Introduction to Solar Energy
This online engineering PDH interactive presentation provides an overview of the basic principles of solar electromagnetic radiation, and presents the fundamental solar parameters and the different methods for calculating them.
Solar energy travels from the sun to the earth in the form of electromagnetic radiation. In this presentation, properties of electromagnetic radiation will be discussed and basic calculations for electromagnetic radiation will be described. Several solar position parameters will also be discussed along with means of calculating values for them.
Extraterrestrial solar radiation and means of estimating its value at a given location and time will be presented. Finally, three websites from which solar irradiance data can be obtained will be presented and discussed, including description of how to obtain solar irradiance data for a location of interest and examples of data retrieval for a city or cities from each of the websites. Numerous examples are included to illustrate the calculations and data retrieval methods.
This 1 PDH online course is intended for mechanical, electrical, chemical and energy engineers and architects who are interested in learning more about the renewable energy field.
This continuing education interactive presentation is intended to provide you with the following specific knowledge and skills:
- Familiarizing with the different types of electromagnetic radiation
- Knowing how to calculate the wavelength and frequency for a specified electromagnetic radiation
- Knowing the meaning of absorbance, reflectance and transmittance as applied to a surface receiving electromagnetic radiation
- Learning how to obtain and calculate values for solar declination, solar hour angle, solar altitude angle, sunrise and sunset angle
- Understanding the major methods by which solar radiation is converted into other useable forms of energy
- Knowing how to use websites to obtain values of relevant solar parameters at a specified location in the United States or anywhere around the world
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