Welcome to the course in

Photovoltaic Systems. This course is the first part of two courses in

Photovoltaic Systems. The second course will be
launched in the middle of 2021. My name is Peter Poulsen. I'm leader of the Applied
Photovoltaics team at the Department of
Photonics Engineering at the Technical University
of Denmark, DTU. Here we do research in
photovoltaic systems, building integrated
photovoltaics, and product integrated
photovoltaics. Furthermore, we run a study
line in solar energy, where we teaching
these subjects at DTU. In this course and the second course
launch later this year, we have extracted all the
main learning components necessary to understand and dimension
photovoltaic systems. In this course, my team
will teach you about the photovoltaic systems through five modules of
videos and exercises. In the first module,
you will learn about the Fundamentals
of Photovoltaics, the terminology of photovoltaics, a brief history of
the technology, and how it has developed
since its discovery. In the second module, you will learn about
the solar research, first with an
introduction to the sun, it's electromagnetic spectrum, the components of
the solar radiation, and a facility tour at our solar resources measurement
facility at our department. We will end with an example of estimating the power
production of a PV system. In the third module will go into the nitty-gritty of
physics of solar cells. Firstly, with an introduction to semiconductors and
physics, the formation of solids and
electronic bands structures, light absorption and a
photovoltaic effect, recombination and transport
of charge carriers, doping of semiconductors,
pn-junctions, and lastly the working
principle of solar cells. Hereafter, we will look into IV-curves and equivalent
circuit models. You will get an introduction
to the IV-curve, learning about the
maximum PowerPoint, and the non-ideal Diode equation. In Module 4, you will learn
about interconnections
and module design. Firstly, by learning about series and parallel connections, by
understanding electrical
cell interconnection, mismatch loss and bypass
diodes, and module shading. Furthermore, you will learn about modular design and
fabrication for lectures on the module components and the module
fabrication process, module design guidelines and qualification tests,
and furthermore, the consequences of cell cutting and an introduction to the
advanced module design. You will also be shown a video of the full process
of fabricating and testing a PV module in our PV mission lab facility
at the department. In Module 5, you will learn about the PV power electronics
and system components used in a PV system. Extracting energy from the
solar cells is done by PV power electronics loading the solar panels in
an optimal position. You will learn about
DC-DC converters, inverters, and how to interface
to the electrical grid. The module ends with lectures on balance
of system components, where you learn about electrical, and mechanical balance of
system components and
mounting systems. The course is heavily inspired
by an excellent book and photovoltaics called
Photovoltaics Fundamentals, Technology, and Practice, Second Edition by Konrad
Mertens. If you wanted to go deeper into the individual subjects
of the course, it's highly recommended that
you get a copy of the book. Though it's not mandatory to be able to follow the
course. Me and my team look forward
to join you on your journey to mastery of the topics
of photovoltaic systems.