EE 362

EE 362 edx: Introduction to Solar Energy Engineering (2025)

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EE 362: Introduction to Solar Energy Engineering

 (an edX supported course)

Dear All;

I am writing to inform you about the course that I will be offering during the Spring 2025 semester (EE 362: Introduction to Solar Energy Engineering).

The nature of education has been changing greatly in the last decades, and nowadays, online learning is quite popular. Inspired by this trend,  around 2016 (before the corona incidence), I started to offer online courses at Antalya Bilim University.  The online courses are based on EdX, a non-profit educational platform founded by MIT and Harvard in 2012.  I offer two edX-based online courses at ABU, EE 361 (biomedical imaging) and EE 362 (solar energy). These two topics are selected based on student feedback.

As you might have noticed already, solar energy technology use (and, in general, renewable energy use) is expanding rapidly in the world. With the recent conflicts and increasing gas prices, we are seeing record growth numbers in renewable energy. In 2023, the global capacity of installed and grid-connected solar PV power will exceed 1 TW for the first time (around 1%, 10 GW of it is in Turkey). In 2050, some experts believe the world will reach a solar capacity of 100 TW level. Solar PV project costs, already below marginal fossil-fuel costs in global terms, are set to decline further in the decades ahead. The International Renewable Energy Agency (IREA) estimates a 68% increase in average annual solar PV investment until 2050. This will for sure open up many employment opportunities for engineers and scientists interested in this field.

The aim of EE 362 is to provide an introduction to this fascinating engineering field, which is also quite important for the Antalya region. Interested and motivated students from all engineering departments are welcome (basic math and physics knowledge at the level of Phys 102 and Math 102 will be assumed).

Due to the part-time nature of my contract with Antalya Bilim University, during the semester, I will be at Antalya for a few weeks only. At these times, I will potentially be giving some of the lectures, administering exams, answering your questions, etc.... When I am not around, you will be learning the topic yourself by studying the following free online courses on clean energy and solar energy engineering:

Sustainable Energy, by MIT

https://learning.edx.org/course/course-v1:MITx+22.811x+3T2020/home

Solar Energy, by Delft University of Technology

https://www.edx.org/professional-certificate/delftx-solar-energy

Hence, EE362 will mostly be a self-learning course, and my role will be mostly supervision, motivation tracking and grading. At the end of the course, you will (i) understand how solar cells generate electricity, (ii) know about semiconductor physics and optics required to design and manufacture solar cells, and (iii) have a feeling of the wide range of solar energy applications. You will have the chance to learn the course content anytime from anywhere. We will be in contact frequently via email. All the e-mail communication and more will be announced on the course web page:

https://sites.google.com/site/antalyalaserlab/ee-362

There will be rigorous face-to-face exams during the semester to test your level of learning. The exams will test your level of effort and will include general simple questions as well as moderate questions that will test your theoretical understanding of the topic. The course is suitable for interested Sophomore, Junior, and Senior level engineering/science students from all areas (Phys 102 is the only prerequisite for this course). Please consider all of the above issues before registering for EE 362. 

 Umit

Demirbas

Prof. of EEE at ABU

e-mail: umit.demirbas@antalya.edu.tr

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EE362x: Introduction to Solar Energy Engineering, Week 1

Dear All,

First of all, I am sorry for this late e-mail, but I wanted to wait a little while for the registration process to settle (now we have >50 students registered for the course). Note that, in general, for this course, we won't hold regular classes except for a few days ( I will email you earlier and let you know these days). My next visit to the campus will probably be on early March.

Again, Welcome to EE 362: Introduction to Solar Energy Engineering. As I have written in the previous email, this is a self-learning course based on edX.

For the first week, please register for the following edX course and work on Module 1: Introduction to the Role of Solar Energy in the Energy Transition  (this means watching all the content, taking notes, solving the exercises, etc...).

Solar Energy: Physics Foundations for Energy Conversion and Solar Cells 

https://learning.edx.org/course/course-v1:DelftX+SE1x+3T2024/home

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me via e-mail.

Best regards 

UD

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EE362x: Introduction to Solar Energy Engineering, Week 2

Dear All,

I will try to write to you weekly, but please also follow the course web page for announcements:

https://sites.google.com/site/antalyalaserlab/ee-362

I am also trying to set up UBS course page, which will take some time.

For week 2, please study Section 1 (Introduction to Sustainable Energy) from the following edX course

Sustainable Energy, by MIT

https://learning.edx.org/course/course-v1:MITx+22.811x+3T2024/home

You can read more about the MITs sustainable energy course from here:

https://energy.mit.edu/news/sustainable-energy-class-cultivates-critical-thinking/

Best regards

UD

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EE362x: Introduction to Solar Energy Engineering, Week 3

Dear All,

The add-drop week passed by, and we now have 50 students enrolled in EE362. Those of you who just registered, please make up for the delay in the course by studying earlier assignments.  See the course web page for earlier announcements:

https://sites.google.com/site/antalyalaserlab/ee-362

Starting this week, since we are mostly settled, we will fasten our progress.

For week 3, let's continue with MITs edx course. Please study Section 8 (Solar/PV energy) from

https://learning.edx.org/course/course-v1:MITx+22.811x+3T2024/home

This section, which is a short intro to solar energy, is covered in a week at MIT, but the content is very dense. Note that after this section, we will go into the details of solar energy for the rest of the semester.

Time allowing, you may want to check:

https://energy.mit.edu/

Best

Umit

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EE362x: Introduction to Solar Energy Engineering, Week 4

Dear All,

Last week you have studied the solar energy chapter from MITs clean energy course. Starting this week, we will return back to the DUT course to look at solar energy in a slower manner.

For week 4, let's go back to the first DUT course, and lets work on Module 2: Working Principle of a Semiconductor-based Solar Cell 

Solar Energy 1: Physics Foundations for Energy Conversion and Solar Cells 

https://learning.edx.org/course/course-v1:DelftX+SE1x+3T2024/home

You will see how two similar courses in two different universities covering similar topics, but in quite different styles.

Best regards

UD

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EE362x: Introduction to Solar Energy Engineering, Week 5

Dear All,

For week 5, let's continue with Module 3: Optics for solar cells in the DUT course:

Solar Energy: Physics Foundations for Energy Conversion and Solar Cells 

https://learning.edx.org/course/course-v1:DelftX+SE1x+3T2024/home

Best regards

PS: I apologize for the different links I shared for the same course earlier. These are the same online courses, with the same/similar content, from different years. Again, sorry for the confusion. You can stick with what you have started. I will be more careful in sharing the latest version.

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EE362x: Suggested Reference Book

Dear All,

 TU Delft course is based on the following book:

 "Solar Energy, the physics and engineering of photovoltaic conversion technologies and systems" 

The e-book was available for free in the online bookstore such as Amazon (I see that now they increased the price to 30 USD). You can also download the reference book from the following link:

https://courses.edx.org/c4x/DelftX/ET.3034TU/asset/solar_energy_v1.1.pdf

Best regards

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EE362x: Midterm Exam

Dear All,

I hope that you are doing well. In this course, we will have a midterm and final exam for grading. In earlier years, when we had 20-25 students, we also had term projects as well. However, as we have more than 50 students taking the course this year, implementing a term project is not feasible.

The exact midterm date and time will be announced later. However,  I am currently considering making the exam after the midterm week (to give you more relaxed time to study), maybe on April 17. The exam will be during class time on Thursday between 15:00 and 17:00 (we probably won't need the whole 2 hours). Please make a note of this rough date for now. Ideally, this class time should fit all of you, but let me know if you have any conflicts. 

For midterm 1, you will be responsible for topics covered in the first 7-8 weeks. For those of you who registered late for the course, do not forget to go over the content in the first weeks. You can find all the earlier announcements at:  

https://sites.google.com/site/antalyalaserlab/ee-362

As another point, I have uploaded the midterm exam from 2003 on the course web page as an example. In 2003, it was a take-home exam, so this year, the exam will be much shorter, but I usually test similar concepts in the exam, so it can give you an idea. Just so you know, some questions will be numerical, so you will need to bring a scientific calculator to the exam. 

Note that we have a cheating sheet policy in this course to motivate understanding of the topic rather than memorizing equations and definitions. So, for this midterm, you can take notes on both sides of an A4 paper, and use this A4 paper during the exam. However, the notes on your A4 paper should be handwritten by you and should not contain solutions to specific examples. Your cheating sheets will be collected with your exam paper at the end of the midterm and will be used in grading.

Best regards

Umit

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EE362x: Introduction to Solar Energy Engineering, Week 6

Dear All,

For week 6, let's first study the remaining module, Module 4: Solar Cell Design Rules from the first DUT course:

Solar Energy 1: Physics Foundations for Energy Conversion and Solar Cells 

https://learning.edx.org/course/course-v1:DelftX+SE1x+3T2024/home

Later, please register to the 2nd DUT course, Solar Energy 2, and Study Module 1 on C-Silicon solar cells:

https://learning.edx.org/course/course-v1:DelftX+SE2x+3T2024/home

Best regards

Umit

PS: As a side note, in some of its popular courses, including the DUT solar energy courses, edX has started to limit what is available to its unregistered users, which I personally don't enjoy.  Basically, one can not solve/view the exercises and needs to login with another email to keep long-term access. This is new for the Solar Energy Engineering Course (we have been following edX for 7-8 years now, and in earlier years, we did not have this problem). I just want to let you know that I am aware of this issue, which is annoying, but that's how it is for now.  So, if the system does not allow you to login anymore (because your audit access expires), just use another email to keep your access. 

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EE362x: Introduction to Solar Energy Engineering, Week 7-10

Dear All,

Below are the sections I want you to finish before the Midterm exam on W11 (April 17, between 15:00 and 17:00).  

Basically, for weeks 7-10, please study the 2nd DUT course, Solar Energy 2,  Module 2, 3 and 4 on thin film PV technologies and comparison of PV technologies:

https://learning.edx.org/course/course-v1:DelftX+SE2x+3T2024/home

I know you have the midterms next week (W8), so you can study the above-mentioned sections after your midterms on weeks 9 and 10. Again, on W11, April 17, between 15 and 17, we will have our midterm exam. I will write a detailed email about it later, but note the date in your calendar. The midterm will focus on DUT courses on Solar Energy 1 and Solar Energy 2.

Best regards

Umit

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EE362 Midterm 1  (April 17, 15:00-17:00, A1-95) 

Dear All,

I hope that you are doing well. As announced, we will have our Midterm 1 on April 17, between 15:00 and 17:00. I need to verify if the classroom, A1-95, is large enough; if not, we will find an alternative/extension. For the midterm exam, you are responsible for topics covered in the first six (6) weeks. The final exam will be cumulative but will focus more on weeks 7-14. Both exams will contribute 50% to your grade.

For those of you who registered late for the course, please do not forget to review the content from the first weeks. You can find all the earlier announcements at: 

https://sites.google.com/site/antalyalaserlab/ee-362

As another point, midterm 1 from 2023 is available on the course web page. In 2003, the exam was online, so this year's exam will be much shorter. However, I typically test similar concepts on the exam, which can give you an idea of what to expect (at least solve questions 3, 4, 6, and 7 from the sample exam). Please note that a calculator will be required for the exam. I expect you to be familiar with concepts such as fusion, fission, blackbody radiation, solar spectrum, the p-n junction equivalent circuit of solar cells, basic parameters of solar cells, electrical characterization methods for solar cells, and how solar cells convert photons into electrons, as well as concepts like absorption and carrier lifetime. Please try to focus on learning the basics; the exam will be reasonable and easy for those who followed the course.  

Additionally, as previously announced, we have a cheating sheet policy in this course to promote an understanding of the topic rather than memorizing equations and definitions. For this midterm, you can take notes on both sides of an A4-sized paper. You should handwrite the notes and avoid including solutions to specific examples. Your cheat sheets will be collected with your exam paper at the end of the midterm and will be part of the grading.

Best regards

Umit

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Important information for EE362 Midterm 1  (April 24, 15:00-16:30, B1-64 & B1-66) 

Dear All,

There are a few important updates related to Midterm 1:

• As I get many emails from you about the exam over the last few days, I understand you are worried. For this reason, I am delaying the exam for one more week (the new exam date is April 24).

• Please don't worry about the exam. As announced earlier, we have a cheating sheet policy in this class; you don't need to worry about memorizing stuff. We will test your understanding of basic concepts. The earlier email about the exam gives hints on what to expect on the exam, which is again summarized below. 

• The midterm exam will take place in rooms B1-64 and B1-66 between 15:00 and 16:30 (the original classroom assigned to us (A1-95) is very small).

• Due to the ethical issues we faced in earlier years, we don't offer online exams anymore. I believe you understand that with tools like Chat GPT, things have changed dramatically over the last 2-3 years.

• On April 17 this week, we will have a regular face-to-face class. The classroom is B1-64. Let's meet at 15:00. We can also talk about the content of the exam.

• I will also be mostly at my office (AB-11) or in my lab (AB-10) for the next 2 weeks (mostly in the morning). Please write a short email for an appointment (or just stop by to see if I am available for a chat). 

Hope to see you all this Thursday.

Best regards

Umit

PS 1: Sorry for not being able to return all of your emails. 

PS 2: Suggestions for the exam:

• You are responsible for topics covered in the first six (6) weeks.  See the course web page for the assignments given in the first 6 weeks: https://sites.google.com/site/antalyalaserlab/ee-362

• Solve questions 3, 4, 6, and 7 from the sample exam uploaded

• Be familiar with concepts such as fusion, fission, blackbody radiation, solar spectrum, the p-n junction equivalent circuit of solar cells, basic parameters of solar cells, electrical characterization methods for solar cells, and how solar cells convert photons into electrons, as well as concepts like absorption and carrier lifetime

• Bring a scientific calculator

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EE362x: Introduction to Solar Energy Engineering, Weeks 12- 14

Dear All,

For weeks 12-14, please study the 3rd DUT course, Solar Energy 3,  Modules 1-2 and 3 on PV system components and PV system design:

https://learning.edx.org/course/course-v1:DelftX+SE3x+3T2024/home

The last module of course 3 (module 4) is on economical and environmental aspects and is optional. 

The final exam for EE362  course will most probably be in the first week of finals (to be announced later), and will mostly focus on this last part (Solar Energy 3 course).  

Best regards

Umit

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EE362 Final Exam Topics

Dear All,

For the final exam, you are responsible for the Solar Energy 2 and Solar Energy 3 courses. Given the breadth of content, I recommend focusing on the topics covered in the sample final exam shared on the course webpage. While the questions won't be identical, they will test similar concepts each year. Therefore, mastering the sample final exam will prepare you effectively for this year's exam. 

Additionally, please remember our cheating sheet policy. You are allowed to prepare notes on both sides of an A4-sized paper. These notes should be handwritten and focused on concepts rather than specific example solutions. Your cheat sheets will be collected with your exam paper and will contribute to your final grading.

If you have any questions or need clarification on any topics, please don't hesitate to reach out to me. Let's make sure you're well-prepared for the exam day.

Best regards

Umit

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EE362 Final Exam Rescheduling to May 29, 15:15-16:45 

Dear All,

We have identified several conflicts for the EE362 final exam on May 22. I have consulted with the dean of engineering, and unfortunately, finding a solution for this date does not seem feasible. As an alternative, the proposed solution is to reschedule the exam to May 29, maintaining the same time slot from 15:15 to 16:45.

Please review your schedule and inform me promptly if this new exam date poses any conflicts for you.

Best regards,

Umit

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EE362 Final Exam Reminder

Dear All,

This is a reminder that the final exam for Solar Energy course which is scheduled on May 29 from 15:15 to 16:45.

For the final exam, you are responsible for the Solar Energy 2 and Solar Energy 3 courses.  Given the extensive course content, I recommend you concentrate primarily on the topics covered in the sample final exam available on the course webpage (especially make sure you understand questions 3, 5, 6 and 8). Although the questions on the actual exam will not be identical, they will test similar concepts. Mastering the material presented in the sample final exam will therefore ensure that you are effectively prepared.

Also, please keep in mind our cheating sheet policy. You are permitted to bring handwritten notes prepared on both sides of one A4-sized paper. Your notes should emphasize core concepts rather than specific example solutions. These cheat sheets will be collected along with your exam papers and will contribute toward your final grading.

If you have any questions or need additional clarification, please feel free to contact me. Let’s make sure you're fully prepared for the exam day.

Best regards,
Umit

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EE362 Grades Announced and Exam Paper Review Information 

Dear All,

The grades for EE362: Introduction to Solar Energy Engineering are now finalized. Below are some highlights:

• Average Midterm Score: 41.13

• Average Final Exam Score: 56.35

• Average Overall Score: 48.74

• Highest Overall Score: 80 (Letter grade: A+)

Your individual grades—including midterm, final, overall scores, and letter grades—are available on the course webpage:

https://sites.google.com/site/antalyalaserlab/ee-362

Exam Paper Review:
You can review your exam papers tomorrow afternoon (June 2, 2025, between 2:00 and 4:00 PM) at my office (AB-11). Please send an email in advance to confirm your appointment.

If you have any further questions or concerns regarding your grades, please feel free to contact me via email.

Thank you again for your efforts throughout the semester. Wishing you continued success.

Best regards,
Umit Demirbas