Online education with PV factory

We describe PV Factory, a cloud-based software platform that simulates a solar cell manufacturing line. Released as freeware in 2015, its purpose is to educate engineers and students on the steps to manufacture c-Si solar cells, and how the input conditions of those steps affect cell efficiency. PV Factory has been tested by using it to deliver courses on solar cell manufacturing at UNSW in late 2014 and ASU in early 2015. By monitoring the progress of students, the effectiveness of the course and of the software itself can be gauged. The outcomes from these courses are presented.