TEK9330 – Solar Energy Systems

Course content

Thorugh the course, you will develop an understanding of the physical and technological principles of photovoltaic energy systems. The course will address the solar energy resource, and assessment and measurement techniques for the available insolation. The components in a PV system, with a particular focus on the module, will be a central topic. Design and operation of different PV systems on- and off-grid, such as BIPV, MW scale PV plants, and micro systems for developing countries, will be covered, and an introduction to cost assessments for PV systems will be given.

Learning outcome

After completing the course, you should

• be able to describe the factors that affect how much insolation a PV module receives and know the most important measurement techniques for insolation
• have in-depth knowledge of the structure of a solar module and what determines the efficiency
• have knowledge about the components and design of on-grid PV systems, building integrated PV systems and off-grid PV systems
• be able to dimension and sketch a PV system with a given electricity production
• know the most important factors that determine the cost-efficiency of a PV system and be able to perform simple cost analysis
• have an understanding of degradation mechanisms in PV panels and techniques of measurement to study these

Admission to the course

PhD candidates from the University of Oslo should apply for classes and register for examinations through Studentweb.

If a course has limited intake capacity, priority will be given to PhD candidates who follow an individual education plan where this particular course is included. Some national researchers’ schools may have specific rules for ranking applicants for courses with limited intake capacity.

PhD candidates who have been admitted to another higher education institution must apply for a position as a visiting studentwithin a given deadline.

Recommended previous knowledge

FYS1120 – Electromagnetism and/or UNIK4450 – Solar cells (continued) / TEK5310 – Solar Cells will be an advantage.

Overlapping courses

• 10 credits overlap with TEK5330 – Solar Energy Systems.
• 10 credits overlap with UNIK4830 – Solar energy systems (continued).
• 10 credits overlap with UNIK9830 – Solar energy systems (continued).
• 5 credits overlap with UNIK4460 – Photovoltaic devices, technology and system (continued).
• 5 credits overlap with UNIK9460 – Photovoltaic devices, technology and system (continued).

Teaching

3 hours of teaching per week throughout the semester.

Candidates must study in-depth at least one degradation mechanism for PV modules and present the findings in a mandatory presentation for the lecturer and other students in the course. The presentation must be approved in order to sit the exam. 

The course lectures are given at the Department of Technology Systems in Kjeller Research Park. See the schedule for the student bus from Campus Blindern.

Examination

• A final oral exam counts 100% towards the final grade.
• In case of many students, the exam may be a written exam instead.
• A mandatory presentation must be approved before you can sit the exam.

It will also be counted as 1 of the 3 attempts to sit the exam for this course if you sit the exam for the following course:

• TEK5330 – Solar Energy Systems
• UNIK4830 – Solar energy systems (continued)
• UNIK9830 – Solar energy systems (continued)

Examination support material

No examination support material is allowed.

Language of examination

Courses taught in English will only offer the exam paper in English. You may write your examination paper in Norwegian, Swedish, Danish or English.

Grading scale

Grades are awarded on a pass/fail scale. Read more about the grading system.

Resit an examination

Students who can document a valid reason for absence from the regular examination are offered a postponed examination at the beginning of the next semester.

Re-scheduled examinations are not offered to students who withdraw during, or did not pass, the original examination.

More about examinations at UiO

• Use of sources and citations
• Special exam arrangements due to individual needs
• Withdrawal from an exam
• Illness at exams / postponed exams
• Explanation of grades and appeals
• Resitting an exam
• Cheating/attempted cheating

You will find further guides and resources at the web page on examinations at UiO.