Solar resource (3 ECTS)

1. General introduction to solar radiation.
2. Measurement of solar radiation.
3. Estimation of solar radiation.
4. Sources of solar radiation data.
5. Generation of series for simulation.

Solar energy at low temperature (3 ECTS)

1. Components of low temperature solar thermal systems
2. Solar systems for single-family houses
3. Large scale low temperature solar thermal systems
4. Solar air systems.
5. Salt gradient solar ponds.
6. Solar cooling systems
7. Applications for simulating solar thermal systems

Photovoltaic solar systems (6 ECTS)

1. Fundamentals of photovoltaic conversion
2. Elements and components in photovoltaic systems.
3. Photovoltaic applications.
4. Design and optimisation of photovoltaic installations.
5. Characterisation of electrical demands aimed at photovoltaic integration.
6. . Functional and economic optimisation of photovoltaic projects.

Medium concentration solar systems (4,5 ECTS)

1. Basic concepts and commercial potential of solar thermal power plants
2. Basic components of parabolic trough collectors (PTCs)
3. Main applications of parabolic trough collectors
4. Parabolic trough solar collector plants.
5. Operation and maintenance of parabolic trough plants.
6. Instrumentation, measurement and control equipment for parabolic trough collector fields.
7. Linear Fresnel concentrators.
8. Direct steam generation with linear focus solar concentrators.
9. Dimensioning of parabolic trough fields.
10. Classroom directed activity: sizing of an actual PTC field

High concentration solar energy systems (6 ECTS)

1. Introduction to High Concentration Solar Technology.
2. Central Receiver Systems.
3. Parabolic Disks.
4. Materials for high solar radiation fluxes

Solar energy and desalination (3 ECTS)

1. Basics of desalination.
2. Thermal distillation technologies (LT-MED & TVC-MED)
3. Thermal distillation technologies (MSF & MVC)
4. Reverse osmosis technology.
5. Low-capacity solar desalination technologies (Solar stills & HDH)
6. Membrane distillation technology
7. New technologies associated with desalination processes (SGP, ZLD)

Solar energy and construction (3 ECTS)

1. Building physics fundamentals.
2. Natural Conditioning Techniques. Applications in new construction and rehabilitation.
3. Energy simulation of buildings. Design applications. Regulatory programmes. Control applications.
4. Experimental evaluation of the thermal comfort of buildings.
5. Integration of solar heating and cooling systems in buildings.
6. Design of near-zero net energy buildings. Definitions and tools.
7. Building metrology. Energy and climate variables.
8. Building modelling based on experimental campaigns.

Solar energy and agriculture (3 ECTS)

1. Plants as solar collectors
2. The greenhouse as a solar collector: energy consumption and generation
3. Greenhouse climate control systems.
4. Energy balances and modelling of climate variables in greenhouses
5. Crop growth models and control.
6. Experimental learning in Las Palmerillas and IFAPA.

Thermal storage and other concentrating solar energy applications (4,5 ECTS)

1. Heat sensitive storage: concept and materials
2. Thermocline and packed bed tanks.
3. Storage in Latent Heat: Concept and integration in solar thermal power plants.
4. Materials for storage in latent heat.
5. Thermochemical storage.
6. Solar Thermochemistry.
7. Solar Hydrogen.
8. Thermochemical cycles and solar reactors
9. Materials processing with concentrated solar energy

Modeling, control and energy management in solar energy plants (4,5 ECTS)

1. Introduction to the modeling, simulation and control of solar energy plants.
2. Basic elements of the problem of control of solar energy plants and industrial examples.
3. Modeling and simulation of solar power plants.
4. Characterization of system dynamics, perturbations and non-linearity.
5. Basic control techniques. Basic diagrams of the control of solar energy plants and aplications to distributed solar collectors.
6. Identification and advanced control techniques. .
7. Energy management in solar energy plants.

Photo-reactors and photo-bioreactors (4,5 ECTS)

1. Photo-reactors for water treatment and disinfection
2. General introduction to water problems (shortages, contaminants and pathogens)
3. Solar reactors for photocatalysis: technical aspects and industrial plants
4. Chemical pollutants and micro-pollutants in water, analytical techniques.
5. Water decontamination through solar radiation.
6. Water disinfection through solar photocatalysis.
7. Solar disinfection (SODIS) for vulnerable communities. .

1. Photobioreactors (FBRs) for mass cultivation of microalgae.
2. Introduction to the cultivation of photosynthetic microorganisms.
3. Light distribution in dense crops. Light-limited growth kinetics.
4. Photobioreactors, types and modes of operation.
5. Optimization of productivity in FBRs and maximization of photosynthetic efficiency.
6. Design of gas exchange in FBRs.
7. Hydraulic design and thermal exchanges in PBRs.
8. Integrated design of industrial FBRs.

R&D&i in solar energy (3 ECTS)

1. The scientific research work
2. The scientific knowledge.
3. Planning of scientific experimentation.
4. Exploitation of results in experimental sciences.
5. The Doctoral Thesis
6. Scientific production and evaluation
7. Scientific articles and patents.
8. Magazines.
9. Research projects and training of research personnel.
10. Scientific facilities

Case studies and economic analysis of projects  (3 ECTS)

1. Economic analysis of projects
2. Practice on photovoltaics.
3. Practice on building.
4. Practice on greenhouses.

Field tests at PSA (3 ECTS)

1. Practice on Solar Thermal Concentration Systems.
2. Practice on desalination by means of solar energy.
3. Practice on detoxification by means of solar photocatalysis

Masters’ project (3 ECTS)