Monday/Wednesday 1.00 pm - 3.00 pm
This course will train students to safely and effectively perform tasks to assess performance of existing solar electric systems, commission systems and the use of troubleshooting skills to determine under performance. Students will learn techniques in the use of analytical tools such as meters, I-V tracers, IR cameras, and insulation meters. In addition, students learn procedures for documentation of work and budget development.
General Education Outcomes are the knowledge, skills, abilities, attitudes, and behaviors that students are expected to develop as a result of their overall experiences with any aspect of the college, including courses, programs, and student services, both inside and outside of the classroom. The General Education Outcomes specifically learned in this course are:
- Critical Thinking
- Responsibility
Relationship to academic programs and transferability
Advanced Photovoltaics Installations (ELTR 2343)) was designed to meet specific student needs either
individually or within a program and is designed to transfer to other colleges and universities. KCC
participates in the Illinois Articulation Initiative (IAI), a statewide transfer agreement for general
education courses. All colleges and universities participating in the IAI agree to accept a collective
“package” of IAI general education courses; transfer of courses separately is not guaranteed. For
more information about IAI and the transferability of courses to specific four-year institutions, go to
www.itransfer.org and MyCreditsTransfer/Transferology.
Goals and Objectives
This course has, at least, four major intentions:
- Develop safe working habits while working on PV systems
- Perform examination of a solar electric system using best practices with meters
- Calculate expected operating voltage and current of a system and compare to actuals
- Create documentation to previous system performance
- Make recommendations of system performance
The major intentions (given above) for this course relate directly to the awareness, understanding,
and knowledge that may be attained via the learning experiences inherent in the course content,
aimed at these general goals:
1. To give the students the requisite skills and knowledge to work safely when installing,
troubleshooting, and maintaining solar-PV power systems.
2. To give the students the requisite skills and knowledge toa safe assessment of a solar electric systems performance based upon calculations, meter readings and data collection.
3. To give students skills to successfully operate a variety of I-V Curve Tracers, IR Cameras and Insulation Resistance Test Meters and digital multimeters to assess the health of a system.
4. To give students skills in reading and creating one-line diagrams.
5. To give students skills in reading and interpreting diagrams, and manufactures datasheets.
6. To give skills development in safety
7. To give students the ability to accurately document activities performed on a system.
8. To give students the skills needed to compare a systems operation to baseline and previous data.
Specific Unit Learning Objectives are delineated in the weekly Unit Materials
that will be distributed by the instructor.
General Education Goals and Objectives
The general education program at KCC is designed to enable students to acquire communication and
reasoning skills at a level reflecting college-level learning. Students who complete the general education
program will be able to examine complex topics and apply systematic processes to form conclusions. The
specific general education objectives addressed in this course are:
Reading Comprehension: Students will comprehend the reading required in their chosen curriculum.
Verbal Communication: Students will use clear, concise language in verbal communication.
Written Communication: Students will demonstrate written communication that is organized and
coherent.
Quantitative Reasoning: Students will reason and solve quantitative problems from a wide array of
contexts.
Ethical Reasoning: Students will apply skills in ethical reasoning and come to understand the ways
ethical issues affect individual behaviors, individual lifestyles, and public life.
Inquiry and Analysis: Students will examine complex topics and apply systematic processes resulting in
formed conclusions.
Faculty Contact Information
M Noon - 1pm; T/W Noon - 1 pm, 3.00 - 5.00 pm; R Noon - 1 pm
Clay Sterling
815-802-8853
csterling@kcc.edu
Course Information
At the end of this course, students will be able to:
- Identify appropriate documentation for system performance verification
- Demonstrate safe working procedures for testing photovoltaic systems
- Demonstrate the use of meters, instrumentation and computers to document system operation
- Determine commissioning and testing protocols for a given system
- Identify vendors and develop estimates for equipment repair
- Demonstrate troubleshooting techniques to determine the operational health of a system
Textbook(s)
National Electrical Code 2023 by NFPA 70, Solar Electric Handbook: Photovoltaics Fundamentals and Applications, by Solar Energy International
Tools and PPE
Safety glasses, close toed shoes, gloves, basic hand tools from Intro to Solar Electric Technology
Evaluation
Student achievement in the classroom phase of the course will be evaluated on the basis of
homework, quizzes and exams. Achievement in the laboratory will be evaluated on the basis of the
accuracy and completeness of reports, of laboratory activities, and of skills developed in the
performance of manipulative tasks as evidenced by the workmanship demonstrated in the laboratory
assignments. A laboratory final examination may be administered.
Letter grades are determined by the following percentage:
93 - 100 A 85 - 92 B 75 - 84 C 65 - 74 D BELOW 65 F
In determination of the final mark in the course, the various items will be weighted as follows:
Assignments = 10%, Quizzes = 15%, Lab sheet = 25%, System SOP project = 25%, Final = 25%
Assignments will NOT be accepted past the date due without prior approval. Missed quizzes may
NOT be made up.
Business, Technology & Human Services
Dean, Paul Carlson; 815-802-8858; V105; pcarlson@kcc.edu; Division Office – W102; 815-802-8650
Course Policies
ATTENDANCE: If a student has missed more class hours than the number of credit hours to be
earned in the class, the instructor may record the grade of "F" for the course. Missed classes may
not be made up without prior permission from the instructor. Failure of the student to attend class
does not constitute withdrawal. A formal written withdrawal must be made by the student to the
Office of Admissions and Records.
Some important information provided during the lecture/discussions does not appear in your
textbook, but you will find it useful for completing your assignments or exams. It is the student’s
responsibility to obtain handouts and information presented for any class for which he/she is absent
from fellow students or the instructor. Labs are due at the end of each lab period. Homework
is due at the start of class on the day due.
No students will be allowed to work in lab areas outside of class time without instructor
permission and appropriate supervision.
School code requires that safety glasses or some other APPROVED form of eye protection be
worn in the laboratory at all times. There will be NO exceptions! Glasses may be borrowed from
the technology office but the student must leave their drivers licenses. The glasses are to be
returned at the end of the period. The student may be required to purchase basic components used
in the laboratory experiments.
Code of Conduct
Students need to adhere to the Code of Conduct located in the college catalog.
Email Policy
To ensure a student's privacy under all applicable education laws and to facilitate timely interactions, two
College-authorized methods of electronic communication exist: KCC-issued student email accounts
(using the domain name of .student.kcc.edu) and the Canvas Learning Management System. Students
are expected to regularly check their KCC email accounts and Canvas for important incoming
communication from the college or from individual instructors. Students understand that emails they send
from personal email accounts (other than those listed above) may not be delivered to the KCC recipient,
and students should have no expectation that such messages will be answered.
Non-Attendance/Non-Participation
KCC complies with state law and federal financial aid policy. If you receive an attendance grade of F or
are institutionally withdrawn from a course, it will affect your eligibility for financial aid. (1) You must attend
at least one class, or participate at least once for an online course (logging in without participation is not
attending), by the 10th day of 16 week courses or within the first 10% of shorter term classes. Non-
attendance will result in an attendance grade of F. (2) If you have excessive absences and no reasonable
chance of passing the course at midterm (or after), your instructor may give you a WX grade and have
you institutionally withdrawn from the course.
| 1 | Course Introduction, Course administration, O&M overview, Principles of Performance | Assign systems |
| 2 | Safety | Begin development of standard operating procedures |
| 3 | Visual Inspection | Visual inspection of equipment |
| 4 | Meters, Other meters | DMM’s, calculations and measurements, point to point measurements of systems |
| 5 | De/Recommissioning, I-V curve tracing | I-V curve tracing exercise |
| 6 | Clean-up, Thermal imaging | I-V curve testing |
| 7 | IRT meters | IRT systems |
| 8 | MidTerms | |
| 9 | Data monitoring | Get data monitoring up and running on Outback and Generac systems |
| 10 | Troubleshooting | Troubleshooting exercise |
| 11 | Ground faults | Troubleshooting exercise |
| 12 | System PM | |
| 13 | System PM | |
| 14 | System PM | |
| 15 | System PM | |
| 16 | Troubleshooting |
College Policies, Resources and Supports
For information related to the Student Code of Conduct Policy, Withdrawal Policy, Email Policy, and Non- Attendance/Non-Participation Policy, please review the college’s Code of Campus Affairs and Regulations webpage, which can be found at catalog.kcc.edu under the Academic Regulations & Conduct Guide.
KCC offers various academic and personal resources for all students. Many services are offered virtually, as well as in person. Please visit Student Resources - Kankakee Community College to access student resources services such as:
- Clubs and organizations
- Counseling and referral services
- Office of disability services
- Student complaint policy
- Transfer services
- Tutoring services, etc.
The materials on this course are only for the use of students enrolled in this course for purposes associated with this course. Further information regarding KCC's copyright policy is available at https://kcc.libguides.com/copyright.
|Course syllabus/calendar is subject to change.