Course Syllabus
Course Information ECE 333: Green Electric Energy
Course Overview
Electric power grid structure and policy; analysis of wind, solar, and fuels as raw resources; wind turbines and parks; solar cells, modules, arrays and systems; fuel cell power plants; energy and financial performance of green energy projects; integration of green energy into power grid. Course Information: Prerequisite: ECE 205 or ECE 210.
Course Goals and Objectives
Instructional Objectives are listed in the course description.
Course Structure
This is a 3 credit hour course. The course is 16 weeks long and consists of 16 content modules. You should dedicate approximately 10-12 hours per week to working on the course itself, but actual time commitments will vary depending on your input, needs, and personal study habits. For additional information about student commitment, please see the policies page.
Required Texts
You can order the required textbook from the Illini Union Bookstore (IUB) (217-333-2050). Be certain you select the correct term from the Search by Course dropdown list. Used books are often available and can be provided at a cost savings to you. If you are ordering books elsewhere (e.g., Amazon.com), please be sure to order the correct edition and year of publication.
Gilbert M. Masters, Renewable and Efficient Electric Power Systems, Second edition, IEEE Press - Wiley, 2013.
- ISBN-13: 978-1-118-14062-8 ISBN-10: 1118140621
Course Components
This course will consist of the following components:
Weekly Overviews
Each module will begin with the module overview, which will explain what the module is about, what learning goals you are expected to achieve, how long the module will take, and in what activities you will participate. Each module is designed with the same structure and activities unless otherwise specified. The module activities are explained in greater detail below. You can find the due dates of specific assignments on each week's Overview page.
Readings and Lessons
Each module will contain a list of lectures (in-person and recorded) and assigned readings. In some cases, optional or supplemental readings may be listed for further study. Lessons cover major topics from the readings but do not necessarily include all important information from the readings.
Lectures
Our class will meet weekly in-person. Lectures will be recorded and made available on Mediaspace.
Our Lectures will meet Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11:00 - 12:20 central time in ECEB 2017. Please refer to the Weekly Overviews for any exceptions.
Prior to each weekly live session, students are expected to read assigned material and viewed previous lectures.
Assignments
Homeworks will be assigned weekly and due approximately 1 week later. Note, the lowest homework grade will be dropped for the final grade.
Deadlines
If you are unable to meet a particular deadline, it is your responsibility to make prior arrangements with the instructor for that given week. Otherwise, work submitted less than 24 hours past the deadline will receive a 10% penalty, and work submitted later than 24 hours will not be considered for grading.
Exams
This course includes two midterm exams and a Final exam. See Exam Information for details.
Conflict Exams: Conflict exams must be requested before the exam and ideally with at least 1 week notice. Conflict exams will be scheduled before the actual exam date.
Accommodations
To obtain disability-related academic adjustments and/or auxiliary aids, students should contact both the instructor and the Disability Resources and Educational Services (DRES) as soon as possible. You can contact DRES at 1207 S. Oak Street, Champaign, (217) 333-1970, or via email at disability@illinois.edu.
Grading
Grading is on an absolute scale.
Weightings as follows:
| Item | Weight |
|---|---|
| Homeworks, Class Participation | 20% |
| Exam #1 - February 21st, 7-9 pm | 25% |
| Exam #2 - April 4th, 7-9 pm | 25% |
|
Final Examination - Thursday, May 9th, 7-10 pm 3031 Campus Instructional Facility |
30% |
Grading Scale
The instructor reserves the right to adjust the grade cut-offs down (in the student's favor) but will not adjust up.
| Percentage | Letter Grade |
|---|---|
| 97-100 | A+ |
| 94-96.9 | A |
| 90-93.9 | A- |
| 87-89.9 | B+ |
| 84-86.9 | B |
| 80-83.9 | B- |
| 77-79.9 | C+ |
| 74-76.9 | C |
| 70-73.9 | C- |
| 67-69.9 | D+ |
| 64-66.9 | D |
| 60-63.9 | D- |
| Below 59.9 | F |
Instructor Information
Andrew Stillwell
Electrical and Computer Engineering
The Grainger College of Engineering
Contact Information
Email: AndrewRS@illinois.edu
Office Hours: Tuesdays, 1:30 - 3:00 pm in 4034 ECEB and over Zoom
About Me
I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. I received dual B.S. degrees in Electrical Engineering and Computer Engineering from University of Missouri, Columbia, MO in 2005. I worked in industry for seven years at National Instruments in Austin, TX before arriving at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where I received M.S. and Ph.D degrees in electrical and computer engineering in 2015 and 2019 respectively. My research interests include renewable energy applications, hybrid switched-capacitor converters, power electronics design optimization, high-density and high-efficiency power converters, and advanced control techniques for multi-level converters.
TA Information
Muhao Tian
Contact Information
Email: MuhaoT2@illinois.edu
Office Hours: Wednesdays, 3:00 - 4:30 in 4036 ECEB
Policies
Emergency Response Recommendations
Emergency response recommendations can be found at the following website: http://police.illinois.edu/emergency-preparedness/. I encourage you to review this website and the campus building floor plans website within the first 10 days of class. http://police.illinois.edu/emergency-preparedness/building-emergency-action-plans/.
Accommodations
To obtain disability-related academic adjustments and/or auxiliary aids, students should contact both the instructor and the Disability Resources and Educational Services (DRES) as soon as possible. You can contact DRES at 1207 S. Oak Street, Champaign, (217) 333-1970, or via email at disability@illinois.edu.
Student Commitment
By registering for this course, you commit to self-motivated study, participation in in-class/online course activities, and timely submission of all assignments. Furthermore, you commit to accessing the course website and checking email at least four days per week, as well as to devoting at least 6–8 hrs./week to preparing for each module and completing the required assignments and readings.
Instructor Responses
Instructor Feedback Turnaround Time
Questions posted to the Course Canvas Forums generally will be answered within 24 hours. If possible, students are encouraged to answer questions posted by other students to the Course Canvas Forums , rather than waiting for an instructor's response.
Assignments submitted online will be reviewed and graded within 5 business days. Exams, essays, and term papers will be graded within 10 business days. If your instructor is unable to meet this timeline, students will be notified.
Responding to Emails
The instructor will respond to email messages within 24 hours of receiving them unless the instructor notifies you ahead of time of an inability to do so. When sending email, include a subject line that identifies the course number and nature of your question. The instructor may not respond to questions sent to him that should be posted in the Course Help Discussion Forum. Please don't be offended if you are asked to forward your question to this location.
Responding to the Discussion Forums
The role of the instructor within the discussion forums is to help facilitate discussion by providing probing questions, asking for clarification, and helping solve conflicts as necessary. The instructor will not respond to every post. You are encouraged to share your thoughts, experiences, and ideas with each other as well.
Academic Integrity
Academic dishonesty will not be tolerated. Examples of academic dishonesty include the following:
- Cheating
- Fabrication
- Facilitating infractions of academic integrity
- Plagiarism
- Bribes, favors, and threats
- Academic interference
- Examination by proxy
- Grade tampering
- Non-original works
Should an incident arise in which a student is thought to have violated academic integrity, the student will be processed under the disciplinary policy set forth in the Illinois Academic Integrity Policy. If you do not understand relevant definitions of academic infractions, contact your instructor for an explanation within the first week of class.
Copyright
Student Content
Participants in University of Illinois courses retain copyright of all assignments and posts they complete; however, all materials may be used for educational purposes within the given course. In group projects, only the portion of the work completed by a particular individual is copyrighted by that individual. The University of Illinois may request that students' materials be shared with future courses, but such sharing will only be done with the students' consent. The information that students submit during a course may, however, be used for the purposes of administrative data collection and research. No personal information is retained without the students' consent.
Non-student Content
Everything on this site and within University of Illinois courses is copyrighted. The copyrights of all non-student work are owned by the University of Illinois Board of Trustees, except in approved cases where the original creator retains copyright of the material. Copyrights to external links are owned by or are the responsibility of those external sites. Students are free to view and print material from this site so long as
- The material is used for informational purposes only.
- The material is used for noncommercial purposes only.
- Copies of any material include the respective copyright notice.
These materials may not be mirrored or reproduced on non-University of Illinois websites without the express written permission of the University of Illinois Board of Trustees. To request permission, please contact the academic unit for the program.
Student Behavior
Student Conduct
Students are expected to behave in accordance with the penal and civil statutes of all applicable local, state, and federal governments, with the rules and regulations of the Board of Regents, and with university regulations and administrative rules.
For more information about the student code and handbook, see the CITL course policies page.
Netiquette
In any social interaction, certain rules of etiquette are expected and contribute to more enjoyable and productive communication. The following are tips for interacting online via email or discussion board messages, adapted from guidelines originally compiled by Chuq Von Rospach and Gene Spafford (1995):
- Remember that the person receiving your message is someone like you, deserving and appreciating courtesy and respect.
- Be brief; succinct, thoughtful messages have the greatest effect.
- Your messages reflect on you personally; take time to make sure that you are proud of their form and content.
- Use descriptive subject headings in your emails.
- Think about your audience and the relevance of your messages.
- Be careful when you use humor and sarcasm; absent the voice inflections and body language that aid face-to-face communication, internet messages are easy to misinterpret.
- When making follow-up comments, summarize the parts of the message to which you are responding.
- Avoid repeating what has already been said; needless repetition is ineffective communication.
- Cite appropriate references whenever using someone else's ideas, thoughts, or words.
Communications
Daily Contact
Your daily contact should be via the discussion forums in our Learning Management System and via email.
Course Questions
Questions pertaining to the course should be posted in our Course Discussion Forums. You can get to this forum from the course home page. Posting questions here allows everyone to benefit from the answers. If you have a question, someone else is probably wondering the same thing. Anyone submitting a question via email will be directed to resubmit the question to the Course Discussion Forums. Also, participants should not hesitate to answer questions posed by peers if they know the answers and the instructor has not yet responded. This not only expedites the process but also encourages peer interaction and support.
Personal and Grade-Related Questions
Questions of a personal nature should first be sent to the instructor's email address (listed on the Instructor Information section). When sending email, include a subject that identifies the course number and nature of your question.
Emergencies
If you have an emergency that will keep you from participating in the course, please notify your instructor by using the instructor's email address (listed on the Instructor Information page). Provide callback information in your email (if necessary). You should also notify your program director of any emergencies.
Zoom
Zoom is a tool that allows multiple people to join together simultaneously via a computer to text chat, audio chat, video chat, collaborate on a digital whiteboard, and even share their computer desktops with one another. The instructor's Virtual Office (when available) makes use of Zoom.
Instructor's Virtual Office
Another way to communicate with the instructor is to make use of the Virtual Office hours through the Zoom Meeting Interface. The instructor will be available for office hours via Zoom on the dates and during the times listed on the Virtual Office page in the Syllabus.
Announcements
The Announcements forum serves as a way for your instructor and University of Illinois administrators to make announcements within our online learning environment. Announcements posted here will also be sent to your Illinois email address, so be sure to check your email or the Announcements forum at least once a day to see whether any new announcements have been made.
Anti-Racism and Inclusivity Statement
The intent is to raise student and instructor awareness of the ongoing threat of bias and racism and of the need to take personal responsibility in creating an inclusive learning environment.
The Grainger College of Engineering is committed to the creation of an anti-racist, inclusive community that welcomes diversity along a number of dimensions, including, but not limited to, race, ethnicity and national origins, gender and gender identity, sexuality, disability status, class, age, or religious beliefs. The College recognizes that we are learning together in the midst of the Black Lives Matter movement, that Black, Hispanic, and Indigenous voices and contributions have largely either been excluded from, or not recognized in, science and engineering, and that both overt racism and micro-aggressions threaten the well-being of our students and our university community.
The effectiveness of this course is dependent upon each of us to create a safe and encouraging learning environment that allows for the open exchange of ideas while also ensuring equitable opportunities and respect for all of us. Everyone is expected to help establish and maintain an environment where students, staff, and faculty can contribute without fear of personal ridicule, or intolerant or offensive language. If you witness or experience racism, discrimination, micro-aggressions, or other offensive behavior, you are encouraged to bring this to the attention of the course director if you feel comfortable. You can also report these behaviors to Campus Belonging Resources. Based on your report, Campus Belonging Resources members will follow up and reach out to students to make sure they have the support they need to be healthy and safe. If the reported behavior also violates university policy, staff in the Office for Student Conflict Resolution may respond as well and will take appropriate action.
Sexual Misconduct Policy and Reporting
The University of Illinois is committed to combating sexual misconduct. Faculty and staff members are required to report any instances of sexual misconduct to the university’s Title IX and Disability Office. In turn, an individual with the Title IX and Disability Office will provide information about rights and options, including accommodations, support services, the campus disciplinary process, and law enforcement options.
A list of the designated university employees who, as counselors, confidential advisors, and medical professionals, do not have this reporting responsibility and can maintain confidentiality, can be found in the Confidential Resources section. Other information about resources and reporting is available at wecare.illinois.edu.
Student Wellness Resources
The University of Illinois strives to promote student success through the support of student psychological and emotional well-being. Please take advantage of the resources listed on the Student Affairs website.
Getting Help
Course Help Discussion Board
Only contact your instructor directly if you have a personal or grade-related question. For all other questions about course content, activities, deadlines, technical problems, etc., please check the Course Help Discussion Board to see if someone has already asked your same question and received a response. If your question isn't there yet, post your question to the Course Help Discussion Board. Feel free to help your peers out if you know the answer!
Technology Requirements
Please review the Essential Technology for Students established for all Engineering courses. Additionally, you can view the video playback guidelines for help with video content.
Technology Help
For technical problems, email consult@illinois.edu.
Please review the following resources to better equip you to use the educational technologies required in your course.
Illinois Canvas
As the online learning management system for Illinois, Illinois Canvas lets students, faculty, and staff check grades, submit assignments, and store and download instructional and training materials. It is possible to use Illinois Canvas from any computer, tablet, or phone. For a list of help topics, please visit Illinois Canvas Training Resources for Students.
Zoom
Zoom is a web-conferencing tool that allows students to text chat, audio chat, and video chat with each other and with their instructor. Here are some resources to help you with Zoom:
- If you need help getting started with Zoom, please see the Technology Services pages about Zoom (Links to an external site.) to answer your questions. You can also watch video tutorials on the Zoom Video Tutorials page (Links to an external site.).
- If you experience technical issues with Zoom in your course, email consult@illinois.edu.
- Zoom also provides 24x7 support that includes chat, phone and ticket submissions. Questions about Zoom features should be directed to support.zoom.us (Links to an external site.).