Photovoltaics

• Introduction on current global market trends and PV applications
• Basics on PV technologies
• PV system design with PVSyst (basics)
• Core tasks about grid integration
• PV project development, implementation and O&M
• Different business models
• Economics and bankability of on-grid PV projects
• Hands-on work with solar equipment
• Site visit to a large-scale PV power plant

• Assess solar resource and yield
• Identify PV plant components
• Design a plant with PVsyst (basic design)
• Analyze operational data from a real PV system
• Evaluate the core activities within the PV value chain
• Assess main steps of project development, implementation and O&M
• Comprehend key stakeholders, project structures, contracts and approvals
• Identify risks, risk mitigation, dos and don'ts
• Assess business models, the KPIs and main costs (CAPEX and OPEX) of PV project calculation
• Evaluate a project with an according economic efficiency calculation tool

• Renewable energy status and market development
• Fundamentals of energy and solar radiation
• Photovoltaics (Off-grid, grid-tied)
• Bioenergy- solid biomass, biogas, biofuels
• Small hydropower
• Wind energy technology and project development
• Concentrating solar power and solar thermal technology
• Grid integration of renewable energy sources

• Describe how each technology works,
• Assess the appropriateness of each technology for different situations
• Undertake initial system designs and sizing
• Recognise the main renewable energy market sectors
• Communicate effectively and knowledgably with technology suppliers and customers

• Any one new to the subject of RE
• Persons who would like to start a career in this field
• Persons who need to advise on the suitability of a RE technology

• Energy demand and power balance
• PV systems capacity
• Potential of solar resource
• Site requirement
• Environmental and social impact assessment
• Planning of main components (no detailed planning or design)
• Grid access (no grid study or details about grid access)
• Feasibility study on technology, economics, operations and risk assessment

• Understand the main remits of project development and planning and relevant content of feasibility studies
• Identify the requirements for a feasible PV project
• Take go / no-go decisions and sort out unfeasible projects
• Prepare a feasibility study

This training suits those who:

• Want to develop PV projects
• Plan PV projects
• Evaluate the feasibility of PV projects

• Applications
• Components: solar panels, charge controllers, batteries, inverters
• System configurations
• Site surveys: solar irradiation and shading
• Energy efficiency considerations
• System sizing
• Operation and maintenance (O&M)
• System installation: hands-on work with real components.

• Evaluate components, system topologies and available industry products
• Assess energy savings potential and calculate suitable system sizes
• Identify project risks and mitigation strategies
• Install a simple off-grid system and perform some commissioning tasks.

This training suits those who:

• Are technically responsible for power generation systems in rural areas
• Want to integrate solar photovoltaic (PV) solutions into their portfolio
• Need to evaluate the technical potential of small-scale off-grid PV systems.

• Basics on design of PV systems
• Solar resource assessment and site survey
• Sizing of main components and PV systems
• Design and yield simulation with standard software
• Economic project assessment

• Design a PV system according to site conditions, standards and further requirements
• Select, size and match electrical components according to best practice
• Simulate the design and yield of a PV system using standard software
• Adapt the design according to economical requirements

This training suits those who:

• Aim to become a PV system designer
• Wish to understand how a PV plant is set up properly
• Need to evaluate PV systems in more technical detail
• Optimize the design according to economical requirements

• Basics on design of PV systems
• Solar resource assessment and site survey
• Sizing of main components and PV systems
• Design and yield simulation with standard software
• Economic project assessment

• Design a PV system according to site conditions, standards and further requirements
• Select, size and match electrical components according to best practice
• Simulate the design and yield of a PV system using standard software
• Adapt the design according to economical requirements

This training suits those who:

• Aim to become a PV system designer
• Wish to understand how a PV plant is set up properly
• Need to evaluate PV systems in more technical detail
• Optimize the design according to economical requirements

• Introduction to photovoltaic systems
• Review of the whole construction and installation process
• Mounting and cabling of PV panels
• String inverter mounting and cabling
• DC and AC wiring (including protective devices), combiner box installation
• Commissioning: testing, measuring and fault-finding
• Installing and wiring monitoring systems
• PV-specific occupational Health and Safety

• Identify special requirements for the installation of main PV system components
• Instruct their workforce to carry out installation tasks in the required quality
• Pinpoint PV specific hazards and propose suitable counter-measures
• Plan and manage construction and maintenance tasks efficiently

This training suits those who:

• Responsibly supervise work teams on-site
• Train staff who are to carry out installation tasks
• Manage the construction of PV systems

• Basics about operation and maintenance of PV systems
• Asset management
• PV system assessment, performance analysis and optimization
• PV systems maintenance (preventive, corrective and predictive)
• Troubleshooting for PV systems
• Reporting
• Health and safety
• Case studies

• Identify the requirements for proper PV system O&M
• Evaluate the performance of a PV plant
• Pinpoint the measures for performance optimization and troubleshooting
• Plan and manage the O&M procedures including health and safety and reporting

This training suits those who:

• Operate PV plants
• Implement maintenance services for PV systems
• Optimise the performance of PV plants

• Basics on electrics, hydraulics and PV
• Components for a solar pumping project
• System configurations and sizing
• Installation of solar pumping systems
• Operation and maintenance (O&M)
• Financial and economic tasks

• Determine the most important basics for solar pumping projects
• Evaluate components, system topologies and available industry products
• Understand system configuration and sizing
• Identify dos and don’ts for installation and operation and maintenance
• Calculate a project

This training suits those who:

• Are technically responsible for power generation systems in rural areas with focus on agriculture
• Want to integrate solar pumping solutions into their portfolio
• Need to evaluate the technical and economic potential of solar pumping systems.

• Brownfield and greenfield hybridisation projects using solar PV
• Evaluate project risks and mitigation strategies
• Financial analysis and business case
• Hands-on work with solar equipment
• Site visit to a PV-hybrid company

• Evaluate suitable hybridisation projects
• List all major components, identify their functions and how they can be coupled
• Identify energy efficiency as one key success factor
• Analyse the functionality of an energy management system
• Visit a potential project site and analyse the solar resource
• Size a solar PV array and battery storage (lead-acid and Li-Ion) to meet the energy demand of a rural electrification project
• Evaluate project risks and mitigation strategies
• Analyse the hybridisation business case (fuel and emissions savings)

This training suits those who:

• are responsible for power generation systems in rural areas
• want to integrate solar hybrid solutions into their portfolio
• need to evaluate the opportunities of PV-diesel hybridisation.

• PV system components and design
• Project development – basics and entrepreneurship
• EPC – basics and entrepreneurship
• Operation and maintenance – basics and entrepreneurship
• Investing in and financing of PV projects
• Economics of PV projects
• Different scenarios of suitable business models in target country
• Key contracts and principle of subcontracting
• Development of a business plan for different scenarios

• Apply technical, legal and financial aspects of grid connected utility scale PV projects
• Identify key aspects of the project development chain, explain important milestones of the PV project life-cycle, and analyse operational PV system data
• Understand how to start business in PV sector
• Set up their own business plan in the local PV sector in order to become an entrepreneur.

• Consultants
• Public and private companies
• Start-ups
• Entrepreneurs
• Managers

• Introduction to PV technology
• Typical PV systems and applications
• Recent developments in the global PV market and outlook
• Current energy policies and financial support schemes for PV
• Management of solar projects with case studies
• Solar investments
• Economic assessment and financing (with case studies)
• Technical introduction into funding characteristics of solar projects and costs of solar technologies
• Financing schemes
• Financial products
• Business plan preparation
• Assessment of cash-flow analyses and due diligence of solar projects
• Risk profiles and financing risks

• PV system / Grid connected / Off-grid Application
• Energy flow and metering options
• Solar irradiation and space requirements
• PV system energy yield
• Economics of PV systems

After completion of this course, participants will be able to:

• Describe a range of grid-connected and off-grid PV applications and how they are useful
• Visualise how onsite PV electricity generation can meet daily electricity demand describe solar irradiation around the globe
• Calculate the required spacing between PV module rows to avoid self-shading
• Calculate the basic energy yield from a PV system using Peak Sun Hours and Performance Ratio
• Explain which factors influence the capital and operational expenditures of PV systems, and give examples of system costs in different countries around the world
• Perform basic calculations of payback time and unit cost of electricity for grid-connected and off-grid PV systems

• PV cells and modules
• PV inverters
• Battery storage
• Other PV system components
• How to implement a good PV system

After completing the course, participants will be able to:

• Explain the principles of photovoltaic electricity generation
• Identify the key components of photovoltaic and storage systems and explain their interdependence
• Evaluate the quality of a photovoltaic system
• Contribute to the successful realisation of photovoltaic projects

• Applications
• System configurations
• System components
• System design and sizing
• Installation, commissioning, operation & maintenance
• Economics of off-grid PV systems

After completion of this course, participants will be able to:

• Distinguish between different off-grid photovoltaic (PV) system applications and configurations
• Name and explain the required components for off-grid PV systems
• Manage the design, sizing, installation and commissioning of an off-grid PV system
• Analyse the economic viability of off-grid PV systems

• Introduction to small- and medium-scale grid-connected PV systems
• Feed-in tariffs and net metering
• Components of grid-tied PV systems
• Design and sizing of grid-connected PV systems
• Installation of grid-connected PV systems
• Commissioning grid-connected PV systems
• Operation and maintenance of grid-connected systems
• Case Study – 3kWp Grid-connected System, Germany

After completion of this course, participants will be able to:

• Distinguish the feed-in tariff and net-metering incentive schemes for grid-connected PV systems
• Name and explain the required components for grid-connected PV systems
• Perform preliminary grid-connected PV system design and sizing
• Describe the tasks during commissioning, operation and maintenance

• Project mission
• Main system components
• Project development
• Project planning
• Construction and installation
• PV plant operation

After completion of this course, participants will be able to:

• Define and explain the required components of the PV power plant
• Describe the contracts, studies and permissions required for PV project development
• Present all necessary steps from planning to operation and maintenance
• Assess and supervise the implementation of a large-scale PV power plant

• Overview of business model design
• Suitable business models for the main actors involved in utility-scale PV projects: project developers, investors, EPC contractors, O&M contractors, independent engineers, specialists for inspection and testing, mechanical installers of mounting structures and PV modules, SMEs for service and repair

After completion of this course, participants will be able to:

• Describe and implement the Business Model Navigator method for designing business models
• Describe suitable business models for the main actors involved in utility-scale PV projects

This training suits those who:

• Are professionals planning to be involved in utility-scale PV projects, engineers, project developers, banks and other lenders, investors, EPC contractors, independent engineers, installers, O&M engineers

• Key aspects of a bankable business plan in the PV market
• Business plans for the main actors involved in utility-scale PV projects: project developers, investors, EPC contractors, O&M contractors, independent engineers, specialists for inspection and testing, mechanical installers of mounting structures and PV modules, SMEs for service and repair

After completion of this course, participants will be able to:

• Describe key aspects of a bankable business plan in the PV market
• Describe suitable business plans for the main actors involved in utility-scale PV projects

This training suits those who

• Are professionals planning to be involved in utility-scale PV projects, engineers, project developers, banks and other lenders, investors, EPC contractors, independent engineers, installers, O&M engineers

• System components
• System sizing
• Dynamic system behavior
• Economic evaluation
• Case studies

After completion of this course, participants will be able to:

• Estimate the potential and suitable locations for PV-diesel hybrid systems
• Decide which components are to be used for which purpose
• Explain the basic parameters for system sizing and dynamic system behavior
• Evaluate PV-diesel hybrid systems from an economic perspective

• Introduction to feasibility case study
• Feasibility study – PV integration and conclusions
• Technical aspects of conversion from diesel-only to
• Additional options to optimize system
• Financial analysis – key parameters
• Installation, commissioning, operation and maintenance

After completion of this course, participants will be able to:

• Distinguish between different system designs and their preferable application
• Lead a feasibility study to integrate PV into an existing diesel power system
• Explain the functioning of system components, operational strategies and how to optimise potential
• Assess and supervise the planning and implementation of a PV-diesel power plant