Physics of Solar Energy

The course covers the physics of solar energy as the scientific background of its exploration in a logical and unified way, focused on issues with practical significance, and as self-contained as possible. To accommodate students of various majors, such as applied physics, architecture, civil engineering, chemical engineering and mechanical engineering, certain basic topics in physics as related to solar energy are presented from scratch. In Chapter 2, the foundation of quantum physics, Einstein's theory of photons and his derivation of the black-body radiation, is presented. In Chapter 3, basic astronomy of solar system is presented. In Chapter 5, basic thermodynamics is presented with regard to solar energy. Chapter 6 presents solid-state physics related to solar cells starting from basic concepts. Although it is a 4000-level course, its prerequisites are limited only to the standard 1000-level courses of physics and mathematics: general physics (PHYS C1401x, C1402y, C1403x, C1601x, and C1602y) and freshman mathematics including ordinary differential equations and complex numbers (MATH V1201 and V1202, E1210x or y). Familiarity in general chemistry (CHEM C1403x-C1403y) is preferred. It is planned to be taught in one semester, two 60-minute lectures per week, with a total of 26 lectures plus two exams. The course is organized in 8 chapters. The number following th