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Peter T. Parrish, Ph.D., ChairAlternative Energy Department

College of the Canyonspeter.parrish@canyons.edu

Office: (661) 362-3888 Mobile: (323) 839-6108

The Solar Program at College of the Canyons

The Sun Insolation Hydronics Solar Thermal PV

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“I’d put my money on the sun and solar energy.What a source of power!I hope we don’t have to wait until oil and coal run out before we tackle that.”

Thomas Edison, in conversation with Henry Ford and Andrew Firestone - 1931

But before we discuss applications such as Photovoltaics or Solar Thermal, we will review the Sun as a Resource

History of the Program

• April 2011 Curriculum Developed for three courses– Introduction to Energy, Solar 101, 3 units– Photovoltaics, Solar 050, 5 units– Solar Thermal, Solar 052, 5 units– Certificate of Specialization “Solar Energy Technician”, 13 units

• August 2011 ATEC Building completed– 5,000 sq. ft. high bay laboratory for Solar (2,500 sq. ft. for plumbing, 7,500 sq. ft.

for auto)– August 29, 2011 first day of classes

• High level of interest: ~25 students per section. Two sections of Solar 101 taught Fall 2011.

• Developing curriculum for– Math for the construction trades, 3 units– PV Technical Sales, 3 units

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Philosophy of the Solar Program

• Solar 101 “Introduction to Energy”: broad-based course on energy as a pre/co-requisite to the other solar classes

• PV and Solar Thermal have major laboratory component– 6 hours per week – Saturday 9:00 am to 3:00 pm– Hands-on– Commercial off the shelf equipment

• Service panels, disconnects, meters/sockets

• Pro-Solar and Unirac mounting systems

• 95 W and 240 W PV modules

• String inverters and micro-inverters

• Teach to NABCEP™ JTA and Entry Level Exam

• Prepare students for entry level job in the solar system installation trade

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Current Courses for Credit• Solar 101: Introduction to Energy Technology

‒ Three units; 3 hours lecture per week‒ Review of large-scale supply-side energy‒ Fossil fuels, Nuclear, Hydro, Solar, Wind, Geothermal, Biofuels, Wave

• Solar 050: PhotovoltaicsK Five units; 3 hours lecture and 6 hours laboratory per weekK Installation focus, with safety and COTS equipmentK Follow Jim Dunlop’s Photovoltaic Systems with additional safety and math

supplementsK Safety: ladder safety, harnesses, personal protective equipment, lock-out/tag-outK Roof attachment skills: asphalt shingle, S-tile, flat concrete tileK PV module evaluation:

K Manual & PVA-600 I-V measurements, effects of irradiance, backside temperature

K PV systems:• Off-grid, 90 W-dc, 12V, 3 kWh battery, DC loads

• Off-grid, 360 W-dc, 24V, inverter, 6 kWh battery, DC and AC loads, aux. generator

• Grid-tied, 2.4 kW, micro-inverters

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Current Courses for Credit

• Solar 052: Solar Thermal K Five units; 3 hours lecture and 6 hours laboratory per weekK Installation focus with safety and COTS equipmentK Follow Laughton’s “Solar Domestic Hot Water” with safety and math supplementK Safety: ladder safety, harnesses, personal protective equipmentK Roof attachment: asphalt shingle, S-tile, flat concrete tileK Schematic and layoutK Dry-lab and Bill of MaterialK Soldering, insulating pipes and sensor installationK Use Steca controllers and Fluke thermal imagerK Solar Thermal systems: design, build and test:

• Thermosyphon (alone and as preheat option)

• Closed loop glycol

• Drainback

• Hydronic heating

• Swimming pool

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Courses Under Development

• Solar XXX: PV Technical Sales K Three unitsK Lecture 3 hours per week with demosK Incorporate much of NABCEP/IREC JTA

• OutlineK Marketing the Company (3 hours)K Customer Relationship Management (1.5 hours)K Qualifying the Customer (6 hours)K Preliminary Proposal and Price Estimate (6 hours)K Preliminary Proposal and Price Estimate (6 hours)K Detailed System Design (9 hours)K Applying for a Permit (3 hours)K Utility Interconnection (1.5 hours)K Cost Proposal and Sales Contract (6 hours)K Technical Proposal (3 hours)K Owner’s Manual (3 hours)

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Courses Under Development

• Solar YYY: Computational Methods for Renewable Energy K Three unitsK Lecture 3 hours per week with demosK Covers

K Basic algebra and trigonometry

K Metric system and prefixes

K Exponential notation

K Decimal fractions and percentages

K Emphasis on flux, power and energy K Chemical, electric, thermal and radiation problems

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Certificates

• Solar Energy Technician Certificate – 13 units– Solar 101 – Intro to Energy I– Solar 050 -- Photovoltaics– Solar 052 – Solar Thermal

• Solar Administration Certificate (planned) – 19 units– Solar Technician (13 units) plus– Solar XXX – PV Technical Sales (3 units) – Solar YYY – Computational Methods for the Construction Trades (3 units)

• AS Degree (planned) – 29 units– Solar Administration Certificate (19 units)– ESYS 123 – Residential Wiring (3 units)– CONST 124 – CA Electrical Code (3 units)– Solar 102 – Intro to Energy II (3 units)– CWEE – Internship (1 unit)

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PV Laboratory

PV Laboratory

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Solar Thermal Laboratory

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Mock Roofs are Designed in SketchUp

Equipment Boards (SketchUp)