Original Article A photovoltaic system experiment in a laboratory environment Ayedh Alqahtani 1 , Mohammad Alsaffar 2 , Mohamed El-Sayed 2 and Hussian Behbehani 1 Abstract Solar photovoltaic energy sources are rapidly gaining potential growth and popularity compared to conventional fossil fuel sources. This work presents a photovoltaic system laboratory experiment developed for engineering students to emphasize the need for enhanced renewable energy education. The experiment exposes students to photo- voltaic system components, working principles, and maximum power operating point. It is designed to complement a renewable energy course. Results along with animation from the hands-on experiment are presented in this study. Keywords Photovoltaic system, maximum power point, standard test conditions, energy conversion Introduction There is an exponential increase in worldwide photovoltaic (PV) systems and renew- able energy recently. 1 Integrating renewable energy courses with electrical engineering education programs is becoming a necessity as the world attempts to move to the usage 1 Department of Electrical Engineering,Public Authority for Applied Education and Training, Safat, Kuwait 2 Public Authority for Applied Education and Training, Safat, Kuwait Corresponding author: Ayedh Alqahtani, Public Authority for Applied Education and Training, Shuwaikh 70654, Safat 23167, Kuwait. Email: a.alqahtani@paaet.edu.kw International Journal of Electrical Engineering Education 2018, Vol. 55(1) 31–43 ! The Author(s) 2018 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav DOI: 10.1177/0020720917750956 journals.sagepub.com/home/ije