PHYS 4400,
Principles and Varieties of Solar Energy
Spring 2015, Course Information
Instructor: Randy Ellingson
PHYS 4400 Introduction, Syllabus, and General Information (updated February 13, 2015)
Class Schedule:
Lecture: Tuesday, Thursday 12:30 - 1:45 pm, in R1 2360.
Late Policy: Complete the assigned homework on time; the instructor reserves the right to deduct points for homework submitted late: 10% if late, then 10% additional for each day late.
Final Exam: Tuesday May 5, 12:30 - 2:30 pm
Lectures (schedule subject to change):
January 13, 15: Energy Introduction
January 20: Light and Photons, The Sun
January 22: Sunlight
AM0 Spectrum - complete (ASTM E-490 interpolated at 1 nm intervals: 999,881 points to ~1000 microns) -- Note, file size is very large, ~18 Mb.
AM0 Spectrum - abbreviated (ASTM E-490 at 1 nm intervals: 6000 points, to 6118.5 nm)
AM1.5G Spectrum (ASTM G-173 at 1 nm intervals, from 280 to 4000 nm)
January 27: Integrating the Solar Spectrum [ download file: 20150122_AM0_AM1.5_spectra.pxp ]
January 29: Integrating the Solar Spectrum (continued); Energy Flow and Conversion
February 3: Energy and the Environment; Quiz #1
February 5: Photosynthesis; Biomass and Biofuels
February 10: Solar Thermal Energy
February 12: "Photosynthesis", guest lecture by Scott Heckathorn, UT Environmental Sciences: Physics and Astronomy Colloquium (4:00 pm, McMaster Hall 1005)
February 17: Solar Thermal Energy (cont.), and Wind Energy
February 19: Real-Life Experience with a Residential Solar Power System (guest lecture, Brooks Martner, Lafayette, CO)
February 24: Introduction to Photovoltaics
February 26: Introduction to Photovoltaics (cont.)
March 3: Introduction to Semiconductor Physics; Quiz #2
March 5: Introduction to Semiconductor Physics (cont.)
March 17: Introduction to Semiconductor Physics (cont.)
March 19: Heterojunctions in PV Devices
March 24: Heterojunctions in PV Devices (cont.)
March 26: Heterojunctions Part 2
March 31: Crystalline Silicon Solar Cells
April 2: Crystalline Si (continued)
April 7: Thin Film Photovoltaics
April 9: Thin Film PV (cont.); Quiz #3
April 14: Nanostructured Materials for PV
April 16: Concentrator PV
April 21: Discussion of module characteristics (no slides)
April 23: PV Economics
April 28: PV System Proposal (UT Health Science Campus) - no slides
April 30: Review
May 5: Final Exam, 12:30 - 2:30, R1 Building, Room 2360
Quizzes
Quiz #1 - February 3, 2015
Quiz #2 - March 3, 2015
Quiz #3 - April 7, 2015