Search

Contact

Donate

Making the Standard Solar Heater

Two plates set upside down on a black surface. On the left the plate has clear sample bottle 3/4 full of water with a white cap. On the right the upside down palate has a bowl lined with aluminum foil, it also has a water filled sample bottle.
Learning Goals
  1. Students will learn that sunlight energy can be  transformed into other forms of energy
  2. Students will explore how the amount of sunlight energy captured by an  object can be quantified and measured.
Materials List

Handouts

1 Set Per Class

  • 2-3 liters of room temperature water
  • Several graduated cylinders or syringes for measuring 30ml of water
  • Multiple colors of construction paper
  • Rolls of aluminum foil
  • Tape/glue
  • A sunny day

1 Set per Group of 2-4 Students

  • 2 Vials – clear 12 dram vials work
  • 2 Thermometers
  • 2 Styrofoam plates
  • 1 Piece 30cm x 30cm piece of aluminum foil
  • 1 Soup bowl to be used as the solar heater mold

Important Links

Lesson 1 of 3 / Time: 80 Mins

In part one of the activity students will be asked to create a simple solar heater, measure the temperature change in a vial of water, then calculate the heat energy transferred to a vial of water. Students will construct the solar heater, place a set amount of water into a vial in the collector and place it in direct sunlight. After a set time students will measure the final temperature of the water and calculate the heat energy transferred to the water from the sun.

Experimenting with Solar Heaters

Download Lesson