This 1-ECTS online micro-credential from the University of Milano-Bicocca will teach you how solar energy is turned into electricity and what role it plays in the energy transition: from how a solar cell works, to the types of panels on the market and the latest research, to calculating the energy and economic return of a home system and recycling panels at end of life. You’ll also discover where photovoltaics is heading, from buildings and cities to agrivoltaics.
Lesson1. 2 hours, Photovoltaic energy in the current renewable energy scenario: state of the art and future prospects.
Lesson 2. 2 hours, How does a solar cell work? General characteristics and operating principles of photovoltaic devices.
Lesson 3. 2 hours, Types of solar cells on the market (crystalline silicon cells and thin film cells for building integration).
Lesson 4. 2 hours, New materials and new types of cells: current research lines.
Lesson 5. 2 hours, Photovoltaic modules and plants: how to quantify the energy produced by a domestic photovoltaic plant and how to calculate its economic and energy return + recycling processes of photovoltaic panels at the end of their life.
Lesson 6. 1 hour, Photovoltaics everywhere: the photovoltaics of the cities and countryside of the future: from architectural integration in buildings to the exploitation of indoor lighting up to Agrivoltaics. 1 hour, Forecast from 1 Terawatt (1000 GW) today to 70 TW of installed capacity in 2050 needed to reach the climate objectives set in the 2015 Paris agreement.
Bachelor/master degree.