EL 280 - Advanced Photovoltaic Systems

Credit Hours: 3

This course will provide an overview of battery energy storage, charge controllers, power conditioning units; generators; system design and sizing for stand-alone, bimodal, and hybrid photovoltaic systems; NEC for stand-alone, bimodal and hybrid photovoltaic applications, wire sizing, over-current protection, grounding. Experiments emphasize: proper usage of charge controllers and batteries in the PV systems; state of charge monitoring; inverters in stand-alone, bimodal, and hybrid battery-backup systems; implementation of stand-alone battery-backup PV systems. Additional and/or substitute experiments from grid-intertie, hybrid systems, and other topics as approved by the instructor.

Course Outcomes
Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

apply basic principles of photovoltaic systems to design and installation;
construct and troubleshoot photovoltaic circuits including solar modules, inverters, batteries, charge controllers, and DC/AC disconnects;
apply safety procedures applicable to PV systems;
make an effective presentation of a research or design topic; and
function effectively as a member of the technical design team.

Prerequisites: EL 230