ECE333
ECE333 (Green Electric Energy) is a 3 credit hour course that counts as a technical elective for both EEs and CEs. It is offered in the fall and spring semesters.
Content Covered
- History of the electric power industry, energy policy
- Electric power grid
- Single phase power circuit analysis
- Wind energy conversion
- Economics
- Energy from the Sun
- Solar cell modeling
ECE333 begins with a brief overview of the history of the American electric power industry, covering past and present energy policy. The course discusses the electric power grid, describing its various components and the considerations that go into maintaining grid stability. Important power circuit analysis concepts are then covered, including RMS values, real, reactive, and complex power, power factor, and power factor correction.
The course then moves into wind energy conversion. Students will learn about the various types of wind turbines, power from the wind, altitude and shear considerations, the different types of wind generators and rotors, the Betz limit, tip speed ratio, the idealized wind power curve, and the probabilistic model for wind speed. The course then briefly covers some economics concepts relevant to power systems and engineering in general, namely cash flow, discount rate, net present value, internal rate of return, and inflation.
Students will then learn about concepts related to solar energy, including blackbody radiation, Planck’s law, solar irradiation, determining the position of the Sun, solar declination, and the altitude and azimuth angles of the Sun. Basic semiconductor physics is introduced to explain solar energy conversion using solar cells. The IV characteristics, equivalent circuit models, maximum power point, and fill factor of solar cells are covered. Students will also learn the configuration of solar cells into solar modules, the solar module equivalent circuit, the effects of shading, bypass and blocking diodes, and maximum power point tracking.
Prerequisites
The only official prerequisite to this course is ECE210. Familiarity with complex numbers and phasors from ECE210 is important for ECE333.
Though this is a course in the power subdiscipline, there is no expectation that you have taken ECE330. All relevant concepts from ECE330 (real, reactive, and complex power, power factor correction) are taught at the beginning of the course.
When to Take It
Take this course if you have an interest in renewable energy. No courses directly follow ECE333, so there is no rush to take this course, unless you are specifically looking for internships in the renewable energy industry. For students interested in the power and energy field, taking this course later may leave you with a greater appreciation of the concepts. That being said, ECE333 can really be taken anytime after taking ECE210.
Course Structure
ECE333 has a light workload. The course has weekly homework assignments which cover topics discussed in the previous week. The homework problems generally come from the textbook and are not too difficult.
This course has two midterm exams and one final exam. Exam problems are generally a good mix of conceptual questions and problems that require computation. For the first midterm, students are allowed to bring one cheat sheet, for the second midterm, students are allowed to bring two cheat sheets, and for the final, students are allowed to bring three cheat sheets. It is highly recommended to make one new cheat sheet for each exam, as this will help greatly with studying. Students on average usually do well on the exams in ECE333. ECE333 is graded on an absolute scale, so doing well on exams is important for doing well in the class.
Instructors
Recently, Professors Stillwell and Mironenko have taught this course. Both have strong backgrounds in the power and renewable energy fields.
Course Tips
Do not skip lecture, as this will only require you to spend more time searching through the textbook in order to complete the homework. While preparing for exams, go through your notes and through relevant sections of the textbook and be sure to write down unfamiliar concepts and formulas on your cheat sheet.
Life After
ECE333 is an excellent course for students looking to work in the renewable energy industry, as much of what you learn in this course has direct applications to the industry. No courses directly follow ECE333. Students looking to pursue renewable energy further should look toward courses in the power field, beginning with ECE330 - Power Circuits and Electromechanics, if they have not already taken it. After ECE330, students could consider ECE431 - Electric Machinery, ECE464 - Power Electronics, ECE469 - Power Electronics Laboratory, ECE476 - Power System Analysis, and ECE486 - Control Systems. Students who enjoyed the section on solar energy conversion could also consider ECE443 - LEDs and Solar Cells.
Infamous Topics
None!
Resources
The textbook for ECE333, Renewable and Efficient Electric Power Systems, written by Gilbert Masters, is an excellent resource. It covers some additional renewable energy topics not covered in ECE333 and also contains supplementary practice problems similar to those in the homework.