Solar energy training; from traditional laboratories to remote laboratories

It is the aim of this paper to review the training methods available for solar energy education. Training activities and state of the art facilities developed by the author are also presented within the paper. The motivation for this research is the ever increasing global use of solar energy which makes it essential to educate people become more familiar with this source of energy and its application. After a brief overview of the topics relevant to the subject¡ four categories are identified as mentioned below and details of each method will be given with real examples. • Traditional laboratories and hands-on Experiments • Local simulation and virtual Laboratories • Remote simulation • Remote experiments or remote laboratories Limited access to training laboratories for all interested parties¡ makes the remote labs a real opportunity for future education. By installing measurement and control instruments in the remote lab¡ graduate and undergraduate students while become familiar with the concepts can do real experiment over the web. These labs can also accompany conventional theoretical courses.