PrintAE 878: Solar Project Development and Finance
This syllabus is divided into several sections. You can read it sequentially by scrolling down the length of the document or by clicking on any of the links below to “jump” to a specific section. It is essential that you read the entire document as well as material covered in the Course Orientation. Together these serve as our course "contract."
- Instructor
- Course Overview
- Required Course Materials
- Assignments and Grading
- Course Schedule
- Course Policies
Instructor
Dr. Susan W. Stewart
Research Associate, Departments of Architectural Engineering and Aerospace Engineering College of Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University.
- E-mail: Please use the course e-mail system (see the Inbox tab in Canvas).
- Office Hours: I will check for and reply to messages at least once a day. Please contact me to make an appointment if you’d like to speak to me at a given time. I am flexible and will make every effort to accommodate your schedule.
NOTE: I will read and respond to e-mail and discussion forums at least once per day during the work week (Monday through Friday). You may see me online occasionally on the weekends, but please don't count on it!
Course Overview
Prerequisites: None
A E 878 course examines the theories and practices of photovoltaic system policies, business development and financing. The course builds upon a fundamental understanding of systems engineering, engineering economics, and building energy systems to prepare students to conduct investment grade solar energy system analyses, including proposals and financing plans which consider policy implications as well as project impact to stakeholders. The objective of this course is to provide students with the full systems perspective of a solar energy project including an in-depth understanding of the financial policies and analysis tools required for development and implementation. Students will gain an understanding of the design tools, solar policies, financing tools, and factors affecting the short term and lifecycle costs of solar energy systems.
What I Expect of You
On average, most students spend 8-10 hours per week working on course material and assignments. Your workload may be more or less depending on your study habits.
I have worked hard to make this the most effective and convenient educational experience possible. The Internet may still be a novel learning environment for you, but in one sense it is no different than a traditional college class: how much and how well you learn is ultimately up to you. You will succeed if you are diligent about keeping up with the class schedule and if you take advantage of opportunities to communicate with me, as well as with your fellow students.
Specific learning objectives for each lesson and projects are detailed within each lesson.
Required Course Materials
All materials needed for this course are presented online through our course website and in Canvas. In order to access all materials, you need to have an active Penn State Access Account user ID and password (used to access the online course resources). If you have any questions about obtaining or activating your Penn State Access Account, please contact the Outreach Helpdesk (World Campus student) or Canvas Support (all other campuses and non-credit short course students).
Assignments and Grading
This course will rely upon a variety of methods to assess and evaluate student learning, including:
- Quizzes: Each lesson is accompanied by a quiz that will assess understanding of the course material.
- Anticipatory Questions: Each lesson will begin with anticipatory questions. You are asked to give the question(s) a couple minutes of thought before you begin reading through the lesson material and jot down your initial thoughts in the entry box. Perhaps think of it as a hypothesis on the answer. You are not graded on the accuracy of this submission. Instead, there will be a question on the quiz at the end of the lesson which asks you to reflect on this question again based on what you've learned in the lesson. You will receive full credit on this question if you have both answered the original Anticipatory question and written a thoughtful response on the quiz. If you have not answered the anticipatory question, your quiz response will be reduce by 1/2 of the point value of the question.
- Homework Assignments: typically these will be design assignments that encourage the use of advanced critical thinking skills. Occasionally, these assignments may involve questions that you answer individually and upload in Canvas or questions that you discuss with the class using an Discussions in Canvas. Assignments will be graded on the depth of research, accuracy of results, use of appropriate references, and clear communication of results.
- Exam - There will be a mid-term exam which will evaluate your retention of the material covered in Units 1 & 2.
- Project - There will be a final project which applies your knowledge of solar financial analysis tools as well as solar marketing strategies.
Grade percentages:
- Quizzes (12 - lowest 2 dropped): 20%
- Participation in Weekly Discussion Assignments - 15%
- Homework assignments: 25%
- Mid-Term Exam (1): 20%
- Projects (1): 20%
It is important that your work be submitted in the proper format to the appropriate Canvas Assignment or Discussion and by the designated due date. Many of these activities require some interpretation and independent thinking on your part. As you are working on the assignment, you are encouraged to share ideas and questions you may have in Canvas Discussions. I will read daily and reply as needed. I strongly advise that you not wait until the last minute to complete assignments—give yourself time to ask questions, think things over, and chat with others. You'll learn more, do better...and be happier!
Due dates for all assignments are posted on the course Calendar in Canvas. Assignments are due by midnight Eastern Standard Time.
I will use the Canvas gradebook to keep track of your assessments. You can see your grades, too, by clicking Grades tab in Canvas. For non-credit short course participants, grades will be assigned as a record of your participation.
Course Schedule
Below you will find a summary of the primary learning activities for this course and the associated time frames. This course is twelve weeks in length, with an orientation week preceding the official start of the course. Each lesson is one week long. See the Calendar in Canvas for specific lesson time frames and assignment due dates.
| Lesson | Tasks |
|---|---|
| Course Orientation |
|
| Unit 1: Solar Project Development Process | |
| Lesson 1.1: Project Development Overview |
|
| Lesson 1.2: Solar Technologies |
|
| Lesson 1.3: Solar Industry Supply Chain |
|
| Unit 2: Solar Energy Policy and Impacts | |
| Lesson 2.1: Energy Policy – Federal, State and Local |
|
| Lesson 2.2: Influence of Energy Policy on Private Enterprise |
|
| Lesson 2.3: Mechanics of Legislation and Interplay with Regulatory Agencies |
|
| Unit 3: Solar Project Economic Analysis | |
| Lesson 3.1: Engineering Economics |
|
| Lesson 3.2: Solar Project Cost Accounting |
|
| Lesson 3.3: Financial Analysis Tools |
|
| Unit 4: Marketing Solar | |
| Lesson 4.1: Solar Marketing Overview |
|
| Lesson 4.2: Solar Marketing Tools to Grow Businesses |
|
| Lesson 4.3: Preparing Marketing Materials |
|
Course Policies
Technical Requirements
For this course, we recommend the minimum technical requirements outlined on the Dutton Institute Technical Requirements page, including the requirements listed for same-time, synchronous communications. If you need technical assistance at any point during the course, please contact the Outreach Helpdesk (for World Campus students) or the ITS Help Desk (for students at all other campus locations).
Internet Connection
Access to a reliable broadband Internet connection is required for this course. A problem with your Internet access may not be used as an excuse for late, missing, or incomplete coursework. If you experience problems with your Internet connection while working on this course, it is your responsibility to find an alternative Internet access point, such as a public library or wireless hotspot.
Mixed Content
This site is considered a secure website which means that your connection is encrypted. We do, however, link to content that isn't necessarily encrypted. This is called mixed content. By default, mixed content is blocked in Internet Explorer, Firefox and Chrome. This may result in a blank page or a message saying that only secure content is displayed. Follow the directions on our technical requirements page of the course orientation to view the mixed content.
Equations
This course must be viewed using one of the following browsers: Firefox (any version), Safari (versions 5.1 or 6.0) or Internet Explorer with the MathPlayer PlugIn. If you use any other browsers there will be pages that do not render properly. If you need technical assistance at any point during the course, please contact the Outreach Helpdesk (for World Campus students) or the ITS Help Desk (for students at all other campus locations).
Penn State E-mail Accounts
All official communications from the Penn State World Campus are sent to students' Penn State e-mail accounts. Be sure to check your Penn State account regularly, or forward your Penn State e-mail to your preferred e-mail account, so you don't miss any important information.
Academic Integrity
This course follows the guidelines for academic integrity of Penn State's College of Earth and Mineral Sciences. Penn State defines academic integrity as "the pursuit of scholarly activity in an open, honest and responsible manner." Academic integrity includes "a commitment not to engage in or tolerate acts of falsification, misrepresentation, or deception." In particular, the University defines plagiarism as "the fabrication of information and citations; submitting others' work from professional journals, books, articles, and papers; submission of other students' papers, lab results or project reports and representing the work as one's own." Penalties for violations of academic integrity may include course failure. To learn more, see Penn State's "Plagiarism Tutorial for Students."
Course Copyright
All course materials students receive or to which students have online access are protected by copyright laws. Students may use course materials and make copies for their own use as needed, but unauthorized distribution and/or uploading of materials without the instructor’s express permission is strictly prohibited. University Policy AD 40, the University Policy for the Recording of Classroom Activities and Note Taking Services addresses this issue. Students who engage in the unauthorized distribution of copyrighted materials may be held in violation of the University’s Code of Conduct, and/or liable under Federal and State laws.
Accommodations for Students with Disabilities
Penn State welcomes students with disabilities into the University's educational programs. Every Penn State campus has an office for students with disabilities. The Office for Disability Services (ODS) website provides contact information for every Penn State campus: ODS Disability Liaison Contact Information. For further information, please visit the Office for Disability Services website.
In order to receive consideration for reasonable accommodations, you must contact the appropriate disability services office at the campus where you are officially enrolled, participate in an intake interview, and provide documentation based on the documentation guidelines. If the documentation supports your request for reasonable accommodations, your campus’s disability services office will provide you with an accommodation letter. Please share this letter with your instructors and discuss the accommodations with them as early in your courses as possible. You must follow this process for every semester that you request accommodations.
Military Personnel
Veterans and currently serving military personnel and/or spouses with unique circumstances (e.g., upcoming deployments, drill/duty requirements, disabilities, VA appointments, etc.) are welcome and encouraged to communicate these, in advance if possible, to the instructor in the case that special arrangements need to be made.
Inclement Weather
In case of weather-related delays at the University, this online course will proceed as planned. Your instructor will inform you if there are any extenuating circumstances regarding content or activity due dates in the course due to weather delays. If you are affected by a weather-related emergency, please contact your instructor at the earliest possible time to make special arrangements.
Connect Online with Caution
Penn State is committed to educational access for all. Our students come from all walks of life and have diverse life experiences. As with any other online community, the lack of physical interaction in an online classroom can create a false sense of anonymity and security. While one can make new friends online, digital relationships can also be misleading. Good judgment and decision making are critical when choosing to disclose personal information with others whom you do not know.
Deferred Grades
If you are prevented from completing this course within the prescribed amount of time, it is possible to have the grade deferred with the concurrence of the instructor. To seek a deferred grade, you must submit a written request (by e-mail or U.S. post) to your instructor describing the reason(s) for the request. It is up to your instructor to determine whether or not you will be permitted to receive a deferred grade. If, for any reason, the course work for the deferred grade is not complete by the assigned time, a grade of "F" will be automatically entered on your transcript.
Attendance
This course will be conducted entirely online. There will be no set class meeting times, but you will be required to complete assignments with specific due dates. Many of the assignments are open for multiple days. It is your responsibility to complete the work on time, which may require you to complete the work early if you plan to travel or participate in national holidays, religious observances, or University-approved activities.
If you need to request an exception due to a personal or medical emergency, contact the instructor directly as soon as you are able. The instructor's ability to accommodate you is dependent on the earliest possible notification. Such requests will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Disclaimer: Please note that the specifics of this Course Syllabus can be changed at any time, and you will be responsible for abiding by any such changes. Changes will be posted to the course discussion forum.