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Syllabus
Solar Energy – Theory and Application (MT 518WS)
Course: MT 518WS

Course Objective: The course is intended for students who have interest in alternate
energy sources as a contributor to sustainability. It provides a
comprehensive treatise on the science and technology of solar
energy, its collection and the design principles that need to be
understood for its effective use in a variety of installations and uses.

At the end of the course the students should be able to: Understand
the factors that influence the use of solar radiation as an energy
source; know the various active and passive technologies that are
available for collecting solar energy; have the ability to apply design
principles to selection of an appropriate solar energy installation to
meet requirements.

Required Textbook: “Principle of Solar Engineering” by D. Yogi Goswami, Frank Kreith

and Jan F. Kreider, 2nd ed. Taylor & Francis, 2000,
ISBN-10: 1-56032-714-6, ISBN -13:978-156032-714-1.

Additional material on the subjects being discussed, is provided to

the students via PowerPoint slides.

References: “Fundamentals of Heat and Mass Transfer” by Frank P. Incropera

and David P. DeWitt, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 6th Ed., 2006

“Solar Heating and Cooling” by John F. Kreider and Frank Kreith,

2nd ed., Hemisphere Publishing Corp, 1982

“The Passive Solar Energy Book” by Edward Mazria,

Rodale Press, 1979
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“Solar Radiation Data Manual for Flat-Plate and Concentrating

Collectors” National Renewable Energy Laboratory, 1994
http://www.osti.gov/bridge/servlets/purl/10169141-YmPrJc/
webviewable/10169141.PDF
 “Modeling Daylight Availability and Irradiance Components
from Direct and Global Irradiance” by R. Perez, P. Ineichen, R.
Seals, J. Michalsky and R. Stewart, Solar Energy 44 (5) pp. 271-
289

2009 ASHRAE Handbook – Fundamentals (Inch-Pound Edition)

American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning
Engineers, Inc. (Stevens E-book on line)

“Solar Collectors: Different Types and Fields of Application”

http://www.solarserver.de/wissen/sonnenkollektoren-e.html

Methodology: Every week you should complete the following:

1. Read any announcements and follow any special instructions as

indicated in the Discussion Board – Communication Section.

2. Print out and study the Power-Point slides for that week.

3. Supplement your reading on the subject utilizing the textbook and

recommended references.

4. Complete the homework problems shown at the end of the

week’s section and e-mail to the professor.

Grading Scale: Home Work – 30%

Mid-Term Test – 30%
Final Test – 40%

Weekly Calendar:
Week starting on:
Orientation Week
Lecture 1 1
Lecture 2 2
Lecture 3 3
Lecture 4 4
Lecture 5 5
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Lecture 6 6
Mid-Term Posted 7
Lecture 7 8
Lecture 8 9
Lecture 9 10
 Lecture 10 11
Lecture 11 12
Lecture 12 13
Final Test Posted

Note: The dates shown above start and end on Eastern Standard Time (EST)

Lecture Topic Description

1 Introduction to Solar Energy  Historical Perspective

 Energy Use in the United States
 Solar Energy; Obstacles and Outlook

2 Review of Basic Heat Transfer  Conduction

Principles  Radiation
 Convection
 Combined Heat Transfer Mechanisms

3 Fundamentals of Solar  The Nature of Solar Radiation

Radiation  Radiation on Earth’s Surface
 Solar and Local Standard Time
 Isogonic Chart
 Sun Path Chart
 Variation in Insolation
 Measurement of Insolation
 Radiation on Tilted Surfaces
 Absorption, Transmission, Reflection

4 Solar Design Criteria  Site Planning

 Building Location, Shape and Orientation
 Shading Effects
 Building Heat Losses
 Heat Load Calculations
 Internal Heat Sources in Buildings
 Climate – Degree Days
 Principles of Building for Energy Conservation

5 Collectors of Solar Radiation  Types of Solar Collectors

 Flat Plate Collectors
 Liquid Collectors
 Air Collectors
 Construction
 Absorber Plate
 Cover Plate
 Enclosure / Insulation

6 Transfer and Storage of Heat
Midterm exam
7 Passive Solar Heating Systems
8 Active Solar Heating Systems
 Thermal Analysis of Flat Plate Collectors
 Collector Efficiency
• Evacuated Tube Collectors
• Concentrating Collectors
 Parabolic Dish and Trough Concentrators
 Central Receiver Collector - Power Tower
• Collector Selection
 Types of Transfer Fluids
 Water and Water/Glycol Mixtures
 Hydrocarbon Oils
 Silicone Liquids
 Heat Pipes
 Types of Thermal Energy Storage
 Sensible Heat Storage
 Water Heat Storage
 Rock Bed Storage
 Latent Heat Storage
 Solid ↔ Liquid, Liquid ↔ Vapor,
Solid ↔ Solid
 Thermo-chemical heat storage
 Decomposition of metal hydrides, oxides,
peroxides etc.
• Design of Storage System
 Selection of Storage Material
 Design of Containment
 Sizing of Storage System
 Temperature Stratification
 Choosing the Type of Passive System
 Advantages and Disadvantages of Passive Solar Systems
 Direct Gain Systems
 Solar Windows
 Indirect Gain Systems
 Masonry and Water Thermal Storage Wall
 Phase Change Energy Storage
 Attached Green House
 The Envelope House
 Sizing Thermal Storage
 Predicting Solar Heating Performance
• Space Heating
 Liquid and Air Systems
 System Design Principles
 Sizing of Collectors and Thermal Storage
• Domestic Hot Water Heating
 Thermo-siphoned and Pumped Circulation
Systems
 Domestic Hot Water Heating Loads
 Sizing of System Components
 System Installation Principles
 • Swimming Pool Heating
• Predicting Solar Heating Performance

9 Solar Cooling of Buildings  Cooling Requirements (Cooling Load Calculations )

 Absorption Refrigeration
 Rankine Cycle Refrigeration
 Heat Pumps
 Evaporation Cooling with Rock Bed Storage

10 Photovoltaics (PV)  PV Basics

 The physics behind PV
 PV Cells
 PV Materials
 Stand-alone Systems
 Systems with Battery Storage
 System with Back-up Generator Power
 System Connected to the Utility Grid
 Hybrid Systems
 System Installation
 PV Research and Development

11 Solar Energy Economics  Introduction

 Principles of Discounted Cash Flow Analysis
 Annualized Present Worth
 Capital Recovery Factor – Series of Payments
 Solar System Life Cycle Cost
 Annualized Solar Costs – Residential Applications
 Solar System Optimization

12 A Sampling of Solar Heated  Introduction

Homes in the United States  Green Building Design
 Solar Design Features
 Performance
Final exam

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Ethical Conduct:
The following statement is printed in the Stevens Graduate Catalog and applies to all students
taking Stevens courses, on and off campus.
“Cheating during in-class tests or take-home examinations or homework is, of course, illegal
and immoral. A Graduate Academic Evaluation Board exists to investigate academic
improprieties, conduct hearings, and determine any necessary actions, the term ‘academic
impropriety’ is meant to include, but is not limited to cheating on homework, during in-class or
take home examinations and plagiarism.”
Consequences of academic impropriety are severe, ranging from receiving an “F” in a course,
to a warning from the Dean of the Graduate School, which becomes a part of the permanent
student record, to expulsion.

Reference: The Graduate Student Handbook, Academic Year 2007-2008 Stevens Institute of
Technology.
Consistent with the above statements, all homework exercises, tests and exams that are
designated as individual assignments must contain the following signed statement before they
can be accepted for grading.
_______________________________________________________________________

I pledge on my honor that I have not given or received any unauthorized assistance on this
assignment / examination. I further pledge that I have not copied any material from a book,
article, the Internet or any other source except where I have expressly cited the source.

Signature______________________ Date: ____________