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 the power grid. Course Information: Prerequisite: ECE 205 or ECE 210.

Course Goals and Objectives

Instructional Objectives are listed in the course description

Instructor Information

Prof. Olga Mironenko

Electrical and Computer Engineering

The Grainger College of Engineering

Contact Information

Email: olgamiro@illinois.edu

Office: 4066ECEB

Office Hours: Tuesday, 11am - 12pm, ECEB 4034

TA Information

Dennis Butts

Electrical and Computer Engineering

Contact Information

Email: dbutts2@illinois.edu

Office Hours: Thursday, 5:30 - 6:30pm, ECEB 4034

Course Structure

This is a 3-credit-hour course. The course is 16 weeks long and consists of 12 content modules. 

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 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:

Lectures

Our Lectures will meet Tuesdays and Thursdays at 9:30 AM- 10:50 AM at ECEB 1015. Please refer to the Schedule for more information.

Prior to each weekly live session, students are expected to read the assigned material.

Assignments

Homework:

• Homework assignments constitute an essential component of your learning experience in the course and prepare you for your exams in effective ways. Investing time to do your HW assignments with care will pay off when you are taking your exams.
• Throughout the semester, you should expect a total of 10 HW assignments. Typically, they will be assigned weekly and due approximately 1 week later. Throughout the semester, you should expect a total of 10 HW assignments.
• You are allowed to collaborate to understand the problems in the assignment, but each student should solve the problems individually for submission even if they work together initially to understand how to solve the problems. Copying a joint solution or someone else's solution is not acceptable and may lead to sanctions and an 'academic integrity violation' case being opened against you. Sanctions for ’academic integrity violations’ range from a letter grade reduction to an F in the course.
• Using previous semester homework solutions and online solutions (Chegg, etc.) may lead to sanctions and an 'academic integrity violation' case being opened against you. Sanctions for ’academic integrity violations’ range from a letter grade reduction to an F in the course.
• HW assignments will be hosted on Gradescope. Final grades will be posted on Canvas.
• Late submission:
  • HW submitted less than 24 hours past the deadline will receive a 10% penalty, and HW submitted later than 24 hours will not be considered for grading.
• No extensions are allowed. However, to provide students some flexibility and to accommodate for emergency situations, travel etc., the lowest two HW scores will be dropped from the HW average used to compute the final grade. 
• HW solutions will become available on Canvas right after the late submission deadline.
• Regrades:

• • You will receive an email from Gradescope so you can log in and see your graded assignment. If after looking at the posted solutions, you feel there was an inaccuracy in the grading of your assignment, you can request a regrade within Gradescope itself.
  • Regrades open 24 hours after the corresponding HW scores are posted and must be submitted within 7 days. Regrades will not be accepted after that date.

Project:

Small individual project assignment on a green electric energy technology in a societal context. 

Exams:

• Two midterm exams: 7-8:50 pm on Wednesday, October 9 and Wednesday, November 13, 2024. Location: TBD.
• Final Exam: 1:30pm-4:30pm. on Friday, December 13. Location: TBD
• Allowed material: 
  • For Exam 1, one 8.5"x11" sheet (both sides) of your own unique handwritten notes is allowed. No book/laptop/additional notes are allowed. Use of any external resources will result in a 0 on the exam and an Academic Integrity report being filed against you.
    • NOTE: I reserve the right to inspect your note sheet for compliance. Note sheets that are not compliant will result in a points deduction.
  • Please keep your note sheet - you can use your Exam 1 note sheet for Exam 2 (two pages allowed) and the Final (three pages allowed). 
    • NOTE: All notes will be collected by the instructor at the end of the final exam.
  • Food/drink are allowed, but please be considerate of those around you (limit crinkly wrappers etc.)
• Calculations:
  • Standard scientific and graphing calculators are allowed and expected on the exam. No other electronic devices are allowed. The use of prohibited calculation devices will result in an Academic Integrity report being filed against you.
• No collaboration allowed:
  • You are not allowed to share or collaborate on the exams and all work should be your own; otherwise, it will result in an Academic Integrity report being filed against you.
• Solving the exam:
  • You must show all your work unless specified otherwise.  Answers with no explanation/justification/work will be given little/no credit.
• Regrades: 
  • We will use Gradescope to grade the exams, so you will receive an email from Gradescope to log in and see your graded exam. If after looking at the posted solutions, you feel there was an inaccuracy in the grading of your exam, you can request a regrade within Gradescope itself.
  • Regrades should be used only to correct mistakes made in grading. Regrades are not to be used for getting back more partial credit on your exam. Only regrades regarding inaccurate grading will be addressed.
  • Regrades open 24 hours after exam scores are posted and must be submitted within 7 days. Regrades will not be accepted after that date.
• Conflict exam requests:
  • Midterm exams: Some of you might have an overlapping activity that warrants a conflict exam, as indicated in the Article 3 part 202(e) of the student code. We will offer a conflict exam in those cases but you need to get the approval of the instructor in order to be able to take the conflict exam. All students will receive an email with a link to request a conflict two weeks before each exam. If you have a conflict with the exam you must complete the form before the corresponding deadline.
  • Final exam: Please pay attention that there is no conflict exam scheduled for ECE333 final exam. 

    According to the student code,ECE333 has a top priority as a non-combined, synchronous exam scheduled by the Office of the Registrar. Therefore, if 

    • You have another final exam scheduled for the same time. 
    • You would otherwise be taking three final exams consecutively.

    you should take the following actions no later than the last day of classes:

    1. The student must determine whether a conflict exam or asynchronous scheduling option for a final examination is being held at another time for any of the examinations involved.
    2. If a conflict final examination has been scheduled for any of the courses, the student must take one or more of these conflict final examinations. If conflict final examinations are offered for more than one course, the student must take the conflict for the course that has the largest number of students.

    If 

    • You have a national or state professional exam scheduled at the same time. Examples include CPA, actuarial science, Architecture Registration Examination. Please include appropriate documentation.
    • You have prior written approval from Prof. Rashid Bashir, Dean of the Grainger College of Engineering.

    you should notify me by email ASAP, but no later than the last day of classes

• Absence from the exams:
  • Midterm exams: If for some reason of emergency such as severe illness, family emergencies, or other uncontrollable circumstances you are not able to take the exam at the required time, you will need to obtain a written excuse from the Office of the Dean of Students. Documentation which validates the absence is required by the Dean's Office to provide the absence letter.
  • Final exam: If for some reason of emergency such as severe illness you are not able to take the final exam at the required time, you will need to contact the Office of the Dean of Students and request Incomplete grade.

Grading

It is a student's responsibility to check that the correct grades are entered on Canvas.

Grading is on an absolute scale. 

Weightings are as follows:

Item	Weight
Homeworks	15%
Project	5%
Exam #1	25%
Exam #2	25%
Final Examination	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

 

Other Course Policies

Communications

• It is the student's responsibility to attend lectures and check their email daily, in case there are announcements from the course staff. Missing a lecture and/or not checking your email will not excuse complying with course deadlines and policies.
• Course Questions: Questions pertaining to the course should be posted in our Campuswire (9844). You can also 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. If you submit a question via email, probably you will be directed to resubmit the question to the Campuswire.
  • Participants should not hesitate to answer questions posed by peers if they know the answers and the instructor or the TA has not yet responded. This not only expedites the process but also encourages peer interaction and support.
  • In case of emergency, please contact the instructor directly by using the instructor's email address.
  • The course staff also don't answer course material-related questions on the day of the exam.
  • Personal and grade-related questions should first be sent to the instructor's email address.

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. Provide callback information in your email (if necessary). You should also notify your program director of any emergencies.

Emergency Response Recommendations

Emergency response recommendations can be found at the following website: https://police.illinois.edu/em/  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

• We are happy to accommodate all DRES needs for our students. Please forward your DRES letter to your instructor as soon as possible, but no later than 1 week before the midterm exam/HW (December 1^st for the final exam).
• You can contact DRES at 1207 S. Oak Street, Champaign, (217) 333-1970, via email at disability@illinois.edu or via the DRES website.
• All DRES exams will be taken at the Testing Accommodation Center (TAC). Please get familiar with the TAC policy, registration and the deadlines. Although, it is the student’s responsibility to register with the TAC for each exam, please contact your instructor with the DRES letter before taking any actions.

Religious Observances

Illinois law requires the University to reasonably accommodate its students' religious beliefs, observances, and practices in regard to admissions, class attendance, and the scheduling of examinations and work requirements. You should examine this syllabus at the beginning of the semester for potential conflicts between course deadlines and any of your religious observances. If a conflict exists, you should fill out the Religious Accommodation Request form and forward it to your instructor.

This must be done in the first two weeks of classes.

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.

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 for 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.

We in the Illinois ECE community are committed to understanding, empathizing with, and respecting each other, embracing the many differences among us.

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.

Getting Help

Course Help Campuswire

Only contact your instructor directly if you have a personal, grade-related question, or an emergency. For all other questions about course content, activities, deadlines, technical problems, etc., please check the Course Help Campuswire to see if someone has already asked the same question and received a response. If your question isn't there yet, post your question :) Feel free to help your peers out if you know the answer!

Technology Help

For technical problems, email consult@illinois.edu.

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.