About this Course
Solar Energy System Design builds upon the introduction to PV systems from Solar Energy Basics course, which included basic system components and functions, as well as some basic system sizing using simplifying assumptions. You should at this point have a basic understanding of electrical power and energy, be able to calculate the energy needs of a site as well as energy production potential for a PV system at a given location under optimal conditions. Much of this course will focus on incorporating on the ground conditions into energy production considerations, and how to account for these conditions in system design and equipment selection. By the end of this course you should be able to incorporate losses in irradiance due to array setups with less than optimal positioning and/or shading, and account for variations in module output due to temperature variations in your system design
What You'll Learn
- Calculate energy needs and design systems accordingly
- Integrate ground conditions and irradiance effects in design
- Address losses due to suboptimal panel positioning
- Select equipment based on environmental and thermal analysis
Prerequisites
- Completion of Solar Energy Basics course
- Basic spreadsheet skills
Instructors
Neal Abrams
Associate Professor