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Learner Reviews & Feedback for Introduction to solar cells by Technical University of Denmark (DTU)

4.8
stars
2,436 ratings

About the Course

How do solar cells work, why do we need, and how can we measure their efficiency? These are just some of the questions Introduction to solar cells tackles. Whether you are looking for general insight in this green technology or your ambition is to pursue a career in solar, “Introduction to Solar Cells” is an excellent starting point. The course is a tour through the fundamental disciplines including solar cell history, why we need solar energy, how solar cells produce power, and how they work. During the course we cover mono- and multi-crystalline solar cells, thin film solar cells, and new emerging technologies. The course includes hands-on exercises using virtual instruments, interviews with field experts, and a comprehensive collection of material on solar cells. At the end of the course you will have gained a fundamental understanding of the field. This will allow you to identify the most interesting or relevant aspects to be pursued in your future studies or in your professional career....

Top reviews

AP

Dec 11, 2017

Very concise and to the point. Stable and calm teaching. Was my first foray into renewable energy and absolutely loved it. The course instructor was brilliant and had a stable command over the topic.

JL

May 15, 2021

If you are a beginner and want to learn about practical aspects of solar cells, this is the course. Well structure, paced and with clear goals. The lessons and exercises are clear and well-directed.

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576 - 600 of 701 Reviews for Introduction to solar cells

By Gopi

May 16, 2020

Good

By ravuri m s

Apr 6, 2020

nice

By GOLLA S C

Mar 28, 2020

good

By Jorge I M S

Mar 9, 2020

l

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e

By Bharath C C

Feb 3, 2020

g

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d

By Sahil k

Mar 11, 2021

NYC

By Shubham M

Apr 10, 2019

ff

By Ali C B

Dec 21, 2020

.

By Santiago A

Oct 6, 2017

A great course for stepping in into solar power technology. The use of virtual instruments and the explanatory videos of Mr. Madsen and other scientists of the DTU are excellent resources to introduce and/or reinforce the concepts. The course is well designed and keeps you interested at most of the time.

Overall, I think this course is well organized, the content is clear and the use of didactic resources keeps it interesting. Also there are external links to more technical information. I enjoyed this course and would recommend it to anyone who is interested in this topic. I recommend to have some basic knowledge of electric behaviour of materials, circuits (Kirchoff, diodes), radiation and crystal structure for better understanding.

I would have liked for this course to go into more detail regarding the drawbacks of an intermitent energy production and the cost and energy required for the solution or minimization (eg. backup systems, accumulation). Also I think that it goes into too much detail regarding production of polymer solar cells, and the information of the emerging solar cells technologies (dye sensitized, quantum dot, perovskite) is poor and incomplete.

By Mohith S

Dec 28, 2017

I am an Undergraduate student in Physics, of budding interest in Photovoltaics. I really enjoyed the course from day one till the end, being the instructor very kind and pleasing to the students introducing the fundamental concepts in a very novel manner, building it block-by-block. Also, the additional reading resources which were attached at the end of each module was really interesting and I can feel the excitement of going through the documentaries and the article references cited by the tutor. I was truly amazed by the potential of PV industry, which is portrayed in an exhaustive manner by the tutor. The course serves as a motivation to me to further enhance my knowledge on PVs, and I hope you will enjoy the course, if you're really,really motivated and pursuing a sustainable way of life/combating against Global warming via. Energy alternatives, specific to Photovoltaics. Free(!) Energy :)

By Julia A L

Sep 12, 2017

This course introduced me to many different types of technologies out that are out there- especially emerging technologies that are not on the market yet. The beginning of the course is very heavy on science and math, which I think helped me understand how solar cells really work and proved that solar energy has a great potential. Be prepared to do many calculations. Later in the course, there is a lot of information to memorize. I think that the last lectures go into too much into detail on polymer solar cells and how they are made. These details might only be useful if you work in a lab or in manufacturing and would be better as optional material. Nevertheless, this course did leave me with a solid foundation to build on. I may or may not take the course on organic solar cells (also by DTU) after this.

By Steven M

Sep 27, 2021

Professor Madsen doesn't engage much, but that is generally due to the fact that he doesn't need to. His course material is thorough, though he assumes you know a bit more than you might in regards to what one might or might not consider to be entry-level college mathematics and sciences. Overall, the summary doesn't hit on a few technologies as thoroughly as I would have liked, but being that they are more emerging technologies, it's probably best to keep the material ambiguous as the technologies themselves advance. Glad I took the course, it's not perfect but it's absolutely satisfactory for what it is: An Introduction to Solar Cells

By Arup K D

May 16, 2020

Firstly i would thank you instructor M.V Madsen for this course. It was highly appreciated because of its to the point lectures. I have gained an overview of the total solar technologies available currently. It was a very efficient course if anyone take it as introductory.

But there is one problem i have faced during this course. The sound volume of the lectures are too low. I have to concentrate higher to hear those lectures. If this problem can be solved, it is one of the best course i would recommend. I will take another course after this one, named organic solar cell technology provided by the same university.

By Sanjay P

Oct 12, 2017

The Introduction to solar cells course provides all resources needed to explore and dive into the fascinating field of solar energy conversion. The course addresses and embraces most important issues relevant to solar energy harvesting in a most interesting and comprehensive manner. Congratulations and thanks to DTU and course conductors, subject experts, researchers and everybody associated with the course.

By jose r f m

Jan 8, 2021

There is some topics that are a bit of hard to understand, like the direct or undirect gap material. I'd say that the course was good for me, I really appreciate the introduction you've given me. I also found a bit of difficult the understanding of the different processes for generating printing on polymer solar cells, maybe it is difficult to understant just with the images.

Thanks!!

By Maksym K

Nov 26, 2017

Course is really good introduction to renewable energy and understandings of solar cells. I would like to say thanks for all people who made it. For me, I would like also to include more review of current renewable energy market (for example which companies are doing what; mentions about Tesla's powerwall was interesting and I would like to hear more about solutions like that).

By Ben M

Oct 18, 2022

It lacks on the technical front since there are fewer calculations involved. But for an introduction course, it does an excellent job of introducing the concepts and presenting additional resources that can expand a student's understanding of the covered concept. I would strongly encourage this course for anyone starting or refreshing their knowledge on PV technology.

By Velan K

Jun 7, 2018

It is a very good course if you would like to learn about the basics of solar cells, their types, manufacturing processes etc. The course consists of both calculations and theoretical concepts of solar technology. At the end of the course you will have the sufficient knowledge on the evolution of solar cells and what is expected in the future.

By Mustafa k

Jun 10, 2020

The course is extensive and gives a good headstart to the world of PV. It really clears your basics of PV and introduces you to the opportunities that are out there for you to explore. I really loved the course material, especially the various simulation programs. Some manufacturing processes could have been dealt with in some depth.

By Arnav P

Apr 21, 2020

This course was really interesting and awesome. The simulation included as well as guest lectures on particular topic were good too. This course started from scratch and at last I was like few weeks before i had little to no knowledge about the field, then suddenly I have a good amount of knowledge about the stuff. Thank u!

By Sean M E

Jul 20, 2019

Excellent introduction to the current state of technology of solar cells. It also gave in-depth teaching and examples as to how to calculate cell efficiencies and other fundamental concepts. The course has made me look at the technologies in a new light (hah!) and has stimulated my interest in exploring the subject further.

By Luis L R

Mar 26, 2019

Good course with a lot of theory about the different technologies. You learn the firs steps to establish the efficiency of the solar cells technologies. I would like the course had more information about real application of the solar cell with the storage and use of the energy and how to decide this. 4.5/5

By Melek G

May 4, 2022

Excellent teaching method, I enoyed the short videos and the employment of interview segments with different experts. I also found the quiz questions on point (not hard and not easy). Nevertheless, I hope this course will get updated soon as to keep up with the latest advancements in this field!

By Dhruv S

Aug 8, 2019

As the name suggests, it is just an introduction course and one should definitely follow up for in depth knowledge. Although the course provides a good overview on all the aspects of solar cell technology and is recommended to be completed for solar technology enthusiasts.

By Fatimah A

Mar 26, 2018

It was very useful and interesting general introduction of solar cells especially for beginners in this field, easy and convenient materials and understandable explanations from specialists that encourage you to continue the course to the end, I recommend it .