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Introduction to Photovoltaics

Author(s): John R. Balfour, PhD
Details:
  • ISBN-13: 9781449624736
  • Paperback    218 pages      © 2013
Price: International Sales $64.95 US List
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Overview

Part of the Art and Science of Photovoltaics Series

The photovoltaic (PV) industry has seen recent unprecedented growth in interest around the world. Many see this clean and abundant technology as the perfect power of the future. Written for those new to the industry, Introduction to Photovoltaics provides readers with an overview of PV principles and concepts and lays the groundwork for future study. With a focus on the fundamentals, this text highlights the components, system types, business aspects, and the future of this advancing industry. It provides readers with a solid foundation for continuing a PV-related career.

Key Features:

  • Each chapter opens with a clear set of concepts and goals outlining the expectations of the section.
  • Tech Tips offer helpful tips from industry experts.
  • Bold-faced key terms highlight important industry terminology.
  • Bulleted lists throughout the text break content into manageable sections, allowing readers to retain the information at hand and understand relationships.
  • Sidebars and marginal notes offer additional PV-industry information.
  • The end-of-chapter Assessment allows students to test their understanding of key material discussed in the chapter.

See detailed descriptions of the comprehensive instructor resources under the Key Features tab.
Instructor Resources are available for download from the Resources tab below.

About the Series:
The Photovoltaics (PV) industry stands on the brink of a revolution. The appeal of a new and growing industry has brought an influx of new PV professionals to the market, but the availability of educational resources has not kept pace with market demands. This gap has led to serious quality and performance issues that the industry will need to face in the decades ahead.
The Art and Science of Photovoltaics series was developed to fill this education gap. Each book in the series goes beyond simple systematic processes by tackling performance challenges using a systems perspective. Readers do not learn PV design and installation steps in a vacuum; instead they gain the knowledge and expertise to understand interrelationships and discover new ways to improve their own systems and positively contribute to the industry.

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Instructor Resources

  • Lesson Plan - contains weekly topics and objectives, suggested readings, lecture outlines, in-class activities, assignments, and assessments. These lesson plans engage your students through hands on activities and classroom discussions. Each lesson plan also contains a summary of additional classroom resources such as supplemental texts, PowerPoints, and worksheets.
  • Sample Syllabus - instructors can fully customize to fit course needs.
  • PowerPoint Lecture Outlines -  these are used to leverage learning by taking instructors step-by-step through each class, intergrading activities, assignments, and discussion questions along the way. The PowerPoints contain rich and informative pictures of PV components, designs, and installations. They also contain instructor notes and icebreakers.
  • Test Bank - contains test banks for midterms and finals.
  • Learning Objective Checklist - these checklists are a list of essential knowledge that students must obtain to pass master the learning objectives withe the text. Labs can be easily set up and administered using these checklists.

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ShowTable of Contents

Chapter  1  Introduction to Solar Energy Technologies
Chapter  2  The Sun: Our Solar Resource
Chapter  3  Solar Energy Fundamentals
Chapter  4  System Types
Chapter  5  PV Panels and Arrays
Chapter  6  Inverters
Chapter  7  Intro Energy Storage Systems
Chapter  8  Balance of Systems
Chapter  9  The Business of PV and Economics
Chapter  10  Future of Photovoltaics
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ShowAbout the Author(s)

John R. Balfour, PhD

John Balfour, BS, MEP, Ph.D., LEED Accredited Professional

John Balfour is the founder of PerfectPower, Inc. Widely acknowledged as a premier leader in the solar industry, he has consulted with government agencies, the Photovoltaic Test Lab (PLT), residential and commercial developers, and numerous customers on product design, evaluation and performance under his alter ego The Energy Doctor ™.

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