Renewable Solar Energy (Master)

Master modern solar energy technology and learn the main principles of photovoltaics! While studying at the program, you will gain insight on underlying physical principals and materials science aspects of photovoltaics, solar module development technology, the equipment, design and maintenance of solar power plants.

Master the most cutting-edge field of modern power engineering and build a successful career at international research- and technology-intensive companies!

The program focuses on the latest trends in the field of renewable energy and photovoltaics. Students get acquainted with underlying physical principals and materials science aspects of photovoltaics, solar module manufacturing technology, the equipment involved in design and maintenance of solar power plants. The curriculum pays special attention to the newest solar cell production technique - HIT (Heterojunction with Intrinsic Thin layer). The curriculum also includes basic, specialized and comprehensive courses. The program has been independently certified and awarded the EUR-ACE® label by the European Network for Accreditation of Engineering Education (ENAEE).

The main areas of research at the Photonics Department are the following:

• quantum dot organic LEDs;
• laser and fluorescence emitters based on colloidal nanoparticles;
• solar-blind and visible-blind photodetectors;
• organic solar cells;
• high-performance visible and ultra-violet light emitting diodes (LED);
• production of thin-film silicon carbide solar cells;
• development of multi-junction photovoltaic device structuresand high-performance TCO materials;
• development of modern flexible solar cells with a novel encapsulation technology
• development of processes and equipment for low-cost, wide-scale and high-yield photovoltaic device manufacturing.

Students of the Photonics Department have access to the most modern and complex technological equipment and metrology tools, carry out experiments and gain new skills of operating real metrology devices and technological equipment. Special attention is dedicated to silicon photovoltaics, including the most efficient HIT structures. 

Master’s students attend lab classes and carry out research at laboratories of ETU “LETI” partners:  

• R&D Center TFTE. TFTE is the research branch of the company Hevel Solar.
• Ioffe Institute. One of the Russia’s biggest research institutes in physics and technology. 
• Saint Petersburg National Research Academic University of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Alferov University) is the only University in Russia, which was founded by Nobel Prize laureate in Physics (2000) prof. Zhores Alferov.