Seminar: PHYS 199 Winter 2010  Solar Lab: Photovoltaic Cells
Suggested Schedule.  Subject to change

 

Week

Topic

Lead Lecturer

1

Jan 6

  • Solar radiation basics
    • Structure and schedule for class/goals
    • Nature of solar radiation/waves/ particles
    • Photoelectric Effect

Stanley Micklavzina

2

Jan 13

  • Electric Circuits Lab Session
    • Voltage: Electrical Pressure
    • Current: Moving charges
    • Meters
    • OhmÕs Law

Stanley Micklavzina

3

Jan 20

  • Photovoltaic basics
    • Battery
    • How a solar cell works
    • Characteristics of a solar cell
    • Solar Cell as a ÒbatteryÓ

Stanley Micklavzina

4

Jan 27

  • PV lab I
    • Short Circuit Current
    • Open circuit Voltage
    • Resistive Load

Stanley Micklavzina

5

Feb 3

  • Tour of the Solar awning outside 361 Onyx and solar monitoring lab on roof of Pacific Hall
    • Array characteristics
    • Inverters
    • Shading
    • Light shelf
    • Reflection of light

Frank Vignola

Director Solar Energy Center

6

Feb 10

  • PV Lab 2
    • Resistive Load
    • Spectrum dependence

Stanley Micklavzina

7

Feb 17

  • PV Lab 3
    • Angle and Shading Dependence
    • Heat dependence

Raghu Parthasarathy

8

Feb 24

  • Working PV System
    • Solar Panels
    • Inverters
    • Efficiency

Stanley Micklavzina

9

March 3

  • Tour of material science labs involved in thin film research
    • Discussion of tour
    • What new solar cell technologies are being researched in labs

Mark Lonegan

10

March 10

  • Future of photovoltaics
    • Review the status of photovoltaics
    • Discussion of solar cells of the future

Stanley Micklavzina Guest Sopeaker