
Explore the fundamentals and practical design of solar pv systems, from photovoltaics theory and solar radiation to modules, inverters, and installation fundamentals for industry readiness.
Learn how peak sun hours quantify solar energy using 1000 watt per square meter irradiance at standard test conditions, including direct and diffuse radiation, with a 6.4 peak hours example.
Obtain global radiation data and maps to estimate a photovoltaic plant’s yield in planning. Explore high-resolution charts and irradiance maps from satellites, stations, and simulations.
Learn how to measure solar radiation and sunlight with instruments like pi radiometer, understand direct and diffuse components, and interpret spectral information and photon flux.
Explore solar time and solar noon, and learn how local meridians, standard time zones, and longitude create a 4-minute-per-degree difference between solar and standard time within a 24-hour solar day.
Explore current-voltage and power curves for solar PV modules, including open circuit voltage, short circuit current, and maximum power point with temperature and irradiance effects.
Explore photovoltaic efficiency as the ratio of output to input, using irradiance and module area. Grasp fill factor and maximum power point, linking V_mp and I_mp to V_oc and I_sc.
Learn how module series and parallel connections shape the PV system, where series adds voltage and parallel adds current, while open circuit and short circuit behaviors inform inverter input range.
Explore voltage settings for charge controllers, including regulation max/min, hysteresis, low voltage load disconnect, equalization, and temperature compensation for safe PV charging.
Install a charge controller per manufacturer specifications, locate it near batteries to minimize voltage drop, protect from moisture and heat, and ensure proper ventilation and secure connections.
Explore switching power, conditioning, and control in modern power electronics, including dc-dc and dc-ac conversion, switching controllers, emi mitigation, and key devices like diodes, mosfets, and igbts.
Explore standalone or off grid inverters for remote power with battery backup, converting PV or battery DC to AC, and learn about grid-connected utility interactive systems with anti islanding.
Learn how earthing and grounding of PV modules and inverters connect to the building’s AC grounding under article 90.47 NASA code version 2017; no separate DC grounding is required.
Assess inverter harmonics, power factor, and total harmonic distortion, and choose units with protective features, earth leakage detection, and overload safeguards for reliable, balanced three-phase or single-phase operation.
Explore nickel-based batteries, including nickel cadmium and nickel metal hydride, their structures, chemistries, charging behavior, advantages, and environmental considerations.
Size a standalone PV battery bank for three days of autonomy by calculating required ampere-hours, configuring 12-volt batteries in 48-volt inverter setups, and balancing series-parallel connections.
Evaluate battery options by energy storage capacity, voltage, depth of discharge, charge rate, lifecycle, self-discharge, and environmental conditions; for 48-volt inverters, limit strings to four.
Explore the IEC 61427 standard for photovoltaic battery testing, including a real-life pv application protocol with shallow and high cycles, seasonal cycling, and end-of-life criteria.
Calculate the current and voltage of ten PV modules in series under standard test conditions, yielding 382 V and 8.9 A at the maximum power point.
Calculate the system open-circuit voltage for four parallel strings of ten modules, each with 41 V MPPT voltage; the result is 410 V, not 1640 V.
Determine the best PV module configuration for an 8 kW system using 400 W modules at 40 V, selecting two strings of ten to keep voltage within 250–600 V.
Learn to calculate PV cell volts from module watts and cell counts by dividing watts by cells and multiplying by the target cell count.
* This Course is systematically and ingeniously designed by a team lead by NABCEP PVIP Certified Processional to help you quickly grasp Essential and Must Learn Theory of Solar Photovoltaic, which is rarely found in other similar courses. Course includes advance Calculations which would also be helpful in preparing for industry Certifications. Course includes practice Problems which would also be helpful in building your confidence.
* See the Course detailed Introduction by the Author in 1st Lecture (Free Preview)
1) This Course shall take your knowledge and understanding to a level which shall be sufficient to understand all theory behind the Photovoltaics.
2) This Course will cover various topics related to Solar PV and Systems including Sun, Solar System, Solar Radiation, Solar Energy, PV Modules, PV Systems, Inverters, Batteries and basic Calculations as well as Components of solar pv system which are necessary to grasp the professional understanding prior to start practically designing and installing of Solar PV Systems. Efforts have been made that all such topics and questions are covered and comprehensive learning takes pace in couple of hours and references are provided to relevant NEC Code.
3) This Course comes with a nominal low price, compared to similar courses available in the market, as promotional collateral from us. Quality of the Course is promised at par with other commercially available Courses worth thousand of US$. You definitely going to Save Hundreds of Bucks.
4) This course will also help you prepare for the industry exams such NABCEP
5) Course Contents (TOC)
This Course has been divided four three main Sections.
SECTION #1: Introduction
2 INTRODUCTION TO PHOTOVOLTAICS
2.1 Photovoltaics
2.1.1 Introduction
2.1.2 Advantages
2.1.3 Disadvantages
2.2 History Of Photovoltaic Solar Cell
2.2.1 Inventions
2.2.2 Current Pv Install Base
2.3 Photovoltaic Applications
2.4 Photovoltaic Industry Stakeholders
2.5 Solar Energy Collectors
2.5.1 Solar Concentrators Or Collectors
2.5.2 Solar Thermal Energy Collectors
3 SOLAR RADIATION, ENERGY AND EARTH ROTATION
3.1 The Sun
3.2 Solar Radiation and Solar Light
3.3 Extraterrestrial Solar Radiation and Solar Constant
3.3.1 Extraterrestrial Solar Radiation
3.4 Terrestrial Solar Radiation and Air Mass
3.4.1 Atmospheric Effects
3.4.2 Global Radiation
3.4.3 Direct Radiation
3.4.4 Diffuse Radiation
3.4.5 Albedo Radiation
3.4.6 Air Mass
3.5 Peak Sun Value and Hours
3.5.1 Peak Sun Hours
3.6 Solar Irradiance and Irradiation
3.6.1 Solar Irradiance (Solar Power)
3.6.2 Solar Irradiation (Solar Energy)
3.7 Solar Radiation Data and Maps
3.7.1 Global Radiation Maps, Charts and Tables
3.8 Measuring Solar Radiation and Sunlight
3.8.1 Pyranometer
3.8.2 Pyrheliometer
3.8.3 Irradiance Meter
3.8.4 Spectral Power Density and Photon Flux
3.9 Earth Orbit and Rotation
3.9.1 Earth Orbit
3.9.2 Sun Declination
3.10 Solar Time and Equation of Time Graph
3.10.1 Solar Time
3.10.2 Solar Noon
3.10.3 Local Standard Time
3.11 Sun Path Charts and Solar Window
3.11.1 Sun Path
3.11.2 Sun Zenith, Altitude and Azimuth Angles
3.11.3 Sun Path Charts
3.11.4 Solar Window
3.12 Photovoltaic Module Azimuth and Tilt Angles
3.12.1 Photovoltaic Module Optimal Orientation
3.12.2 Non-Optimal Orientation
3.13 Solar Magnetic Declination and Tilt Angles
3.14 Power and Energy Basic Electrical Equations
4 PHOTOVOLTAIC CELLS, MODULES AND ARRAYS
4.1 Atom, Semiconductors and Band Gap
4.1.1 The Atom
4.1.2 Conductor, Insulator and Semiconductor
4.1.3 Band Gap of Conductor, Insulator and Semiconductor
4.2 Silicon Element Structure and Doping
4.2.1 Pure Silicon
4.2.2 Doping
4.3 Photovoltaic Effect and Solar Cell Working Principle
4.3.1 Photovoltaic Effect
4.3.2 p-n Junction
4.3.3 Working Principle of Solar Cell
4.4 Structure, Materials and Fabrication of a Solar Cell and Module
4.4.1 Basic Structure
4.4.2 Materials of a Solar Cell
4.4.3 Fabrication of Polycrystalline and Monocrystalline Silicon
4.4.4 Module Assembly
4.5 Current-Voltage-Power Curves of Solar PV Modules
4.5.1 Open-Circuit Voltage (Voc)
4.5.2 Short-Circuit Current (Isc)
4.5.3 Maximum Power Point (Pmpp)
4.5.4 Operating Point
4.5.5 Maximum power point tracking (MPPT)
4.5.6 Response to Irradiance
4.6 Temperature Coefficient and Calculating Voltages
4.6.1 Response to Temperature
4.6.2 Standard Test Conditions (STC)
4.6.3 Calculating Voc
4.6.4 Cell Temperature and Temperature Rise Coefficient
4.7 Efficiency and Fill Factor
4.7.1 Efficiency
4.7.2 Fill Factor
4.8 Module Series and Parallel Connections
4.9 Bypass Diodes
4.10 PV Module Labels
4.11 Test Conditions
4.11.1 Standard Test Conditions (STC)
4.11.2 Nominal Operating Conditions (NOC)
4.11.3 Standard Operating Conditions (SOC)
4.12 PV Module Standards
4.12.1 IEC 61215 Ed 2.0 – Crystalline Silicon PV Module Design Qualification and Type Approval
4.12.2 IEC61730 Ed. 2 - PV Module Safety Qualification
4.12.3 UL1703 - PV Module Safety Qualification
4.12.4 IEC 61701 – Salt Mist Corrosion Type Test Approval
4.13 Bonus Lecture: Calculating Battery Bank and PV System Size
SECTION #5: Charge Controllers
5.1 Introduction
5.2 Charge Controller Functions
5.3 Types of Charge Controller
5.4 Voltage Settings of Charge Controller
5.5 Selection Parameters of a Charge Controller
5.6 Installation of a Charge Controller
SECTION #6: Solar Inverter: Types and Selection
6.1 Introduction
6.2 AC, DC and Quality of Power -1
6.3 AC, DC and Quality of Power -2
6.4 Switching, Power Conditioning and Control -1
6.5 Switching, Power Conditioning and Control -2
6.6 Types of Solar Inverters -1
6.7 Types of Solar Inverters -2
6.8 Earthing & Grounding
6.9 Selection Parameters of Inverter -1
6.10 Selection Parameters of Inverter -2
6.11 Selection Parameters of Inverter -3
6.12 Selection Parameters of Inverter -4
SECTION#7: BATTERIES
7.1 Introduction
7.2 Characteristics and Parameters of a Battery
7.3 Types of Batteries
7.4 Calculating Battery Bank Size
7.5 Selection Parameters of a Battery
7.6 Operation and Installation of a Battery
7.7 Battery Standards
SECTION #8: ELECTRICAL CONCEPTS, COMPONENTS AND BASIC CALCULATIONS IN SOLAR PV SYSTEM
8.1 Power Equations Basics
8.2 Single, Split and Three Phase Circuits
8.3 Types of Solar PV Systems
8.4 Basic Calculation in Solar PV Systems
8.5 Types of Conductors and Characteristics
8.6 Types of Common Raceways
8.7 Misc Elements and Components - Design and Installation Considerations
8.9 Grounding and Bonding
8.10 Reading an Solar PV Schematic
SECTION #9:
Question 1: Calculating PV Current Voltage
Question 2: Calculating AC Power Output of a PV System
Question 3: Calculating least Amount of Modules in a PV System
Question 4: Finding MPPT Voltage of a System
Question 5: Finding PV Maximum Size
Question 6 : Calculating Minimum No of Modules in a PV System
Question 7 -10: Sizing Batteries and PV System
Question 11 : Calculate System Power given Irradiance, PV Modules Nos and Efficiency
Question 12 : Calculate System Power given rated nominal power PV Modules
Question 13 : Finding best configuration or combination of PV Modules given System Parameters
Question 14 : Calculating Power of the System given two similar Systems parameters
Question 15 : Calculating No. of Batteries given Battery Specs and Load
RESOURCES
List of Applicable Standards
Technical Articles to Understand Solar PV
Field Inspection Guideline