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Learner Reviews & Feedback for Photovoltaic solar energy by École Polytechnique

4.2
stars
465 ratings

About the Course

The course is an introduction to the photovoltaic (PV) applications in the general mix energetic context dominated by climate warming mitigation. The various uses of solar energy are firstly presented before a short description of the principle of the direct solar photon conversion into electricity (PV). The various PV technologies are reviewed in the current context dominated by crystalline silicon cells. The perspectives of the various technologies are then analysed in terms of R&D investments. From a more scientific point of view the basis of the solar cell operation is presented from the solar spectrum characteristics. The fundamentals of PV conversion are summarized. In particular the various sources of the conversion efficiency limitations are reviewed. The solar PV systems, from cells to grids, are also addressed, with a particular emphasis on the challenges of grid-integration of PV and the development of storage technologies. The environmental and social impacts of PV are compared to the competing energy sources. Generally PV is at advantage as referred to other fossil or renewable sources. Finally the fast evolution of economics and financing of PV is presented together with the current key players, mostly Asian companies....

Top reviews

YZ

Apr 17, 2020

Very good overview of solar energy and practical knowledge .

also a lot of details on how the technology works.

I am glad that i completed the course

XH

Oct 7, 2019

Great class ! Gave a high level about the photovoltaic but also a lot of details and calculation on how the technology works ! Highly recommend !

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51 - 75 of 136 Reviews for Photovoltaic solar energy

By Monjurul I

Jul 3, 2020

Very informative.

By Sahli H

May 17, 2020

thank you corsera

By Ravi N

May 13, 2020

Very good course.

By WILLINGTON V H

May 21, 2023

excelente curso.

By Thangaraju D

Sep 18, 2020

nice explanation

By Syed M A

May 12, 2020

Best ever course

By Abhishek R A R

Mar 23, 2018

Excellent Course

By Manuel F D L H C

Aug 20, 2021

Excelente curso

By Gibran D d M L

Oct 24, 2018

every good

By manish v

Jul 22, 2020

excellent

By Aayush T

Nov 13, 2018

Amazing

By Davi B

Oct 16, 2020

10/10

By Santhosh J

Dec 18, 2023

Good

By Harini B

Jun 29, 2020

Good

By MD. R A

May 7, 2019

5*

By Stephane V

Nov 19, 2019

Learned a lot in a very short time.

One speaker has an extremely strong accent, sometimes hard to understand. The subtitles are unfortunately captured from the audio and not the text, therefore they have some mistakes or holes in them.

Some courses are too fast and forget to define some terms, which makes understanding the first time around not always straight forward. However having to find out the missing info and explanation is also a good learning opportunity.

The exercise are very worthwhile as they help tremendously in the understanding. The quizzes are sometimes surprisingly tricky.

By ORCENA, A M (

Nov 5, 2020

I am interested in solar energy, and this course have discussed it in-depth. I was having a hard time in some questions because some are not included in their lessons. The transcript and the subtitles need a little improvement because some are not exact words of the instructor, some are in delay, and some words spoken are labelled 'inaudible'. Overall, I am satisfied with this course since this is my first time. I am looking forward for the growth of photovoltaic solar energy in the future and I am also open for other renewable energy sources, but this in particular is what I fancy.

By laurence d

Feb 24, 2020

The course is of great quality. I guess we need a minimum of electricity understanding to well understand or get the information fast, but ono the side studies can help reach the required level. Despite the great support of videos, I however found that there is no improvement or staff suppport and some exercices still have some typing mistakes which is quite confusing, I would have hoped to get more support from the mediators.

By Marc-stephan Z

Aug 22, 2019

This course is an excellent introduction to PV energy. The academic explanations are very clear and complete. At the same time, the worked problems and the exercice allow to really test the of the course and to applicate them in a concrete way. I think there is a mistake in the statement of an exercice (quizz 2 week 2), this has frustated me and I spent several hours to finally succeed in this exercice.

By Richard K

Mar 31, 2021

Interesting overview. I was expecting a bit more on off-grid systems, and how to optimize panel orientation for a given location, but it opens the view of several very important aspects that have to be taken into account when evaluating PV as a potential solution and to compare it to other energy sources in a very short time. Side note: Text transcripts could be improved.

By Larry D

May 8, 2022

Interesting and informative however not focused just on photovoltaic solar energy, does not cover construction or installation of panels/arrays/farms or various options for installation. Some quiz questions require pointless memorization or open video approach, though some were very helpful and applicable in the future. thank you for putting this together.

By José G d C A

Mar 25, 2018

Great course, with really important information, but lacks pdf material to consult and moderators on discussion forums, This last point is particularly important because some Quiz questions aren't perfectly understandable... But the community has been comprehensive and helps you finishing this course.

By Tep P

Jan 18, 2019

This course provides me a practical knowledge on photovoltaic system. Global perspective on energy production is briefly introduced. Participant should have a basic to pass this course. To sum up, i like this course.

By Samajge S S

May 25, 2020

This course gave me a quite brief idea about photovoltaic solar cell. The content of this course is totally upto mark and quite useful for understanding concept of solar energy.

By Shayan U

Apr 28, 2020

The course was outstanding, I have learnt a lot of things in the course. The only issue I had face during the course was the instructor accent difficult to understand