Online Course
Established through the Australian Research Council, the School of Photovoltaic and Renewable Energy Engineering and the ARC Photovoltaics Centre of Excellence have been world leaders in Silicon Photovoltaic Cells for nearly two decades. During this period the flagship photovoltaics course, Applied Photovoltaics, was developed at UNSW. Designed as a 4th year and postgraduate electrical engineering elective the course and book were developed and written by the people actually doing the world-class research.
This course, minus the laboratory component, is now offered to the public under the name Photovoltaic Devices and Applications.
Photovolatic Devices and Applications
The School of Photovoltaic and Renewable Energy Engineering and the ARC Photovoltaics Centre of Excellence are currently offering to the public the online course Photovoltaic Devices and Applications. Presently this is not a university award course and academic credit for this course cannot be used as credit points in a degree. The course has been designed for professional engineers, or others with a similar educational background, wishing to develop expertise in the field. New for 2007, this 12 - 16 week on-line course is now available either in an engineering strand for professional engineers or in a essay based ‘minimal mathematics’ strand for professional architects and related occupations.
Click here Photovoltaic Devices and Applications for additional information on this on-line course.
About the Achievements of the
Australian Research Council's Photovoltaics Centre of Excellence
and the
School of Photovoltaic and Renewable Energy Engineering
UNSW
Australian Prize Award Winners
L to R: Professor Martin Green, Prime Minister John Howard, Professor Stuart Wenham
The School's two senior researchers, Professor Martin Green and Professor Stuart Wenham were awarded Australia's highest scientific award: the 1999 Australia Prize for their world renowned achievements in Photovoltaics. This is the first time that this international award has been won by an all Australian team. Along with the School's world records in high efficiency silicon solar cells, the School's world-wide commercial successes in developing and licensing intellectual property was acknowledged. This award validates the Federal Government's views for photovoltaics in Australia's and the world's future.
World Class Research Team
As well as having Professors Green and Wenham the School boasts an international selection of post doctorate researchers. China, Germany, Switzerland and the United States are all well represented.
World Record Holders
World Record Solar Cell Efficiencies held by the UNSW's ARC Photovoltaics Centre of Excellence Laboratories.
Click here to see the Centre's World Records.
For nearly two decades the School of Photovoltaic and Renewable Energy Engineering has held Silicon Solar Cell High Efficiency world records. The School publishes approximately 60 academic papers each year (most of which are available for download from the School's Home Page) covering the full spectrum of photovoltaic research: from quantum wires in device physics to grid-interactive photovoltaic systems on houses. Staff are also actively involved in advising government and companies on policy and economic issues.
Approximately twenty-five doctoral candidates are also supervised by the team.
Undergraduate Degree Programs
Unique to UNSW is the Bachelor of Engineering in Photovoltaics and Solar Energy Degree. Undergraduates are now trained specifically in technology, from solar cell laboratory procedure to PV systems design, that allows them to immediately work in an industry that is growing by 38% per annum.
In addition to this is the Bachelor of Engineering in Renewable Energy, a degree program added in 2003, focusing on all aspects of Renewable Energy.
Buried Contact Solar Cells
High Efficiency Solar Cell Processing in CPVELaboratories.>
The UNSW Buried Contact Solar Cell technology (also called "Laser Grooved Technology") has been licensed commercially to the majority of large solar cell manufactures in the world. This high efficiency commercial technology is becoming the dominant technology in Europe where it has been released by one of the Centre's licensees, BP Solar, under the "Saturn Technology". This high efficiency commercial technology has excellent manufacturing economics and its spectral, temperature and cloudy condition response make this an ideal technology.
Thin Film Solar Cells
The School's commercial development of Thin-Film solar cell technology began in 1995 with the formation of Pacific Solar, a joint cooperative venture between Pacific Power (the electricity generation authority of NSW) and The University of New South Wales. During the technology development stage, over A$100 million was invested in Pacific Solar. With the development stage completed, in 2004 Pacific Solar sold its physical assets to a new German company, CGS Solar AG, to form a production line in Germany. The thin-film Crystalline Silicon on Glass product uses 1/100 of the silicon thickness of wafer based technologies and yet still delivers 65% of the power.