Abstract
Renewable energy systems, such as photovoltaic (PV) systems, still require a great deal of research and development in order to improve efficiency, reduce overall manufacturing costs, and to become more sustainable in the future. Solar power production using PV modules has increased and is currently one of the fastest growing energy technologies worldwide, leading to speculation that it will be the main source of electrical power in future. This on-going research and implementation of PV modules and systems necessitates the effective training of technicians, technologists and engineers required to install, maintain or interface with these systems. The Department for Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering at the Central University of Technology, Free State (CUT) in South Africa has implemented a Higher Certificate in Renewable Energy Technologies (HCRET) in January 2014. The purpose of this article is to outline a practical innovative jig that was used to stimulate awareness and understanding of the fundamental operating principles of one specific sustainable technology, namely PV modules. Electronic measurements from this innovative jig are obtained by using an ARDUINO UNO board which interfaces with LabVIEW. Student perceptions of using this innovative jig are further presented, which indicate that the practical experiments were satisfying, challenging, relevant and applicable to PV module operation.
Highlights
Introduction“A man who has never gone to school may steal from a freight car; but if he has a university education, he may steal the whole railroad” [1]
Renewable energy systems, such as photovoltaic (PV) systems, still require a great deal of research and development in order to improve efficiency, reduce overall manufacturing costs, and to become more sustainable in the future
The voltage from the potential divider circuit is read by the analogue input pin, A0, of the ARDUINO UNO board and passed onto LabVIEW, where it is interpreted and displayed as the tilt angle
Summary
“A man who has never gone to school may steal from a freight car; but if he has a university education, he may steal the whole railroad” [1]. Freshman students who enter the engineering profession with the desire to become trained technicians, technologists or engineers must be encouraged to engage in life-long learning, especially with regard to the on-going design and development of more efficient PV modules in order to promote sustainability for future generations. The purpose of this article is to outline a practical innovative jig and its related practical experiments, which were developed to assist freshman engineering students to better grasp the operating principles of photovoltaic (PV) modules in order to promote this sustainable technology. These students engage with inductive, sequential, active and visual learning as they manipulate specific parameters and visually observe the associated effects. Student perceptions of using this innovative jig are given followed by succinct conclusions
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