Syllabus
PV4x Solar Energy Engineering: Photovoltaics in Microgrids
Index
1. Introduction
1.1 Course overview
1.2. Learning objectives
1.3. What we expect from you
1.4. What you can expect from us/the course team
2. Course structure
3. ID Verified
4. Assessment & deadlines
5. Resources & Tools
1. Introduction
Photovoltaic systems are often placed into a microgrid, a local electricity distribution system that is operated in a controlled way and includes both electricity users and renewable electricity generation. This course deals with DC and AC microgrids and covers a wide range of topics, from basic definitions, through modelling and control of AC and DC microgrids to the application of adaptive protection in microgrids. You will master various concepts related to microgrid technology and implementation, such as smart grid and virtual power plant, types of distribution network, markets, control strategies and components. Among the components special attention is given to operation and control of power electronics interfaces.
You will familiarize yourself with the advantages and challenges of DC microgrids, which are still in an early stage. You will have the opportunity to master the topic of microgrids through an exercise in which you will evaluate selected pilot sites where microgrids were deployed.
1.1. Course overview
This course is part of the Solar Energy Engineering MicroMasters Program designed to cover all physics and engineering aspects of photovoltaics: photovoltaic energy conversion, technologies and systems. Even though this course can be completed as a stand-alone course, you can benefit from taking PV1x, PV2x and especially PV3x prior to taking this course.
This course PV4x: Photovoltaics in Microgrids is one of the 5 courses in the MicroMasters Solar Energy Engineering. The course is designed to be completed within 11 weeks, if you devote around 10 hours per week to the course. The level of the course is graduate level and the course is English spoken.
To enjoy all the extra features opportunities offered by this course, and be able to obtain a certificate at the end, you can upgrade to the ID verified status. More information can be found in the ID-verified section of the syllabus. A Solar Energy Engineering MicroMasters Program Leaflet is also available.
1.2. Learning objectives
By the end of this course you will be able to:
- Differentiate between a microgrid and a virtual power plant, as well as active and passive distribution networks
- List various ancillary services provided by PV units within microgrids
- Apply the operation of active power control and voltage regulation to control multiple inverters including PV units and simulate local control to improve stability and power quality.
- Understand the operation of centralized, distributed, and decentralized control, considering their communication and standards implications, as well as forecasting in microgrids
- Differentiate AC, DC, and hybrid layouts and topologies of microgrids and power electronic components, and the role of power electronics converters in microgrids.
- Differentiate various protection strategies applicable in micrrgrids and determine the proper implementation of adaptive protection, and the consequences of using a fault current source or a fault current limitation.
- Understand the main motivations and challenges for the implementation of DC microgrids.
1.3. What we expect from you
As an online student we expect you to be an active participant in this course, contributing to a positive atmosphere by questioning, sharing and helping out others, engaging in meaningful discussions where knowledge construction is revealed. We encourage people to post their question or discussions related to lectures, questions and assignments in the specific Discussions you'll find each week.
Please be aware that it's extremely important to follow the forum and collaboration guidelines, to respect the course policies and academic integrity.
Regarding deadlines, we expect you to keep on track in order to benefit from learning within a community. This course is meant to be a place where you learn with and from others. In this sense, we'd like you to experience collaboration and peer-feedback, so please make sure you follow with other participants in order to enrich the overall learning experience.
1.4. What you can expect from us/the course team
The e-Moderator and Lecturers will guide you throughout the course, launching the weekly content, promoting and engaging in discussions. Guidance and support will happen on a regular basis, mainly every day.
2. Course structure
The course is organized in 5 parts, divided over 8 weeks of content, plus 3 additional weeks for the final exam and resit. A brief summary of each week is presented below, with the release date in brackets.
Getting started (February 13)
In the getting started section you’ll get to know the course structure, get familiarized with the virtual learning environment, meet your fellow students and the e-moderator. These introductory activities should be completed in the beginning of the course, before you start with week 1.
:: Part 1. Definition, Components and Layouts ::
Week 1. Definition of Microgrids (March 6)
1.1 Introduction to Microgrids
1.2 Definition of a Microgrid
1.3 Basic Concepts
Week 2. Components & Microgrid Layouts (March 13)
2.1 Components in Distribution and Transmission
2.2 Energy Storage Technologies
2.3 Optimal PV & Wind Sizing
2.4 Microgrid layouts
:: Part 2. Power Electronic Interfaces ::
Week 3. Power Electronic Interfaces in Microgrids (March 20)
3.1 Power Converters
3.2 DC Electronic Transformer
3.3 PEI's for Various Components
:: Part 3. Control::
Week 4. Intelligent Local Controllers (March 27)
4.1 Traditional Frequency Control
4.2 Local Control in Microgrids
Week 5. Control in Microgrids (April 3)
5.1 Microgrid Control
5.2 Centralized Control
5.3 Decentralized Control
5.4 Ancillary Services
:: Part 4. DC Microgrids::
Week 6. DC Microgrids (April 10)
6.1 DC Technology & Standards
6.2 DC & Hybrid Layouts
:: Part 5. Protection, Examples and Demos::
Week 7. Protection (April 17)
7.1 Protection Devices and Criteria
7.2 Protection Methods and Grounding
7.3 Faults in Microgrids
Week 8. Faults (April 24)
8.1 Examples of Microgrid Protection
8.2 Demonstration sites
Practice Exam
Week 9 - End. Exam (May 1)
Final Exam, proctored for ID verified learners.
Week 11- End. Exam Resit (May 8)
Final Exam Resit, proctored for ID verified learners.
Course End. (May 22, 23:59 UTC)
All Weekly Exercises and the Exam resit are due on this date.
3. ID verified
If you're interested in a certificate you need to pass the proctored exam. These certificates will indicate you have successfully completed the course, but will not include a specific grade. Certificates will be issued by edX under the name of DelftX, designating the institution from which the course originated.
You can get access to the proctored exam by an upgrade to a Verified Certificate. Upgrading to Verified Certificate gives you access to the ☀ MicroMasters Community, which provides several benefits during the course:
- access to the exciting Challenges, where the course team will discuss topical issues with the ☀ MicroMasters Community
- access to the proctored exam and a discussion forum for the exam
- an exclusive dedicated forum for additional support during the course.
Generating an ID verified certificate
Verified certificates will be issued a few days after the end of the course, to all participants who achieved an overall completion score of 65%. Certificates can be downloaded from your Student Dashboard (look for the Download button next to the name of our course).
Remember that in order to qualify for a certificate, you must achieve a total grade of 65% or higher (for more information please read 4. Assessment & Deadlines). An ID verified Certificate of Achievement is available for $250. You can Upgrade on your edX Dashboard to Verified during the course.
Once produced, a certificate cannot be reissued, hence it is very important that you verify the way in which your name appears. Check that your name is correctly spelled in your edx.org account, since it will appear on the final certificate.
MicroMasters Program Details
PV4x Photovoltaics in Microgrids is part of the Solar Energy Engineering MicroMasters program. You can earn the MicroMasters credential by completing and successfully earning a Verified Certificate in all 4 courses plus the Capstone project.
If you successfully earn the MicroMasters Credential and decide to apply to the Master of Science program Sustainable Energy Technology (SET) or the Master of Science program Electrical Engineering (track: Electrical Power Engineering) at TU Delft, you will need to go through the regular admission procedures for MSc students and meet the entry requirements for those MSc programs.
If you are admitted and you would like to be exempted from courses in the aforementioned MSc programs, you are required to send a formal waiver request. Campus courses that can be waived (up to 16-18 credits) are courses that are equivalent to the solar energy courses of the MSc program in question.
You can find more information about the merits of the MicroMasters programme , the MicroMasters Credential and the job outlook here.
4. ASSESSMENT & DEADLINES
In order to successfully complete the course you need to score 65% or more in the final grade. All assignments count towards the final grade. The Proctored Exam will be released after you complete the Practice Exam with a minimum score of 60%. The purpose of this requirement is to help you prepare for the Proctored Exam. The exact weight of the different assignments is as follows:
- Weekly Exercises: 10%
- System Design Assignments 10%
- Proctored Exam: 80%
The proctored exam is released in Week 9 and can be completed until the end of the course. Another opportunity to take the exam (the exam resit) will be offered in Week 10.
The course ends May 22, 2018 at 23:59 UTC. All Weekly Exercises and the Exam resit are due on this date.
5. Resources & Tools
This course makes use of the book "Solar Energy, the physics and engineering of photovoltaic conversion technologies and systems" written by the TU Delft staff from the Photovoltaic Material and Devices (PVMD) department, and published at UIT Cambridge. We are happy to announce that the e-book is available for free in the online bookstores. You can order a hard copy as well at the online retailers for typical prices ranging from $25 up to $32.
Moreover, you will find plenty of instructional videos each week. These videos (available in 360p, 720p or 1080p) including the subtitles, the transcripts and the slides used can be downloaded through the links below the videos.
LICENSE
The course materials of this course are Copyright Delft University of Technology and are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 Unported License.
If you choose to reuse or repost DelftX course materials you must give proper attribution to the original TU Delft faculty author(s). Please utilize the following citation "This material was created by or adapted from material posted on the Delftx website, delftx.tudelft.nl, and created by TU Delft faculty member (Name), (Title), (Year). DelftX is not responsible for any changes made to the original materials posted on its website and any such changes are the sole responsibility of [name of user/adapter]."
You must also include a copy of the Creative Commons license used by DelftX, with every copy of the TU Delft materials or the derivative work you create from it.
