SOLA2540 Applied Photovoltaics
The Complete Study & Assessment Guide · T3 2026SOLA2540 Overview
- UNSW Sydney
- Term 3, 2026
- Level 2
- Individual coursework
SOLA2540 Applied Photovoltaics develops the calculations and professional reasoning used to design stand-alone PV systems. The course begins with a service brief and load assessment, then moves through energy storage, solar-resource assessment, solar cells and modules, PV-module sizing, inverter sizing, installation, design and costing.
- Assessment route Quizzes, lab reports and a stand-alone PV system design project
- Hardest step Keeping energy, maximum demand and surge attached to the right component
- How to prepare Recompute each design chain and explain the controlling constraint
How SOLA2540 is assessed
| Component | Weight | Format |
|---|---|---|
| Quizzes | 20% | Individual tests scheduled in Weeks 2, 5, 8 and 10; the lecture material describes four quizzes assessing understanding |
| Lab reports | 30% | Individual practical reports on photovoltaic cells and systems, scheduled in Weeks 5, 8 and 10 |
| PV System Design | 50% | Individual stand-alone PV system design with component sizing, selection and economic analysis, staged across Weeks 7, 10 and 12 |
What SOLA2540 covers
The guide follows the course design chain from stand-alone architecture and load assessment through solar-resource selection, PV array sizing, storage, inverters and protection, then closes with the prediction and evidence method used in circuit simulation.
System Design and Load Assessment
Stand-alone architecture, daily energy, maximum demand, surge and service prioritiesStand-alone PV design starts by defining the service and tracing the energy path. Unlike a grid-connected system, a stand-alone installation cannot rely on the network to absorb surplus or cover a shortfall.
- Grid-connected and stand-alone systems use different design philosophies because only the grid-connected case has network backup
- The stand-alone energy path links array, controller, battery, direct DC loads, inverter and AC loads
- Daily design energy is the sum of appliance count, power and operating time
- AC and DC energy are calculated separately before AC demand is referred to the DC bus through inverter efficiency
- Maximum demand uses credible coincidence, not an automatic sum of every nameplate
- Surge demand is a short apparent-power event that may control inverter and battery selection
Solar Resource and PV Array Sizing
Design month, tilted-plane irradiation, module derating, subsystem losses and string checksPV array sizing connects a seasonal service requirement to the solar resource on the proposed plane of array. The process begins with site analysis: location, orientation, tilt, shading, available area, access and environmental exposure.
- Site analysis records plane orientation, tilt, shading, available area, access and environmental conditions
- The design month is chosen by comparing seasonal load with the matching useful solar resource
- Peak-sun hours represent daily irradiation on the plane of array for energy calculations
- Standard-test-condition module power is adjusted with named manufacturing, temperature and soiling factors
- Independent loss factors are multiplied rather than added as one vague percentage
- Subsystem efficiency follows the selected energy path through cables, controller and storage
Storage, Inverters and Protection
Battery autonomy, depth of discharge, apparent power, surge, cables and fault isolationComponent selection is a matrix of energy, power, duration, temperature and connection constraints.
- Battery energy capacity depends on daily DC-bus energy, autonomy, bus voltage and maximum depth of discharge
- Battery power capability and surge duty are checked separately from stored energy
- The selected discharge-rate capacity and operating temperature must match the application
- Inverter running demand is expressed in apparent power when load power factor is below one
- Continuous, duration-limited and surge ratings cannot be substituted for one another
- Controller checks include array voltage, array current, battery charging regime and temperature compensation
Circuit Simulation and Technical Evidence
Voltage-divider sweeps, RC transients, quantitative comparison and clear technical graphsThe formative circuit laboratory establishes a method that later cell and module simulations depend on. A voltage divider is predicted analytically, tested with a DC sweep, and then driven by a sinusoidal source.
- A resistive divider produces a linear output-input relationship with gradient R2 divided by R1 plus R2
- A DC sweep tests gradient, intercept and endpoint predictions across an input range
- A transient source needs amplitude, frequency, stop time, saved interval and timestep stated
- The RC time constant supports qualitative and quantitative predictions of transient response
- Phase is calculated from the time shift between corresponding waveform features and the signal period
- Steady-state measurements exclude the initial transient interval
This guide follows the same connected workflow. You will separate daily energy from maximum and surge demand, choose a seasonal design case, derate module output, size an array and battery, test controllers and inverters against voltage, current and apparent-power limits, and finish with protection and technical-evidence checks.
The captured teaching materials emphasise that a design is shaped by user preferences: availability, safety, critical loads, autonomy, maintainability, flexibility, power quality and whole-of-life cost can pull the hardware in different directions. That is why every worked result closes with an interface or service check instead of treating the first calculated number as a purchase recommendation.
The laboratory strand introduces LTspice through a voltage divider and RC circuit. It rewards a method that later PV modelling also needs: predict analytically, configure the model, export and present the data, compare values quantitatively and explain the physical behaviour.
Use this guide to rehearse that method with original scenarios, then follow the current Moodle task brief for active submission instructions and AI conditions.
Worked example · free
Refer an AC load table to the DC bus
- +1Keep the boundaries separate: the DC loads already draw from the DC bus, while AC energy must pass through the inverter.
- +1Refer the AC energy to the DC bus: 3,200/0.90 = 3,555.6 Wh/day.
- +1Add the direct DC energy: 3,555.6 + 900 = 4,455.6 Wh/day, or 4.46 kWh/day at sensible precision.
- +1Daily energy informs storage and array work, but inverter sizing needs simultaneous apparent power, power factor and start-up surge, which are absent here.
Key terms
- Daily design energy
- The watt-hours required by the planned load over a design day. It is found from appliance power, count and use duration, with AC and DC energy tracked across the relevant conversion path.
- Maximum demand
- The credible simultaneous power of the highest-power load and other loads likely to operate with it. It is not the sum of every appliance unless every appliance can genuinely coincide.
- Surge demand
- The short-duration apparent-power requirement during starting or another transient event. Motor surge can control inverter, battery and protection selection even when daily energy is modest.
- Design month
- The seasonal case in which useful solar input is most demanding relative to the required service. It is selected by comparing load and adjusted plane-of-array resource, not by annual averages.
- Module derating
- The conversion of standard-test-condition module power into a design value using named effects such as manufacturing tolerance, effective cell temperature and soiling.
- Days of autonomy
- The agreed period for which storage must serve the design load without the renewable source, shaped by criticality, resource intermittency, backup and acceptable loss of load.
- Depth of discharge
- The fraction of a battery's rated capacity removed during discharge. A design maximum limits usable capacity and affects required ampere-hours and expected cycling duty.
- Power factor
- The ratio of real power to apparent power. A value below one means equipment and conductors carry more volt-amperes than the real-watt total alone suggests.
SOLA2540 FAQ
How is the course assessed?
The published Moodle table has three individual components: quizzes worth 20%, lab reports worth 30%, and a PV System Design project worth 50%. Their weights total 100%. The schedule places quiz activity in Weeks 2, 5, 8 and 10, lab-report work in Weeks 5, 8 and 10, and staged project activity in Weeks 7, 10 and 12. Confirm the current deadline, required files and AI condition on each live Moodle task page.
How difficult is Applied Photovoltaics?
The challenge is integration rather than one isolated formula. A load assumption can change the design month, array, battery, inverter and protection together. The course materials expect calculations of system performance and component matching, so strong work keeps units, boundaries and assumptions visible and closes every numerical answer with a compatibility or service check.
Regularly recomputing a complete design chain is more useful than memorising disconnected equations.
What is the difference between energy and maximum demand?
Daily energy is measured in watt-hours and represents use accumulated over time. Maximum demand is a credible simultaneous power condition, and surge is a shorter start-up apparent-power condition. Array and battery energy calculations rely on daily watt-hours, while inverter, battery power, cables and protection must also satisfy maximum and surge demand.
Treating the daily total as an inverter rating mixes different physical quantities.
How do I choose the solar design month?
Compare seasonal load energy with solar irradiation on the proposed plane of array after considering site orientation, tilt and shading. The controlling month is the toughest useful-resource-to-service case, which may reflect high demand, weak resource or both. Record the site data and load case used. An annual-average resource value can conceal the period that actually determines array and storage requirements.
What should I show in a battery calculation?
Show daily DC-bus energy, the agreed autonomy period, nominal bus voltage and maximum depth of discharge, then apply temperature and discharge-rate information from the selected battery data. Recompute achieved autonomy after choosing a commercial bank and separately verify maximum and surge current. A calculated ampere-hour value alone is not a complete battery selection.
What makes a strong laboratory report?
The formative laboratory rubric rewards a legible schematic and correct settings, analytical predictions made before simulation, quantitative comparison, clear graphs and a physical explanation.
Label axes with units, use a descriptive title and legend, identify the settled measurement interval, compare predicted and simulated values numerically, and explain why the circuit behaves that way rather than saying only that the plot looks correct.
Questions students ask in each SOLA2540 chapter
- Why are daily energy and maximum demand different?
- Daily energy accumulates appliance use over time and is measured in watt-hours. Maximum demand is a simultaneous power condition measured in watts or volt-amperes. A small motor can use little energy yet create the controlling surge, while a low-power communications load can dominate daily energy because it runs continuously. Arrays and storage need the energy result, but inverters, batteries, conductors and protection also need demand and surge checks. Chapter 01 · System Design and Load Assessment
- Why not size the array from annual average sunshine?
- A stand-alone design must serve the controlling seasonal case. Annual averages can hide a month with weak irradiation, strong demand or both. Compare monthly or seasonal load with resource on the proposed array plane, then justify the selected design month. If backup generation or planned shedding changes the service during that period, include the operational rule rather than assuming unlimited support. Chapter 02 · Solar Resource and PV Array Sizing
- Is the battery ampere-hour result the final selection?
- No. The energy calculation gives a minimum capacity for the stated daily demand, autonomy, bus voltage and usable depth of discharge. Apply temperature and use the correct discharge-rate basis, then compare commercial configurations. Separately verify maximum and surge current, charging current, cycle duty, maintenance, transport and safe installation. Recompute achieved autonomy and daily depth after choosing the actual bank. Chapter 03 · Storage, Inverters and Protection
- Why predict before running a simulation?
- A prior prediction gives the simulation a testable claim. For the divider, it sets the expected gradient, intercept and endpoints; for the RC response, it sets the direction and approximate size of attenuation and lag. If the simulation appears first, it is easy to rationalise any trace. Recording the prediction makes setup errors visible and supports a genuine comparison. Chapter 04 · Circuit Simulation and Technical Evidence
How to prepare for the assessments
Study the course as one design argument. Begin with a small original load table and calculate daily energy, credible maximum demand and surge separately. Vary the season and service priority, then carry the controlling case into solar-resource and array work. Write a loss ledger so module derating, controller efficiency, battery efficiency and inverter efficiency each appear once on the correct energy path.
For storage, calculate the energy-based ampere-hours and then perform the power and surge checks; for the inverter, move from watts to volt-amperes using power factor and attach durations to ratings. Maintain a single-line diagram beside the worksheet so controller limits, cable voltage drop, isolation and overcurrent protection are checked at the actual connection points.
For laboratory preparation, make the analytical prediction before running LTspice, preserve the command and exported data, and practise writing one paragraph that compares predicted and simulated values with units and a physical explanation. Use current Moodle briefs for deadlines and permitted AI use. The captured project description contains both AI-permitted and no-AI activities, so permission must be read per deliverable.
In the final review, change one important assumption and trace every dependent result; any number that fails to update reveals a broken design chain.
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