The goal of the course is to give students awareness of the largest alternative form of energy and how organic / polymer solar cells can harvest this energy. The course provides an insight into the theory behind organic solar cells and describes the three main research areas within the field i.e. materials, stability and processing.
NOTE: This course is a specialized course on organic solar cells. If you are looking for a more general solar cell course, we strongly recommend Introduction to solar cells (https://www.coursera.org/learn/solar-cells).
Organic Solar Cells - Theory and Practice
Offered By
Technical University of Denmark (DTU)
Syllabus - What you will learn from this course
Week
1Solar Cells and Life Cycle Analysis
By the end of the module we have set the following goals for you: -You should have gained knowledge on solar cells, and their place as a renewable energy -Be able to distinguish between different solar cell technologies -Describe the difference between the three generations of solar cells -Identify the four steps of life cycle analysis -Determine differences between embedded energy, energy return factor, and energy payback time.
7 videos (Total 52 min), 9 readings, 3 quizzes
7 videos
Introduction10m
3 Generations of Solar Cells11m
Tutorial - Introduction1m
Tutorial - Terms and Abbreviations10m
Life Cycle Analysis - Part I9m
Life Cycle Analysis - Part II6m
9 readings
Welcome1m
Terms and abbreviations10m
Solar energy10m
Solar cells10m
Solar cells - the three generations10m
Life cycle analysis10m
Comparison of OPV with other technologies10m
Environmental impacts of OPV10m
Interpreting the results for OPV10m
3 practice exercises
Solar cells10m
Getting to Know the OPV Jargon16m
LCA4m
Week
2Organic and Polymer Solar Cells
By the end of this module you should: -Be able to identify the different steps in the theory behind the solar cells -Be able to measure the efficiency of a solar cell -Be able to describe the different layers in the solar cell and understand their function -Be ready to argue for different applications of the solar cells.
6 videos (Total 85 min), 8 readings, 2 quizzes
6 videos
How to Characterize Solar Cells4m
Tutorial - IV Curves7m
Layers in the Solar Cell7m
Applications4m
Recorded Live Session I56m
8 readings
Polymer solar cells10m
Why polymer solar cells10m
How to messure solar cells10m
Incident photon-to-current efficiency (IPCE)10m
How do polymer solar cells work10m
The layer stack10m
Tandem Solar Cells10m
Suggested Materials10m
2 practice exercises
Determine Solar Cell Parameters8m
Working Principles6m
Week
3Materials in Solar Cells
By the end of this module you should: -Know why we need conjugated polymers and side chains -Know about low band gap polymers -Be able to identify the most common polymerization methods -Be familiar with common characterization techniques used with the materials -Know about acceptor materials used in the active layer of organic solar cells.
6 videos (Total 103 min), 10 readings, 3 quizzes
6 videos
Polymers7m
Synthesis7m
Characterization of Polymers7m
Examples from Literature6m
Recorded Live Session II5m
10 readings
Conjugated polymers10m
Side chains10m
Important materials10m
Suggested Materials10m
Polymer synthesis10m
Purification10m
UV-vis spectroscopy10m
Electrochemical measurements10m
Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)10m
Size exclusion chromatography10m
3 practice exercises
Materials10m
Polymerization8m
Characterization10m
Week
4Stability and Degradation
By the end of this module you should: -Be able to identify different kinds of degradation behaviours -Know about decay curves, including concepts such as burn-in and T80 -Distinguish between different ISOS standards.
7 videos (Total 107 min), 9 readings, 3 quizzes
7 videos
Decay Curves6m
ISOS Standards12m
Stability Examples6m
Morphological Stability 4m
Electrical Defects9m
Recorded Live Session III39s
9 readings
Degradation and stability10m
Morphological stability10m
Suggested Materials10m
Suggested Materials10m
ISOS standards10m
Morphological stability10m
Flexibility and delamination10m
Polymer stability10m
LBIC10m
3 practice exercises
Decay Curves8m
ISOS8m
Stability and Degradation8m
4.6
186 Reviews13%
started a new career after completing these courses
17%
got a tangible career benefit from this course
10%
got a pay increase or promotion
Top Reviews
By JS•Jan 22nd 2016
I learned new skills and theory about OPV. It's a very comprehensive and well structured course. I recommend it to every person who wants to improve their knowledge in solar panels technology.
By ES•Nov 12th 2018
At first, there was a lot of chemistry which scared me a bit but I like how it was really linked to engineering. I loved it. I got exactly what I wanted to know about OPV technology.
Instructors
Eva Bundgaard
PhD, Senior ScientistDTU Energy
Frederik C. Krebs
PhD, ProfessorDTU Energy
Mikkel Jørgensen
PhD, Senior ScientistDTU Energy
Morten Vesterager Madsen
ResearcherDTU Energy
About Technical University of Denmark (DTU)
DTU focuses on research in technical and natural sciences that contributes to the development of society. As an industrially orientated university, our goal is to supply high-level international research based on combining theory with constructing models and empirical methods.
Frequently Asked Questions
When will I have access to the lectures and assignments?
Once you enroll for a Certificate, you’ll have access to all videos, quizzes, and programming assignments (if applicable). Peer review assignments can only be submitted and reviewed once your session has begun. If you choose to explore the course without purchasing, you may not be able to access certain assignments.
What will I get if I purchase the Certificate?
When you purchase a Certificate you get access to all course materials, including graded assignments. Upon completing the course, your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile. If you only want to read and view the course content, you can audit the course for free.
What is the refund policy?
Is financial aid available?
Is this course for me?
Organic Solar Cells - Theory and Practice is a specialized course on organic solar cells. If you are looking for a more general course we can strongly recommend Introduction to solar cells (https://www.coursera.org/learn/solar-cells). as an alternative
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