About this course: Introduction to solar cells is a course designed to be a window into the world of solar cell technologies. The course is built around three core questions: - Where can solar cells be applied and what can be done to optimize their usefulness - How can the power generated from a solar cell be used and measured - What general types of solar cells exists and how do they compare In the course you will learn about solar cell history, why we need solar energy, how solar cells produce power, and how they work. We will also talk specifically about solar cell technologies, so you will learn what the difference is between mono and multi-crystalline solar cells. What thin film solar cells are, and what new emerging technologies is being developed.
Created by: Technical University of Denmark (DTU)
Taught by: Morten Vesterager Madsen, Researcher
DTU Energy
| Level | Beginner |
| Commitment | 5 weeks of study, 2-3 hours per week |
| Language | English |
| How To Pass | Pass all graded assignments to complete the course. |
| User Ratings |
Syllabus
WEEK 1
Introduction
In this introduction module I would like to introduce you to the course its content and teaching style. I hope you will enjoy the way we have designed the course.
1 reading
- Reading: Welcome to Introduction to Solar Cells
History of solar cells
The first topic in an introduction course on solar cells is naturally a historical overview. In this module you will briefly get introduced to the history and early development of solar cells. We will also start to do some calculations of efficiency and energy output of solar cells.
2 videos, 5 readings, 3 practice quizzes
- Video: History of solar cells
- Reading: Solar cell history
- Reading: Invention of the modern solar cell
- Practice Quiz: History of solar cells
- Video: Space applications for solar cells
- Reading: Space applications
- Practice Quiz: Solar constants
- Reading: Solar cells for planetary exploration
- Practice Quiz: Deep space
- Reading: Additional resources
Graded: History
Graded: Space
Why solar energy
The most important question one can ask must be: "Why is solar energy is an important topic and why should we develop solar energy?". This module does not claim to answer that question fully, but we will summarize the strong case for renewable energy.
3 videos, 5 readings, 2 practice quizzes
- Video: Why do we need renewable energy?
- Reading: Energy sources
- Practice Quiz: Direct radiation at Earth
- Reading: Available energy
- Video: Why do we need solar energy?
- Video: Sunlight at Earth
- Reading: Sunlight at Earth
- Practice Quiz: Can solar cells cover our needs?
- Reading: Area need
- Reading: Additional resources
Graded: Energy sources
Graded: Sunlight at Earth
WEEK 2
Power from solar cells
How much power can a solar cell produce and how can we measure it? This question is the starting point for this module and we will go through the terminology, talk about light sources, and even measure a solar cell ourselves.
5 videos, 4 readings, 2 practice quizzes
- Video: Solar cell efficiency
- Video: Power from a solar cell
- Practice Quiz: Measure maximum power output
- Video: The IV curve
- Reading: Power from a solar cell
- Practice Quiz: Power from a solar cell
- Video: Measuring an IV curve
- Reading: Measuring power using an electronic load
- Video: Light sources
- Reading: Taking the sun inside
- Reading: Additional resources
Graded: Power from a solar cell
Graded: Light
Modelling a solar cell
In this module we will introduce an equivalent circuit of a solar cell and use it to explain key concepts including short circuit current, open circuit voltage, parasitic resistances, and more. We will also talk about connected solar cells, and their behavior in shaded conditions.
2 videos, 5 readings, 2 practice quizzes
- Video: Modelling a solar cell
- Reading: Modelling a solar cell
- Reading: Parasitic resistances
- Practice Quiz: Solar cell modelling
- Video: Series and parallel connections
- Reading: Series and parallel connections
- Practice Quiz: Solar cell connections
- Reading: Shadow effects
- Reading: Additional resources
Graded: Equivalent circuit
Graded: Connected solar cells
WEEK 3
How do solar cells work
In this module we will attack the topic: How do solar cells work? This module will be more theory heavy than other parts of the course, but don't worry. We will focus on the key concepts that are necessary to understand how solar cells work, and skip the math.
3 videos, 6 readings, 4 practice quizzes
- Video: How do solar cells work?
- Reading: How do solar cells work
- Video: Semiconductors
- Practice Quiz: Color response
- Reading: Semiconductors
- Practice Quiz: Semiconductors
- Reading: Light interaction
- Practice Quiz: Photon energy
- Video: The pn-junction
- Reading: Conductivity and doping
- Practice Quiz: Doping
- Reading: The p-n junction
- Reading: Additional resources
Graded: Semiconductors and doping
Graded: How do solar cells work
Efficiency of solar cells
With a knowledge of the working principles of solar cells, we are now ready to apply this knowledge to understand why there are limits to the efficiency of solar cells. We will also briefly look into loss mechanisms that limit the practical efficiency.
2 videos, 4 readings, 2 practice quizzes
- Video: How efficient can solar cells be?
- Reading: Theoretical solar cell efficiency
- Practice Quiz: Efficiency
- Reading: Tandem and multi-junction solar cells
- Practice Quiz: Theoretical efficiency
- Video: Reflection and absorption
- Reading: Reflection and absorption
- Reading: Additional resources
Graded: Efficiency
Graded: Losses
WEEK 4
Silicon solar cells
Silicon solar cells are by far the most prevalent solar cell technology. In this module we will talk about why silicon is so abundant. We will also learn how silicon solar cells are made, what differentiates multi and monocrystalline silicon, and much more.
5 videos, 7 readings, 2 practice quizzes
- Video: Silicon solar cells
- Reading: Crystalline silicon solar cells
- Video: How do silicon solar cells work
- Reading: How do silicon solar cells work
- Practice Quiz: Working principles of silicon solar cells
- Reading: Production of silicon solar cells
- Video: How are silicon solar cells made?
- Reading: From sand to high quality silicon
- Video: How are silicon solar cells fabricated
- Practice Quiz: Production
- Reading: Production of standard silicon solar cells
- Reading: Summary
- Video: Summary
- Reading: Additional resources
Graded: Silicon solar cells
Graded: Fabrication
Thin film solar cells
Moving beyond silicon solar cells, the next important development is thin film solar cells. In thin film solar cells, we see a potential solution to the major problem associated with silicon solar cells: namely energy payback time.
4 videos, 5 readings, 3 practice quizzes
- Video: Thin film solar cells
- Reading: Thin film solar cells
- Practice Quiz: Thin film
- Video: Thin film technologies
- Reading: Working principle of CIGS solar cells
- Practice Quiz: Working principle
- Video: Thin film solar cell production
- Reading: Production of CIGS solar cells
- Practice Quiz: Production
- Video: Summary
- Reading: Summary
- Reading: Additional resources
Graded: Thin film solar cells
Graded: Energy production
WEEK 5
Polymer solar cells
We will now turn to an example of a third generation solar cell technology: namely polymer solar cells. Polymer solar cells promise to solve all the problems we see with other technologies. They are cheap and fast to produce, they are non-toxic and use non-scarce materials, and they exhibit the lowest energy payback time of any technology. In this module we will learn about pros and cons of this interesting technology.
6 videos, 8 readings, 3 practice quizzes
- Video: Polymer solar cells
- Reading: What are polymer solar cells
- Video: How do polymer solar cells work
- Reading: How do polymer solar cells work
- Reading: The layer stack
- Practice Quiz: Working principles of polymer solar cells
- Video: Production of polymer solar cells
- Reading: Production of polymer solar cells
- Practice Quiz: Production
- Video: Coating techniques
- Reading: Coating techniques
- Video: Printing techniques
- Reading: Printing techniques
- Practice Quiz: Printing and coating
- Video: Summary
- Reading: Summary
- Reading: Additional resources
Graded: Polymer solar cells
Graded: Production
Solar cell technologies
In our final module of this course we will look into a selection of solar cell technologies and spend some time comparing all the different solar cell technologies.
2 videos, 4 readings, 1 practice quiz
- Video: Three generations of solar cells
- Reading: Three generations of solar cells
- Video: Emerging solar cell technologies
- Reading: Emerging solar cell technologies
- Practice Quiz: Solar cell technologies
- Reading: Comparison of solar cell technologies
- Reading: Additional resources
Graded: Solar cell technologies
Graded: Solar cells
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Technical University of Denmark (DTU)
DTU focuses on research in technical and natural sciences that contributes to the development of society. As an industrially orientated university, our goal is to supply high-level international research based on combining theory with constructing models and empirical methods.
Ratings and Reviews
Very informative!
Very informing and well explained course about basics of solar cell technologies. Best regards.
I simply loved this course. This course provides enough details for anyone to begin in the solar engineering field. Morten has provided enough additional resources for anyone to get indepth insight into various concepts.
I am a structural Engineer, and yet I was able to grasp most of the concepts provided by the instructor.
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informative , organised , light , a well- made introduction - provides an additional source - good instructors