You do not know what happens at night
Solar seems obvious until the sun goes down.
Courses
Start with three things you can do today
How do solar panels and wind turbines actually work
Understand the energy system well enough to follow the debate.
Distinguish power, energy and the time at which electricity is available. Solar panels generate from sunlight; storage can shift some energy to another time. Reliable supply requires a suitable whole system, not just a large annual generation number.
Want new features first?
A starting goal
I want to understand how solar panels, wind turbines and batteries actually work and what the trade offs are. Explain the energy system so I can follow the debate about it.
Change any word so it fits your situation. The course is built from what you type and a few setup questions.
Start today
Three things you can do before the course exists.
Useful on their own. The course is for when you want the whole skill, not just the first move.
-
Match units before comparing
Original example: a device drawing 1 kW for two hours uses 2 kWh. A battery with 2 kWh of usable energy might supply that energy in an idealized calculation, but it also needs sufficient power output. Real losses, operating limits and other loads affect the result.
-
Ask when energy is available
An ordinary photovoltaic panel is not generating from sunlight at night. A solar-plus-storage system can supply previously stored energy, within its capacity and design. The US Department of Energy explains this timing role. A battery stores energy; it is not an unlimited source.
-
Check a real-world claim
For a system proposal, ask about demand over time, available generation, storage power and energy, transmission and reliability requirements. A cheap electricity tariff alone does not prove a low-emissions hour. Use relevant grid information and a qualified assessment for an actual installation.
Sources: US Department of Energy: solar energy and storage basics. Practical examples are starting points, not promised results.
- Best for
- Environment & climate
- Prerequisites
- None. Bring the situation you have.
- Course length
- 7 to 30 lessons
- Pace
- Yours. One lesson at a time, as often as you like.
- Format
- Read it, or play the audio
- Access
- Available on the App Store and Google Play, with an optional early testing list
Before the course is built
Setup asks about your situation first.
Lesson 1 opens on the moment you describe, and the examples use your role. For this request, expect questions like these.
- What do you want to understand: the technology, the grid, the economics, or the politics?
- Are you thinking about your own home, or the bigger picture?
- Is there a claim you keep hearing that you want to check?
Right for now
If any of this sounds familiar, start here.
You cannot judge the arguments
Cheap and clean versus unreliable and expensive, and no way to tell.
You are thinking about your own home
Panels, batteries, heat pumps and whether they make sense.
Course arc
Where the course goes, in order.
Cadence writes the lessons for you, so the exact path follows your answers. This is the ground a course built from this sentence covers.
01 / 06Electricity in a nutshell
Generation, transmission and the balance that never stops.
Solar
How a panel makes power, and what clouds and nights do.
Wind
Turbines, wind speed and where they work.
Batteries and storage
What they solve and what they cannot yet.
The grid
Why matching supply to demand is the hard part.
Trade offs and the transition
Cost, land, materials and honest timelines.
What changes
What you will be able to do, and what you will stop believing.
You will be able to
Know how each source works
Solar, wind, batteries, and the fossil and nuclear plants they sit alongside.
Understand the grid
Supply and demand every second, and why storage and transmission matter.
Weigh the trade offs
Cost, reliability, land, materials and time.
Follow the debate
Which claims hold up and which are framing.
Ideas this course corrects
Annual generation alone establishes reliable supply
The timing of demand and supply, power limits and other system resources matter too.
A battery rating tells you everything
Separate kW from kWh and examine usable capacity, losses and operating conditions.
Course questions
What to know before you start.
How do solar panels and wind turbines actually work: what can I do today?
Match units before comparing. Original example: a device drawing 1 kW for two hours uses 2 kWh. A battery with 2 kWh of usable energy might supply that energy in an idealized calculation, but it also needs sufficient power output. Real losses, operating limits and other loads affect the result. Ask when energy is available. An ordinary photovoltaic panel is not generating from sunlight at night. A solar-plus-storage system can supply previously stored energy, within its capacity and design. The US Department of Energy explains this timing role. A battery stores energy; it is not an unlimited source. Check a real-world claim. For a system proposal, ask about demand over time, available generation, storage power and energy, transmission and reliability requirements. A cheap electricity tariff alone does not prove a low-emissions hour. Use relevant grid information and a qualified assessment for an actual installation.
Is this a fixed course?
No. Cadence builds the course when you type the sentence and answer a few setup questions, so the lessons follow your situation. This page describes what a course built from this request covers. You see the whole path before Lesson 1.
Who is this course for?
Distinguish power, energy and the time at which electricity is available. Solar panels generate from sunlight; storage can shift some energy to another time. Reliable supply requires a suitable whole system, not just a large annual generation number. It sits under Environment & climate in the Ideas & discovery part of the library.
Do I need any prior experience?
No. Setup asks what you already know and where you want to use it, and the course starts from there. Bring a real situation if you have one; the examples are built around it.
How long does it take?
Most courses run 7 to 30 lessons. The course length is sized to what you asked for. You set the pace: one lesson at a time, as often as you like. Lessons can be read or played as audio.
Does this course award a certificate or degree?
No. Cadence is for practical self-learning and does not award accredited degrees or professional certification.
Start today
Type it, answer a few questions, open Lesson 1.
A starting goal
I want to understand how solar panels, wind turbines and batteries actually work and what the trade offs are. Explain the energy system so I can follow the debate about it.
Want new features first?