Course: REEC 120 Sustainability and Renewable Energy

Unit 6 Overview

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Highlights of this week’s Live Seminar
There are three types of PV modules: Monocrystalline, Polycrystalline, and Thin Film.
These are types of cells that are made with silicon that convert solar energy into electrical energy.

 | Cells are the basic building blocks. They are installed into modules that then can be used to harness energy.
 | Modules are wired into a panel, which is a group of modules forming a larger system.
 | Sometimes multiple panels will be combined to form a large system, called an array.
 | Solar thermal systems are more tolerant of design, within reason, but solar PV systems are very critical when it comes to layout and siting.
 | The principle of the photovoltaic effect was discovered by Edmond Becquerel in 1839, well before President Lincoln was 30.