Professional Certificate: PV Modeling, Simulation and Analysis

Professional Certificate

Develop the proficiency and expertise that employers are looking for with specialized training and professional education.

2 Courses in program
6 weeks per course
3 - 4 hours per week
English language

Note: This program can be started at any time from 6 September 2023 until 10 December 2023, and it will be closed for all participants on 20 December 2023. Please note that all assignments should be submitted before the end date in order to obtain the certificate.

Improve your ability and proficiency in the design and optimization of photovoltaics, from material and device level up to modules and systems. Develop and apply the skills and knowledge required to handle effectively all aspects of the photovoltaic discipline.

This Professional Certificate Program in PV Modeling, Simulation and Analysis consists of two career-oriented courses. It is a highly practical program, which will provide you with the appropriate tools and valuable knowhow of how to characterize and predict the performance of photovoltaic technologies – from small solar cells to large power systems. Throughout the program, you will work on various scenarios and case studies, based on real-life problems.

Is this program for you?

This program will support PV professionals – working in both the manufacturing and installation sectors – to develop their skills and proficiency in the design and optimization of manufacturing processes as well as system deployment and operation.

How to improve the design of PV devices and systems.
How to analyze manufacturing and installation trends to enhance the performance of devices and systems.
To master and manipulate the processes of the entire PV value chain, from device manufacturing to system operation.

The coming years will see PV installations established on every possible surface and terrain. At the same time, the efficiency of commonly deployed PV components is rapidly approaching its technological limits. Therefore, the realization of this significant future development will depend on skilled modeling engineers who are well versed in the use of advanced and novel materials, interface engineering and device architectures, as well as in the estimation of the yield of PV systems and their optimum deployment.

This program aims to equip participants with these essential skills. It will deepen your understanding and use of tools and methods to accurately characterize, model and predict the performance and yield of photovoltaic materials, devices and systems. You will learn to examine manufacturing aspects, optimize processes and workflows, find ways to refine and optimize and improve the design of solar cell architectures and PV systems. With these new skills and knowledge, you will be able to improve processes, throughput and efficiency throughout your organization, and optimize current and future developments.

The program consists of the following two courses:

Photovoltaic Material and Device Modeling
Learn how to characterize, understand and improve the performance of PV materials and devices. This will allow you to enhance current processes and workflows, as well as develop new ones for novel solar cell materials or architectures.

Photovoltaic Systems Modeling
Tackle all aspects of the simulation of PV systems. Learn how to assess and improve the performance and yield of existing installations, as well as to develop new and better design of new systems.

Benefits for the Organization
With a comprehensive approach to the modeling of the entire photovoltaic value chain, professionals can develop a deep and wide understanding of the whole PV discipline. With the right skills and knowledge, they will be able to steer and affect the design and development of solar cells and PV installations. This will result in a positive impact on both their organization's performance and our wider society. Enterprises will see an improvement in their employees' ability to improve and innovate their existing operation, and a reduction of costs which previously resulted from mistakes due to a lack of skills and/or understanding of the technical background.

Certificates

If you successfully complete this program you will earn a Professional Education Certificate and you are eligible to receive 4.8 Continuing Education Units (CEUs).

View sample certificate

For the first course, understanding the physics behind solar cells, knowing how they generate electricity and knowledge of the design and processing methods of solar cells are important prerequisites for this course. For the second course, comprehensive modeling will be used to achieve an accurate energy yield prediction of PV systems, therefore basic knowledge of how PV systems work is required to follow this course.

If you seek refresher courses that will help you prepare for this course, you may want to review the content of the free online courses offered by TU Delft:

If you have any questions about this course or the TU Delft online learning environment, please visit our Help & Support page.