Section 900: Monday/Wednesday 12:00PM-2:00PM 1010 DOW

ENERGY GENERATION AND CONVERSION: FROM FIRE TO HIGH EFFICIENCY SOLAR CELLS AND LEDs

Jamie Phillips/Tom Bowden

Energy is the key resource to sustain life and control inanimate systems. Engineers are continuously finding ways to efficiently generate, store, and use energy for desired purposes, which has evolved tremendously. The human discovery of fire provided a means to convert stored energy to heat and light through combustion. The discovery of electricity took energy conversion to a new level, with devices such as the light bulb to produce light with less energy. Devices based on electronics are having an increasing impact on our everyday lives, including solar cells to generate energy, batteries to store electricity, microelectronics for computing and wireless communications, and light emitting diodes to efficiently produce light. This course will focus on the process of conversion and usage of energy in electrical devices, which will appeal to engineers in all disciplines. In addition to the science and technology, economic and societal considerations will be addressed.

This section will include team-based laboratory experiments to study energy conversion in polycrystalline silicon solar cells, charging and discharging of Ni-Hydride batteries, and conversion of electricity to light in high-brightness light emitting diodes. Following laboratory experiments, teams will design and present their own proposed energy systems based on these devices to solve a real-world problem. In addition to team activities, students will individually complete regular homework and writing assignments, as well as a midterm and final exam.