The Use of Solar Photovoltaics in Transportation
This online engineering PDH course identifies the areas of transportation practice which may benefit from the use of photovoltaic electricity (PV).
The use of PV for transportation will become especially important as the U.S. transportation system becomes increasingly electrified and less dependent on fossil fuels and internal combustion engines. Technologies that enable wide-scale managed and coordinated vehicle battery charging show special promise for plug-in electric vehicles. When using hydrogen produced via water electrolysis powered by PV, fuel-cell electric vehicles have near-zero life cycle emissions. This form of “green hydrogen” is becoming increasingly cost-competitive as the price of wind and PV electricity continues to decline.
For rail, air, and maritime transportation, the feasibility of increased PV use varies in the near term; opportunities for synergies with solar include the electrification of rail, increased reliability from airport microgrids, and switching from heavy fuel oil to clean maritime electro-fuels made from PV-based hydrogen. Over the longer term, battery swap stations for electric airplanes and the co-location of solar with hydrogen fueling stations at shipping ports may enable greater synergies between PV and transportation.
This 3 PDH online course is applicable to some energy, transportation, mechanical engineers and professionals who are interested in applications of solar photovoltaics in transportation.
This PE continuing education course is intended to provide you with the following specific knowledge and skills:
- Familiarizing with the principles of managing the grid, including charging protocols, high charge-rate infrastructure, and time-of-use rates
- Determining end of life impacts such as re-using vehicle batteries for stationary grid applications
- Characterizing beyond the grid applications, including on-vehicle PV, PV parking canopies, and dedicated PV electrolyzer plants
- Analyzing hydrogen transport and distribution challenges
- Viewing hydrogen production and storage as a general means of energy storage
- Knowing that airports have substantial land and roof space for PV applications
- Understanding maritime applications such as solar to fuel and solar shore power
Upon successful completion of the quiz, print your Certificate of Completion instantly. (Note: if you are paying by check or money order, you will be able to print it after we receive your payment.) For your convenience, we will also email it to you. Please note that you can log in to your account at any time to access and print your Certificate of Completion.