The Sun Insolation Hydronics Solar Thermal PV
4/17/2020
Peter T. Parrish, Ph.D., Chair
Alternative Energy Department
College of the Canyons peter.parrish@canyons.edu
Office: (661) 362-3888 Mobile: (323) 839-6108
College of the Canyons Solar Program 1

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
4/17/2020 College of the Canyons Solar Program 2

• 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
4/17/2020 College of the Canyons Solar Program 3

• 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
4/17/2020 College of the Canyons Solar Program 4

• 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: Photovoltaics
Five units; 3 hours lecture and 6 hours laboratory per week
Installation focus, with safety and COTS equipment
Follow Jim Dunlop’s Photovoltaic Systems with additional safety and math supplements
Safety: ladder safety, harnesses, personal protective equipment, lock-out/tag-out
Roof attachment skills: asphalt shingle, S-tile, flat concrete tile
PV module evaluation:
Manual & PVA-600 I-V measurements, effects of irradiance, backside temperature
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
4/17/2020 College of the Canyons Solar Program 5

• Solar 052: Solar Thermal
Five units; 3 hours lecture and 6 hours laboratory per week
Installation focus with safety and COTS equipment
Follow Laughton’s “Solar Domestic Hot Water” with safety and math supplement
Safety: ladder safety, harnesses, personal protective equipment
Roof attachment: asphalt shingle, S-tile, flat concrete tile
Schematic and layout
Dry-lab and Bill of Material
Soldering, insulating pipes and sensor installation
Use Steca controllers and Fluke thermal imager
Solar Thermal systems: design, build and test:
• Thermosyphon (alone and as preheat option)
• Closed loop glycol
• Drainback
• Hydronic heating
• Swimming pool
4/17/2020 College of the Canyons Solar Program 6

• Solar XXX: PV Technical Sales
Three units
Lecture 3 hours per week with demos
Incorporate much of NABCEP/IREC JTA
• Outline
Marketing the Company (3 hours)
Customer Relationship Management (1.5 hours)
Qualifying the Customer (6 hours)
Preliminary Proposal and Price Estimate (6 hours)
Preliminary Proposal and Price Estimate (6 hours)
Detailed System Design (9 hours)
Applying for a Permit (3 hours)
Utility Interconnection (1.5 hours)
Cost Proposal and Sales Contract (6 hours)
Technical Proposal (3 hours)
Owner’s Manual (3 hours)
4/17/2020 College of the Canyons Solar Program 7

• Solar YYY: Computational Methods for Renewable Energy
Three units
Lecture 3 hours per week with demos
Covers
Basic algebra and trigonometry
Metric system and prefixes
Exponential notation
Decimal fractions and percentages
Emphasis on flux, power and energy
Chemical, electric, thermal and radiation problems
4/17/2020 College of the Canyons Solar Program 8

• 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)

4/17/2020 College of the Canyons Solar Program 10

4/17/2020 College of the Canyons Solar Program 11

4/17/2020 College of the Canyons Solar Program 12