Udemy
    •  
    •  
    •  
    •  
    •  
    •  
    •  
    •  
Turn what you know into an opportunity and reach millions around the world.
Learn More
Your cart is empty.
Keep shopping
Solar Power Your Home: Safe Money, Go Green [1]
Rating: 4.6 out of 5(347 ratings)
1,197 students

Solar Power Your Home: Safe Money, Go Green [1]

[Module 1] Unlocking Solar Power: Understanding Panels & Their Potential
Last updated 11/2024
English

What you'll learn

  • Calculate your home's energy needs and size your solar panel system
  • Determine the feasibility and potential savings of solar power for your home
  • Choose the best solar panels, inverters, and mounting systems
  • The latest solar photovoltaic technologies available: PERC, HIT, All-Black, Mono & Poly Crystalline Modules
  • Understand what the optimum placement of your panels will be: Tilt Angle, Azimuth & Positioning
  • Learn about solar panel mounting: Roof/Pole/Ground Mounting
  • The efficiencies you can expect from your panels: The latest improvements, how to find the real efficiency values, and how to poke through sales pitches

Course content

2 sections23 lectures1h 52m total length
  • Welcome to the course2:04

    Start by customizing playback speed, skip optional exercises and questions, and navigate bite-sized video lectures to suit your learning pace and preferences.

  • The Semiconductor5:48

    Define photovoltaic modules and explore how semiconductors, doping, and a junction convert sunlight into current for a load. The lecture outlines four chapters: PV technologies, installation, configuration, and wiring.

  • The birth of the semiconductor
  • The Photo Voltaic Materials4:55

    Discover photovoltaic materials, from thin film to crystalline and gallium arsenide, plus multi-junction cells, and compare efficiencies up to 24, 28, 36, and 45 percent for home solar applications.

  • Thin film PV materials
  • Panel Efficiency: Module Vs Cell5:58

    Compare cell efficiency to module efficiency in crystalline solar panels, showing 28% cell efficiency yielding about 280 W, yet 220 W output due to inactive surface area.

  • Panel Efficiency: Module Vs Cell
  • Module Efficiency: Examples4:51

    Compare module efficiency and cell efficiency using two real-world examples from SunPower panel specifications, then learn to read the datasheet and compute module efficiency from panel area and irradiance.

  • The differences between PV module outputs
  • Cell Efficiency: Examples3:20

    Compare cell efficiency to module efficiency using a practical ESP series example and datasheet. Calculate module efficiency from area and irradiance, observing 17.7%, and note the 24% cell efficiency.

  • Cell Vs. Module efficiency
  • Mono Crystalline Modules: How it's made6:40

    Explore how mono crystalline silicon modules are made—from liquid silicon and seed crystals to sliced wafers—highlighting high purity and 28 percent efficiency, and distinguish mono from polycrystalline panels for shopping.

  • The not-so-square-monocrystalline-cell
  • Poly Crystalline Modules: How it's made5:11

    Examine the polycrystalline manufacturing process, from liquid silicon to square wafers, and differentiate it from monocrystalline panels in purity, appearance, and efficiency.

  • The polycrystalline boule
  • PERC Panels and their advantages4:57

    Compare mono crystalline and polycrystalline panels and their cell efficiencies. Learn how brck (best weighted emitter recontact) redirects solar leakage to boost output, and how heterojunction technology further enhances performance.

  • The perks of PERC
  • HIT Panels and their advantages4:23

    Explore heterojunction technology (hiit) and intrinsic thin layers that boost solar cell efficiency, illustrated by Panasonic's EverVolt PV 380 module with around 21% efficiency.

  • The HIT module and it's layers
  • Bifacial Solar Panels10:11

    Explain bifacial photovoltaic modules, front and rear illumination, and series or parallel connections, with specs noting 35% more energy per watt and 22.5% efficiency under STC and BSD.

  • The bifacial PV module
  • Half Cut Solar Technology 1OF25:48

    Learn how half-cut photovoltaic modules split cells into half, wiring them in series and parallel to boost performance and minimize shading, with bypass diodes protecting two-column sections.

  • The full cell PV module
  • Half Cut Solar Technology 2OF27:41

    Explore half-cut solar modules that split cells into parallel sections connected in series, using bypass diodes to boost shading resilience and reduce wiring losses.

  • The advantages of the half-cut PV module
  • All Black Solar Modules 1OF24:54

    Discover how all black photovoltaic modules achieve a dark look by using monarch crystalline photovoltaic cells, a dark backing sheet, and coated interconnections, while acknowledging a slight temperature-related output trade-off.

  • The efficiency of an all black PV module
  • All Black Solar Modules 2OF23:58

    Compare a regular blue polycrystalline module with an all black polycrystalline version, highlighting dark cells and a black back sheet, with similar wiring.

  • All black and mono vs. poly silicon modules

Requirements

  • No prior knowledge required: You will learn everything you need to know.
  • This course is part of a larger set of courses for Grid Tied Solar Energy Systems: You might be interested in the other sections as well!

Description

Hello Solar Energy Enthusiast!


My goal is to make sure you will enjoy this course! Since you are reading this, it means you are looking for a reliable source of information related to grid-tied solar energy systems: Through this course, I will share with you my extensive knowledge and experience.


And lucky you! Through this course you will get a condensed version of all the fundamentals you need to be aware of. I have included several short multiple choice questions, though which you can self-test whether you have absorbed the knowledge adequately throughout the course. And to spice it up, we will also take numerous virtual excursions to websites of manufacturers of different components of your solar system. Through this approach, we makes sure that we bridge the following gaps:

  • We make sure that you get the relevant and unbiased knowledge from an experienced professional

  • You have the possibility to test your knowledge and freely browse through the content of the course as per your preferences

  • We will bridge the gap between theory & real-life examples by reviewing numerous product options which you might come across as you will be shopping for your system components

I am glad you are interested in this course: It will teach you all the relevant knowledge, without any 'fluff', and includes several brief multiple-choice questions to test your knowledge.


I have created this course for you, fueled by my academic background in Renewable Energy Engineering and extensive field experience in the design and installation of PV Energy Systems. You are getting a very good deal: I will summarize for you all that I have learned over the years, and all you have to do is push the button and starting soaking up the information. Lucky you!


During this course, we will review and learn about the following topics:

  • The Photo Voltaic [PV] effect

  • The different materials options for your Solar Panel

  • Thin film, Crystalline, Gallium Arsenide and Multi-Junction PV Modules

  • Solar Panel energy efficiencies

  • PV Cell efficiency versus PV Module efficiency [and how to avoid being fooled by sales pitches]

  • How to calculate the PV module effiency from the manufacturer's specification sheet

  • The differences between Mono Crystalline and Poly Crystalline solar panels

  • Crystalline structure manufacturing processes: Seed crystals vs poly crystalline manufacturing

  • The physical differences between Mono and Poly Crystalline PV Modules: How to differentiate between them

  • The PERC solar technology upgrade: Passivated Emitter Rear Contact

  • The HIT solar technology upgrade: Hetero Junction with Intrinsic Thin-layer

  • Bifacial solar panels: How they work and what you can gain from them

  • The Standard Test Conditions versus Bifacial Standard Test Conditions for bifacial panels

  • The Half-Cut solar cell technology: The performance gains and how they work

  • Bypass Diodes in solar panels: How they impact your solar energy production

  • Solar Junction Boxes: Their location on your PV module

  • All-Black solar panels: Their differences with regular mono-facial models

  • The performance losses related to opaque module backing sheets

  • Solar Slopes & Angles: A refresher on the orientation system of degrees

  • Longitude versus Latitude: the global positioning system and how it relates to your solar energy system

  • Optimum tilt angles for your PV module, including theoretical examples

  • The seasonal shift of the earth's axis and how it impacts your solar energy production

  • How to retrieve your exact Longitude and Latitude

  • Your Solar Azimuth and the spherical coordination system

  • How to determine your roof's azimuth based on satellite images

  • Practical examples of how to use a digital protractor tool

  • The three types of mounting systems for solar modules

  • Roof mounted systems and their main components

  • System solution examples for corrugated roof mounting systems


The main outline of this course is as follows:

PhotoVoltaic Technologies

  • The PV Effect

  • Material options

  • Improved panel technologies

  • Difference module variations

Installation of Solar Modules

  • Solar angles and module tilt

  • Array orientation and Azimuth

  • Solar Module mounting system options


Take action now! Educate yourself by staring this course, so that you will be able to make well-informed decisions for your system. TIP: Udemy offers a very generous refund policy in case the course content turns out different than expected.


See you soon!

Jesse


Jesse Gorter

Renewable an Sustainable Energy Engineer, Master of Engineering

Mechanical Engineer, Energy Technology, Bachelor of Engineering


Who this course is for:

  • Home Owners
  • Students
  • Property Managers
  • Installation Technicians
  • Design and Sales Specialists