The Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering at the Amrita School of Engineering at Coimbatore campus organized a two-day training program on Solar Photovoltaic Systems during August 3 – 4, 2013.

The program was organized by Amrita in its role as Knowledge Partner for the Society of Energy Engineers and Managers (SEEM), a national association of certified energy auditors and managers in India.

The training program that included both theoretical and hands-on sessions attracted over 30 participants from academia and industry.

Topics covered included SPV System Design, SPV Sizing and Specifications, Inverters and Charge Controllers.

The demo and practice sessions gave participants the opportunity to understand the nuances of system performance testing, panel testing, MPPT controllers and inverters.

“It is important to test the complete IV characteristics of your panel – then only its peak power rating can be validated. Moreover, ageing can cause reduction in this peak power value,” noted S. R. Mohanrajan, Assistant Professor, Amrita Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, while explaining Solar Cell Basics.

“MPPT helps the battery with maximum charging current but it cannot guarantee. It depends on the state of charge in the battery and yet it pushes maximum available sun power to the grid in the grid-connected system,” commented Dr. Vijaya Kumari, Assistant Professor, Amrita Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering.

The participants were unanimous in their positive feedback for the training program conducted.

“The workshop was extremely useful. It provided step-by-step guidance on what was to be done from the design stage to the testing and implementation stages,” stated a participant from industry.

“I learned much useful information on Solar PV systems and got something interesting and practical out of each lecture. I thank the Amrita Professors for conducting such a wonderful program,” shared a graduate student.

Chimed in the Amrita team, “The participants were very keen and interactive. We are also happy to have delivered something useful for the solar industry.”

Earlier the same team had organized a three-day workshop titled Solar Photovoltaic Systems – Laboratory and Field Practice during July 25 – 27, 2013.

This workshop meant for young professionals and entrepreneurs attracted 34 participants. It was organized in association with the IEEE Industrial Electronics Society Student Branch Chapter at Amrita.

Participants learned about the facilities available in the Amrita Renewable Energy Lab. They saw the Amrita 1MW Grid Connected Solar PV Plant.

“Our lab provides adequate infrastructure required for doing research projects on Solar Photovoltaic Systems,” remarked Dr. Sasi, Professor, Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, who convened the workshop.

September 4, 2013
School of Engineering, Coimbatore