Virtual laboratory for the training and learning of the subject solar resource: OrientSol 2.0

摘要

Nowadays there are a lot of problems concerning the use of energy among society, so a greater support to the renewable energies must be present. Some professors from the University of Jaen, Spain, have wide experience in the field of didactic resources for renewable energies subjects teaching. The use of solar energy in order to obtain electricity is called solar energy photovoltaic. This transformation is possible due to the photovoltaic effect. To design a photovoltaic system in any location it is essential to know the exact amount of solar resource available in the area. For this purpose, collecting data on solar radiation becomes crucial. Currently, there exist databases where we can find information on solar radiation but only for horizontal surfaces (known as global solar irradiance on horizontal surfaces). After this, by applying really complex mathematical equations and algorithms, it is possible to obtain solar radiation data for non-horizontal surfaces. In the present work a virtual laboratory which we developed by us is explained. The virtual laboratory “OrientSol 2.0” is an application developed with Matlab© which allows the users (students) to easily obtain the solar radiation on a non-horizontal surface (variations on tilt and orientation). Also, in this work we present all the experience acquired in some years at the University of Jaen when using this virtual laboratory by students from the following courses: Degree in Electronic Industrial Engineering and Master in Renewable Energy.