Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

The student will be able to:

1. Apply basic principles of electricity to the analysis of electric circuits.
2. Describe how the basic components of a photovoltaic electric system function.
3. Explain the principle of operation and characteristics of a three-phase motor.
4. Operate a Volt/Amp meter to analyze simple DC circuits.
5. Describe energy conservation in the context of a reusable energy system.
6. List two main purposes of transformers and perform various basic transformer computations.

1. Homework, laboratory worksheets, and quizzes may be used to assess outcomes.
2. Specific evaluation procedures will be defined during the first week of class.
3. In general, grading will depend on homework, quizzes, and lab work.

THEMES, CONCEPTS, AND ISSUES:

1. Electrical circuits consist of certain basic components.
2. Renewable energy applications are a "real world" use of circuit components and principles.
3. Energy conservation depends on design choices.
4. Three-phase motors are found in many practical applications.

CONTENT

1. Basic Principles of Electricity
   1. OHMS Law
   2. Kirchoff's Law
   3. Direct Current
   4. Alternating Current
   5. Series circuits
   6. Parallel circuits
2. Photovoltaic Electric Systems
   1. Batteries
   2. Charge controllers
   3. Inverters
   4. Loads
3. Electric Motors
   1. Types
   2. Operation
   3. Control
4. In The Laboratory
   1. Measure current
   2. Measure voltage
   3. Measure power
   4. Observe and measure photovoltaic electric system operation
   5. Observe and measure motor operation

COMPETENCIES AND SKILLS:
The student will be able to:

1. Apply basic electrical principles to circuit analysis.
2. Sketch a simple photovoltaic electric system.
3. Sketch the output of a three-phase motor.
4. Apply conservation principles in designing the load for a photovoltaic electric system.