Maseeh College of Engineering and Computer Science

Four large panels in a solar array. They are positioned in front of a brick building and there are autumn leaves on the ground.

Solar energy

What is solar energy? 

Solar energy comes from the sun's heat collected through solar photovoltaic (PV) technology, commonly known as solar panels. PV technology is rapidly advancing to become more efficient, but as older models are phased out, there is a potential for pollution and resource depletion.

Three students post around a horizontal solar panel in front of a glass PSU building.

Solar energy research at Maseeh College

In the Sustainable Energy Systems Lab, our researchers are assessing the environmental and economic sustainability of solar photovoltaic technologies (commonly known as solar panels). We also focus on end-of-life management strategies to re-use materials and reduce waste. 

Sustainable Energy Systems Lab

Maseeh Engineers Explain: Solar Energy

Ilke Celik, assistant professor, mechanical and materials engineering, director, Sustainable Energy Systems Lab: Solar energy is a technology that use's the world's most abundant and renewable resource to produce different forms of energy

Raúl Bayoán Cal, Professor, mechanical and materials engineering, director, Wind Energy and Turbulence Lab: Yeah, solar energy is a great avenue for clean energy. It's a clean resource that we can tap into, and certainly it's just a question of beginning to place these solar modules on the ground and to start extracting energy.

Ilke Celik: Without viable pathways, there's a real risk that discarded modules will end up illegally dumped. Our research addresses that issue, developing technologies and approaches that provide fully re-manufacturable solar technology: recycling and operating all components and then creating secondary solar technology that's fully based on recycled content.

Let Knowledge Serve. Maseeh College of Engineering and Computer Science, Portland State University. pdx.edu/maseeh