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A solar panel is a device that converts sunlight into electricity by using photovoltaic (PV) cells. PV cells are made of materials that generate electrons when exposed to light. The electrons flow through a circuit and produce direct current (DC) electricity, which can be used to power various devices or be stored in batteries. Solar panels are also known as solar cell panels, solar electric panels, or PV modules. Solar panels are usually arranged in groups called arrays or systems. A photovoltaic system consists of one or more solar panels, an inverter that converts DC electricity to alternating current (AC) electricity, and sometimes other components such as controllers, meters, and trackers. A photovoltaic system can be used to provide electricity for off-grid applications, such as remote homes or cabins, or to feed electricity back into the grid and earn credits or payments from the utility company. This is called a grid-connected photovoltaic system. Some advantages of solar p

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Photovoltaics (PV) is the conversion of light into electricity using semiconducting materials that exhibit the photovoltaic effect, a phenomenon studied in physics, photochemistry, and electrochemis

Photovoltaic system

A photovoltaic system, also PV system or solar power system, is an electric power system designed to supply usable solar power by means of photovoltaics. It consists of an arrangement of several com

MICRO-565: Fundamentals & processes for photovoltaic devices

The objective of this lecture is to give an in-depth understanding of the physics and manufacturing processes of photovoltaic solar cells and related devices (photodetectors, photoconductors). The principle and techniques addressed in this lecture will be useful in a wide range of related fields.

ME-460: Renewable energy (for ME)

The students assess and compare all renewable energy resources, their real potentials, limitations and best applications (energy services). Solar thermal, solar electric, wood, bioliquids, biogas, hydropower incl. tidal and wave power, wind, geothermal incl. heat pumps and buildings.

EE-584: Spacecraft design and system engineering

The main objective of the course is to introduce the concept of space system design and engineering. The course will describe the various subsystems involved in the design of a satellite. It will also describe the techniques of systems engineering that are used to obtain a coherent satellite design.

Massive 3D models and physical data for building simulation at the urban scale

José Ramón Vazquez Canteli

In a time when governments are pursuing increasingly ambitious energy efficiency goals, building energy simulation at the urban scale, combined with the high availability of physical data, can help in performing this task. The purpose of this study is to describe the methodology used to create a geometrical 3D and physical model for the city of Geneva, and to analyze the energy-saving potential of several refurbishment measures, including the installation of more solar PV panels, for different climatic scenarios. Different sources of data are used to build a PostgreSQL database with the physical and geometrical characteristics of the buildings. The virtual models are simulated with CitySim, a program that estimates the energy demand for heating, cooling, and lighting of every building on an hourly basis. The models include, but are not limited to, the shadowing effect among the buildings, the passive solar gains through glazing, the internal gains due to occupants’ activities, the solar reflectance and infrared emissivity of the surfaces, and the materials that provide the buildings with insulation from the outdoors. This research will also provide some results that can be used by the municipal authorities of Geneva as a reference to quantify the decrease of the energy demand that they can expect to achieve in the next years.

2016

Contributing to the Quality of PV Solar Modules in West Africa

In this work, we present the set up of a testing facility for photovoltaic (PV) modules and other PV system components in Dakar, Senegal. This creation is the result of a collaboration between the Polytechnic Schools of Dakar (ESP) and Lausanne (EPFL) aiming at improving the quality of PV systems by selecting components with sufficient quality. This testing center should also contribute to the education of all actors involved in the PV sector and contribute to research activities on the aging and failure mode analysis of PV modules exposed to sub-Saharian climates such as the hot semiarid climate of Dakar region but also those of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) region, including Senegal.

WIP GmbH2019

Spatial dispersion of photovoltaic panels in Switzerland and effect on electricity production

Sonia Joëlle Dupuis

This semester project looked at the effect of snow cover on productivity of solar panels in alpine areas. Snow is highly reflective and increases the irradiance that reaches PV panels from the ground, notably in winter when demand is high and production is low. To illustrate this effect on a concrete example this study computes the hourly production profile of two very different installation scenarios for PV panels in Switzerland over three years; an urban one and an alpine one. Our results show that in regions with extended periods of snow cover the winter production can be 10% higher without sacrifices on the annual total production. This helps significantly in reducing the energy gap mentioned above; annual required import can be lowered by 10%-20% and forced export due to overproduction during summer months reduces to less than half.

2017