Abstract:
Engineering students must be equipped with the right graduate attributes in order to
contribute effectively to the socio-economic growth of their communities. These vital attributes may
be demonstrated by students through the use of various educational technologies, including computer
based simulations. The purpose of this paper is to describe the design of a simulated energy
monitoring system that was developed at the Central University of Technology to enable freshmen
engineering students to grasp fundamental energy generation principles relating to solar energy. This
system enables students to grasp principles of energy flow in a typical PV system, as well as the
importance that power efficiency exerts on the overall performance of the system. The majority of
students exposed to this system have indicated that they enjoyed the simulations, having applied new
knowledge in a practical environment.
