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EEE 463 FINAL EXAM LATEST 2026 ACTUAL EXAM WITH COMPLETE
QUESTIONS AND CORRECT DETAILED ANSWERS (100% VERIFIED
ANSWERS) |ALREADY GRADED A+| ||PROFESSOR VERIFIED||
||BRANDNEW!!!||
What is a key advantage of solar thermal systems over
photovoltaics? - ANSWER-The capability of integrating thermal
energy storage (TES).
What is the Stirling cycle process? - ANSWER-Heating,
expansion, cooling, and contraction of the sealed working gas.
What is a solar salt pond? - ANSWER-A shallow pond saturated
with salt that serves as a solar collector.
Why is mineral oil typically used as a working fluid in solar thermal
plants? - ANSWER-Because it has better thermal properties than
water.
What are the two implementations of solar salt ponds? -
ANSWER-Saturated salt pond and non-convective gradient pond.
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What is the main issue with solar salt ponds? - ANSWER-Water
loss due to evaporation and inefficient thermal efficiency.
What is the purpose of the solar chimney technology? -
ANSWER-It is a hybrid solar-wind system designed for energy
generation.
What is electron-hole pair production in solar cells? - ANSWER-
The process where an incident photon frees and excites an
electron, leaving a positively charged hole.
What is the structure of a basic solar cell? - ANSWER-A pn-
junction diode consisting of two quasi-neutral regions around a
depletion region.
What happens if a solar cell is too thin? - ANSWER-Sunlight may
be transmitted through and not absorbed.
What is the Shockley-Queisser limit? - ANSWER-The maximum
theoretical efficiency of a solar cell, approximately 30% for silicon.
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What are the assumptions for the Shockley-Queisser limit? -
ANSWER-One semiconductor material per cell, one p-n junction,
and sunlight is not concentrated.
What is the maximum efficiency for a silicon solar cell according
to the Shockley-Queisser limit? - ANSWER-Approximately 30%.
What is a key challenge in converting photon energy into
electricity in solar cells? - ANSWER-Not all electron-hole pairs
created make electricity due to recombination.
What is the role of the cavity receiver in a Stirling engine? -
ANSWER-It absorbs concentrated heat energy and transfers it to
the cycle working fluid.
What is the purpose of photovoltaic (PV) systems? - ANSWER-To
generate DC voltage/current from solar energy.
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What is the typical voltage range for a solar cell? - ANSWER-0.6 -
1.0 volts.
What is the function of inverters in PV systems? - ANSWER-To
convert DC to AC electricity if necessary.
What is a Fresnel lens used for in solar applications? - ANSWER-
To concentrate light onto a solar cell.
What does the term 'distributed generation' refer to? - ANSWER-
The installation of PV systems on rooftops to generate electricity
locally.
What is the Betz limit in wind energy? - ANSWER-The theoretical
maximum efficiency of wind turbines, which is about 59.3%.
What are the two primary types of wind turbine designs? -
ANSWER-Horizontal Axis Wind Turbines (HAWT) and Vertical
Axis Wind Turbines (VAWT).
EEE 463 FINAL EXAM LATEST 2026 ACTUAL EXAM WITH COMPLETE
QUESTIONS AND CORRECT DETAILED ANSWERS (100% VERIFIED
ANSWERS) |ALREADY GRADED A+| ||PROFESSOR VERIFIED||
||BRANDNEW!!!||
What is a key advantage of solar thermal systems over
photovoltaics? - ANSWER-The capability of integrating thermal
energy storage (TES).
What is the Stirling cycle process? - ANSWER-Heating,
expansion, cooling, and contraction of the sealed working gas.
What is a solar salt pond? - ANSWER-A shallow pond saturated
with salt that serves as a solar collector.
Why is mineral oil typically used as a working fluid in solar thermal
plants? - ANSWER-Because it has better thermal properties than
water.
What are the two implementations of solar salt ponds? -
ANSWER-Saturated salt pond and non-convective gradient pond.
,2|Page
What is the main issue with solar salt ponds? - ANSWER-Water
loss due to evaporation and inefficient thermal efficiency.
What is the purpose of the solar chimney technology? -
ANSWER-It is a hybrid solar-wind system designed for energy
generation.
What is electron-hole pair production in solar cells? - ANSWER-
The process where an incident photon frees and excites an
electron, leaving a positively charged hole.
What is the structure of a basic solar cell? - ANSWER-A pn-
junction diode consisting of two quasi-neutral regions around a
depletion region.
What happens if a solar cell is too thin? - ANSWER-Sunlight may
be transmitted through and not absorbed.
What is the Shockley-Queisser limit? - ANSWER-The maximum
theoretical efficiency of a solar cell, approximately 30% for silicon.
,3|Page
What are the assumptions for the Shockley-Queisser limit? -
ANSWER-One semiconductor material per cell, one p-n junction,
and sunlight is not concentrated.
What is the maximum efficiency for a silicon solar cell according
to the Shockley-Queisser limit? - ANSWER-Approximately 30%.
What is a key challenge in converting photon energy into
electricity in solar cells? - ANSWER-Not all electron-hole pairs
created make electricity due to recombination.
What is the role of the cavity receiver in a Stirling engine? -
ANSWER-It absorbs concentrated heat energy and transfers it to
the cycle working fluid.
What is the purpose of photovoltaic (PV) systems? - ANSWER-To
generate DC voltage/current from solar energy.
, 4|Page
What is the typical voltage range for a solar cell? - ANSWER-0.6 -
1.0 volts.
What is the function of inverters in PV systems? - ANSWER-To
convert DC to AC electricity if necessary.
What is a Fresnel lens used for in solar applications? - ANSWER-
To concentrate light onto a solar cell.
What does the term 'distributed generation' refer to? - ANSWER-
The installation of PV systems on rooftops to generate electricity
locally.
What is the Betz limit in wind energy? - ANSWER-The theoretical
maximum efficiency of wind turbines, which is about 59.3%.
What are the two primary types of wind turbine designs? -
ANSWER-Horizontal Axis Wind Turbines (HAWT) and Vertical
Axis Wind Turbines (VAWT).
