This is an archived course. A more recent version may be available at ocw.mit.edu.

Fundamentals of Photovoltaics

Schematic diagram of a photovoltaic solar cell.

A cross-section view of a generic solar cell. (Courtesy of PVCDROM.  Used with permission.)

Instructor(s)

MIT Course Number

2.627 / 2.626

As Taught In

Fall 2011

Level

Undergraduate / Graduate

Course Features

Course Description

In this course, students learn about the fundamentals of photoelectric conversion: charge excitation, conduction, separation, and collection. Lectures cover commercial and emerging photovoltaic technologies and cross-cutting themes, including conversion efficiencies, loss mechanisms, characterization, manufacturing, systems, reliability, life-cycle analysis, and risk analysis. Some of the course will also be devoted to discussing photovoltaic technology evolution in the context of markets, policies, society, and environment.

Other OCW Versions

Archived versions: Question_avt logo

Tonio Buonassisi. 2.627 Fundamentals of Photovoltaics, Fall 2011. (Massachusetts Institute of Technology: MIT OpenCourseWare), https://ocw.mit.edu (Accessed). License: Creative Commons BY-NC-SA


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