First results with a virtual platform for the renewable energy technology courses

Abstract

In the modern world, where everything changes at an extremely fast rate, a constant and everyday updating of knowledge is imperative. The recent growth of renewable energy usage, as well as the development of new and effective tools for monitoring, operation and control require to the training of workforce in the field of renewable energy systems. Nowadays all energy companies use renewable energy sources applications. As those technologies change quickly, instructors, engineers and researchers need to keep this fast pace and update their knowledge and keep up with innovative concepts. Since traditional learning methods are time consuming and sometimes impractical, learning through the Internet seems maybe the only effective and feasible solution. There is a need for new learning tools and practical experiences which can now be met by new teaching methods, such as virtual learning. In recent years due to the Internet advances, and the fast development of computer technologies, E-Learning has been well accepted in many different education areas and at many universities. Computing and communication technology have had a significant impact on engineering education, improving online, distance, and collaborative learning, as well as the use of the virtual and remote experiments, laboratories and simulations. On the other hand, the renewable energy technology has a great development rate and it is mandatory also for professionals, engineers, and technicians to be informed about their domains' new features. Distance-learning programs and remote laboratories are ideal for them to update their knowledge and skills. These tools developed are mainly designed as a base for a virtual laboratory that can be used for the study of renewable energy system parameters, representing, by didactical point of view, a handful way for students to study the phenomenology and also a training tool for specialists, technicians and engineers in the renewable energy technologies. This paper presents a virtual platform conceived for the study of the renewable energy sources and energy conversion systems. Besides of the study of the generated renewable energy or energy conversion system parameters, the monitoring using virtual instrumentation is implemented. The virtual platform realized using the LabVIEW, Interactive Data Language, Maple and MATLAB/Simulink environments. It will provide students with enhanced tools of study, virtual experiments on renewable energy sources, energy conversion and hybrid power systems. The proposed system provides the learner with information about the most important functions, principles and operational problems of each of the renewable energy sources and energy systems included. © American Society for Engineering Education, 2013.