First quarter wrap-up
The first quarter is starting to approach the end; the following is a list of some of the topics that were covered during this quarter.
1. Anatomy of a solar cell – the electron flow provides the current, and the cell’s electric field causes a voltage. With both current and voltage, we have electrical power.
2. Basic structure of a generic silicon photovoltaic (PV) cell
a. Single-crystal silicon
b. Polycrystalline silicon
3. Alternative energy vocabulary list.
4. Calculating payback for a photovoltaic system
5. Energy loss in a solar cell.
6. How do solar panels work?
7. Types of panels
a. Monocrystalline silicon panels
b. Polycrystalline silicon panels
c. String ribbon or thin-layer silicon panels
d. amorphous silicon panels or thin film
8. Enhanced panels
a. building-integrated PV panels
b. concentrator systems
c. high-efficiency multijunction devices
9. Typical costs for photovoltaic solar systems
The aforementioned areas shall be expanded on during the 2nd, 3rd and 4th quarter classes. In addition to expanding the subject matter, we will complete the construction of the second solar lab structure and install the solar panels, batteries and solar panel mounting racks.
