 2,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 2,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
64 )
|
| Additional Notes |
|
| Breakdown of Assessment Methods (Further Info) |
Written Exam
80 %,
Coursework
20 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
|
| Exam Information |
| Exam Diet |
Paper Name |
Hours & Minutes |
|
| Main Exam Diet S2 (April/May) | | 2:00 | |
Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, students will be able to:
- understand the nature of the solar energy resource;
- appreciate the mechanisms and the technologies of solar energy conversion including passive and active solar heating, concentrated solar thermal power generation and photovoltaics;
- appreciate the market dynamics and the economics of solar energy;
- complete a simple dimensioning and design project for a solar thermal and/or photovoltaic system. |
Assessment Information
| Assignment (20%) Final Exam (80%) |
Special Arrangements
A design assignment will be partially completed using software such as RetScreen (freely available, Windows only).
This course is only available to students of the MEng Electrical Engineering with Renewable Energy and MEng Mechanical Engineering with Renewable Energy programmes.
The course is also available to students of the MSc Sustainable Energy Systems programme under the name ¿Solar Energy & Photovoltaic Systems¿. |
Additional Information
| Academic description |
Not entered |
| Syllabus |
Topics covered:
- The sun and the solar spectrum
- Effects of Earth¿s atmosphere, orbit and rotation on insolation at ground level
- Solar space heating and cooling
- Solar water heating systems
- Solar thermal power generation
- Semiconductors for photovoltaics
- Power electronics for photovoltaics
- Grid-connected PV systems
- Isolated PV systems & storage
- Economics and externalities of solar energy conversion
- Network integration ¿ standards, codes and practice
- Network integration ¿ distributed generation impacts |
| Transferable skills |
Not entered |
| Reading list |
Kalogirou, S. A. Solar Energy Engineering: Processes and Systems, Academic Press, 2009, ISBN-10: 0123745012
Messenger, R. A., Ventre, J., Photovoltaic Systems Engineering, 2nd ed., CRC Press, 2003, ISBN-10: 0849317932
Brownson, J. R. S., Solar Energy Conversion Systems, Academic Press Inc., ISBN-10: 0123970210
Goswami, D. Y., Kreith, F., Kreider, J. F., Principles of Solar Engineering, CRC Press, 2000, ISBN-10: 1560327146
Foster, R., Ghassemi, M., Cota, A., Solar Energy: Renewable Energy and the Environment, CRC Press, 2009, ISBN-10: 1420075667
Boyle, G. Renewable Energy, 2nd ed., OUP Oxford, 2004, ISBN-10: 0199261784 |
| Study Abroad |
Not entered |
| Study Pattern |
2 lectures and one tutorial per week plus 4 workshops during the final 4 weeks of the semester. A design assignment to be submitted towards the end of the semester. |
| Keywords | Solar Energy, Solar Power, Photovoltaics |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Aristides Kiprakis
Tel: (0131 6)50 5586
Email: Aristides.Kiprakis@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Mrs Sharon Potter
Tel: (0131 6)51 7079
Email: Sharon.Potter@ed.ac.uk |
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