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Electrical Energy and Solar Module Efficiency

White board sketch of 12 V Car Charger for USB Device. Image Description under Featured Image Description Heading
Learning Goals

  1. Students will document necessary terms in their journals 
  2. Students will be able to set up a multimeter to measure voltage 
  3. Students will be able to set up a multimeter to measure current 
  4. Students will be able to calculate power from data collected 
  5. Students should be able to measure the collector area of a solar module (area of solar cell(s) within  solar module) and represent this value in square meters (m2)
Materials List

Group Supplies (2-4 Students)

  • Multimeters (2 per group) 
  • Solar Modules – 3W, 6V, works well, but any modules can be used. I used all the modules in the  Solar Cell Classroom Set from Rahus Institute, as well as some 50 Watt “Large” modules. This gave  us 4 different sizes from 10 cm2 up to 150cm2. Different sized modules are nice to have so that each  group can take several measurements. Different module technology would be nice as well – crystalline and amorphous 
  • Journals 
  • AA batteries to measure voltage – 1 per group 
  • Vernier LabQuest with pyranometer to measure irradiance of the sun in real time (optional – 1 per  class) 
  • Calculators 
  • Rulers for data table construction

Important Links

Next Generation Science Standards

Next Generation Science Standards

  • HS-PS3-1. Create a computational model to calculate the change in the energy of one  component in a system when the change in energy of the other component(s) and energy  flows in and out of the system are known. 
Featured Image Description

Drawn on a white board in red marker 12 V CAR CHARGER FOR USB DEVICE underneath is a circuit diagram showing a ATC Holder (empty) to battery pack (12V) with DC female power plugs coming off of it to the right the male plugs connect to a female cigarette socket. A male cigarette plug (car charger) connects to the USB meter with power lines connecting off the bottom of the image. All junctions are labeled as listed in the description.

Lesson 1 of 7 / 3-4 hours

This lesson will let students do research to define terms that will be used in this unit. They will record this information in their Journals, which can be scientific or simple homemade notebooks. This lesson will also introduce the multimeter, small solar modules, and how to calculate power. Students will compare the power of the module to its area and create a power/area ratio. This ratio will then be used to check the efficiency of the module using a pyranometer (if available) to measure incoming irradiance from the sun (Power per area, or W/m2). Calculations and practices that students are guided through during this lesson will continue to remain themes throughout the remainder of the “Off the Grid Unit.” This lesson is suitable as a stand-alone lesson.

 

Off the Grid: Energy Transformations and Efficiency

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