How Do Solar Panels Work? – CE – Clean Energy. Bright Futures.

How Do Solar Panels Work?

A 2 Volt solar panel with red and black alligator clips

Learning Goals

Learning Goals:

Students will be able to describe, in basic terms, the way that electricity is generated from a solar cell.
Students will be able to determine that energy from the sun is being converted directly into electricity.
Students will understand that this electrical energy that is produced in this energy transfer is able to perform the work required within a small load.

Materials List

Classroom Supplies

Small solar modules (1 per group)
DC motor with propeller attached (1 per group)
Sunlight or another light source (shop lights will work)

Important Links

Lesson Plan
Slides: Basics of PV Solar

Next Generation Science Standards

Next Generation Science Standards

4-PS3-2. Make observations to provide evidence that energy can be transferred from place to place by sound, light, heat, and electric currents.

Lesson 4 of 9 / Time: 1 hour

Students will learn the basics of how a solar cell generates electricity and observe the effects on a small electrical load attached to a solar module under a variety of conditions. They will build upon knowledge gained in previous lessons dealing with energy transformations in order to build an understanding of how the sun’s energy can be converted into kinetic electrical energy within a photovoltaic cell. Students will additionally be given the opportunity to explore the interaction between current flow and operation of a load through their own exploration of different DC-powered devices.

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