This project establishes a 2.5 kilowatt photovoltaic test station with associated instrumentation that is integrated into several courses in the undergraduate electrical engineering curriculum at the University of Arkansas, Little Rock. Laboratory experiments using the test station and corresponding course modules covering renewable energy, sustainability, and the smart grid are to be inserted into a project based freshmen engineering course and a junior level course on power systems engineering. A new senior level course in renewable energy is also being developed. The senior level course is multidisciplinary and is being offered to students in electrical engineering, systems engineering, engineering technology and physics. The project includes rigorous formative and summative evaluation plans with both qualitative and quantitative components coordinated by an independent evaluator. The evaluation plan is designed to establish the quality of the materials and to ensure the project goals are met. The project's results are being disseminated through conferences and journal publications and through workshops coordinated with professional societies. The photovoltaic test station is also being used as part of an outreach effort to high schools in the Little Rock area with the goal of getting high school students, particularly those from underrepresented groups, interested in science and engineering.
With energy cost rising along with a public concern for energy security and the dangers of climate change due to energy-related greenhouse effect, there has been a great national interest in renewable energy. A Course Curriculum Laboratory Improvement (CCLI) Type I NSF proposal under the title "Development of Novel Learning Materials for Green Energy Education Centered around a Photovoltaic (PV) Test Station" was awarded to develop exemplary learning materials and laboratory modules for PV engineering at the undergraduate/graduate levels. In developing the course materials, emphasis is placed on the hardware system design starting from the solar panel output to end user and grid connectivity. PV energy storage with modern battery technology has been illustrated with practical design. Fourteen course modules along with a set of laboratory modules have been developed and field-tested to more than 30 undergraduate engineering/technology students. Their assessments have been used to fine tune the modules. A new laboratory facility on PV engineering has also been established. The course and laboratory modules (power points) are portable to any institution in the country or abroad. The undergraduates included students not only from Arkansas, but also from surrounding states and as far as from Massachusetts. The course was taught as a special topics course and now it has been recommended as a graduate/undergraduate level course for any qualified student in the Engineering College. Integration of undergraduate research is a component of the project activities. Eight undergraduates and two of them who joined the MS degree program participated in completion of the project. Six undergraduate senior projects were completed and fourteen publications with undergraduates as coauthors were published in regional and international conferences and symposiums. Two Master's theses on PV power quality and control were completed through the funding. Outreach activities to high school students were carried out over three summers (about 225 students) to promote enthusiasm and interests in renewable energy. The program included guest speakers, overview of solar/wind energy and hands-on laboratory activities on PV engineering. Their interest and curiosity were further enhanced by a car race powered by solar energy. The students' assessments on the activities are overwhelmingly positive and indicate a strong affinity for renewable energy.
