Solar energy experiment green planet solar energy for all. Experiments with photovoltaic cells university of oregon. The typical bluesilver solar cell has a base of the element silicon. Twostep photon upconversion solar cells tpuscs are among the most promising photovoltaic devices 1,2. Output of a solar cell measure the efficiency of solar cells as they convert sunlight to power. Load the silicon wafers next to the sources with the. The motivation for the current program, then, was the experimental determination of solar cell performance at the temperatures and energies encountered during. Grades 1012 117 55 photovoltaic cell experiments lab activity step 1 photovoltaic cell performance follow your teachers safety instructions and attach the red wire from the photovoltaic pv cell to the red lead of the multimeter either clip or connectif using quick disconnects. Identify the composition and function of each component used in a dyesensitized solar cell. Mar 29, 20 solar cell, nxt robot, colored filters, flashlight, ruler, voltage probe plus alligator clips, a labview program and excel spreadsheet were set up prior to class to record our data as we conducted the experiments. Todd kaiser montana state university solar cell lab manual july 2009 this manual was designed for use with the montana microfabrication facility at montana state university.
Solar cell and renewable energy experiments cool science projects with technology. This is the way that is planned out in the labs related to this unit. In addition to everyday objects such as solar calculators or solar garden lamps, photovoltaic power plants are becoming more and more common. I tested all the tracking and data logging software routines before running the experiment outside with the real tracker hardware. Rohsenow heat and mass transfer laboratory, mit images removed due to restrictions. Remove the quartz boat with the solid, white, phosplus tp. This system shows an efficient way of utilising the solar power and the led lighting system. A solar cell consists of a layer of ptype silicon placed next to a layer of ntype silicon fig. It also shows how you can use solar cells to charge storage batteries. This is called an nonp cell and is described in the next section. The circuit allows the electrons to flow to the electronpoor back of the cell from the electronrich front of the cell. It would be a natural assumption that for solar cell performance visible light is. Thereis also a chapter on advanced types of silicon cells. This solar energy kids experiment is aimed at understanding the different heat absorbing capacity of different colours backgrounds and the effect of those on the melting rate of ice cubes.
This major qualifying project proposes laboratory experiments on the topics of anaerobic digestion, photovoltaic energy, bioethanol production, and fuel evaluation. Pdf types of solar cells and application researchgate. This channel covers theory classes, practical classes, demonstrations, animations, physics fun, puzzle and many more of the. Pdf the tacsat4 solar cell experiment will measure the current and voltage characteristics of advanced emcore btjm solar cells thinned to 100 microns. In our previous works, we demonstrated the increase in the opencircuit voltage as well as. A simple conventional solar cell structure is depicted in figure 3.
One piece of silicon has a small amount of boron added to it, which gives it a tendency to attract electrons. This mininotebook shows how to use solar cells to trigger relays, measure light, control tones and detect. Position the cell face down so that it is not exposed to light. This is sort of like a light bulb that is acting in reverse. In this weeks class we conducted a series of experiments concerning photovoltaic cells. Experiment design for an undergraduate energy laboratory. Learn how nrel can help your team with certified efficiency measurements. Set the distance between solar cell and lamp in such a way that current meter shows 250 a deflections. As part of an undergraduate course, these experiments will give wpi students a. The solar cell system we developed in this project is dyesensitized solar cell, composed of the tio 2 layer acting as the electron carrier and the organic dye layer acting. After discussing some basics from electrodynamics in chapter 4 and solar radiation in chapter 5, we spend several. Measure the solar cell iv characteristic in dark using agilent u2722a source measure unit.
This educational material is brought to you by the u. Teacher guide explain to the class that during this activity, students will test pv cell response to different wavelengths of light, shade, the angle and intensity of. Mandelkorn created a solar cell that has a lower resistance to radiation. From here the students use the efficiency of the pv cell and the area of the cell to calculate the energy of the sun at that time of day. Electrolyte turns on the solar cell chemistry science fair. Solar photovoltaic cells introduction one method of converting energy from the sun solar energy is to use a solar cell also known as a photovoltaic cell. Light shining on the solar cell produces both a current and a voltage to generate electric power. An experiment to measure the ivcharacteristics of a silicon solar cell. This process requires firstly, a material in which the absorption of light raises an electron to a higher energy state. Experiments with solar cell from solar kit european physical. Solar energy materials and solar cells, vol 55, pp.
With a few simple tools on a sunny day or working indoors under a light source, you can measure how efficient a solar cell is at transforming sunlight into electricity. Please practice handwashing and social distancing, and check out our resources for adapting to these times. When charged by the sun, this basic unit generates a dc photovoltage of 0. Jul 28, 2017 the physics guide is a free and unique educational youtube channel. Of that amount, 1,386 watts fall on a square meter of earths atmosphere and even less reaches earths surface. Department of energys office of energy efficiency and renewable energy. A simple solar cell experiment the following experiment was performed using a commercial polycrystalline silicon solar cell with an active area of 8. Experiments with pv cells uo solar radiation monitoring.
This paper shows a lighting system using solar pv energy. Solar cells are made of two thin pieces of silicon, the substance that makes up sand and the second most common substance on earth. Experiment design for an undergraduate energy laboratory course. Ii study of iv characteristic of a solar cell illuminated by sun, at different frequencies. The physics guide is a free and unique educational youtube channel. Apparatus for characteristic study of solar cell model no. Experiment instructions to carry out an investigation into the factors affecting the voltage produced by a solar cell. Using photovoltaic cells also called solar cells, solar. Prelab skills prior to this experiment, you should master the following concepts and skills, in addition to those from previous experiments. The solar cells that were created for these satellites took years to design. There are fifteen solar cell experiments aboard the nts2 satellite launched june 23, 1977 into a twelvehour circular orbit, 20,192 km high at an inclination of 63 degree. Teacher guide explain to the class that during this activity, students will test pv cell response to different wavelengths of light, shade, the angle and intensity of the sun, and temperature. Solar pv powered energy efficient led lighting system for a class room.
Solar cell is a key device that converts the light energy into the electrical energy in photovoltaic energy conversion. Using photovoltaic cells also called solar cells, solar energy can be converted into electricity. Oct 30, 2011 in this weeks class we conducted a series of experiments concerning photovoltaic cells. In the ntype layer, there is an excess of electrons, and in the ptype layer, there is an excess of positively charged holes which are vacancies due to the lack of valence electrons. Lecture 3 types of solar cells experiment 3 generations. Laboratory experiments on the performance of silicon solar cells at. Solar water splitting by photovoltaicelectrolysis with a. The rate of energy generation or power from the solar cell.
This apparatus allows students in introductory physics course to plot iv characteristics of a solar cell by a simple experiment. Solar cell and renewable energy experiments cool science projects with technology sobey, ed on. In chapter 21, which is the last chapter of the regular text, we discuss solar fuels, which allow to store solar energy on the long term in the form of chemical energy. The energy conversion consists of absorption of light photon energy producing electronhole pairs in a semiconductor and charge carrier separation. A solar cell is an electronic device which directly converts sunlight into electricity. The operating manual provided with the system suggested an output voltage of. The objective of this experiment is to explore solar cells as renewable energy sources and test their efficiency in converting solar radiation to electrical power. The purpose of these measurements is to determine the diode parameters. Solar cell experiments by jerry loomer a solar cell photovoltaic cell is a solidstate electronic device that takes in light energy and converts it directly into electrical energy.
Photovoltaic solar cells are one of the most common ways of doing this. Solar energy is more and more used in everyday life. Under illumi nation from an artificial light source with an intensity of 8. The distance between the cell and the solar simulator was adjusted so that. Solar cell and renewable energy experiments cool science. Near the junction of the two layers, the electrons on one.
The amorphous word with respect to solar cell means that the comprising silicon material of the cell lacks a definite arrangement of atoms in the lattice, noncrystalline structure, or. We also compare operation and e ciencies of devices in section 10. Photovoltaic panels are oriented to maximize the use of the suns light, and the system angles can be. While these cells were being created, a very important discovery was made. The solar cell is the basic building block of solar photovoltaics. Experiments with solar cell from solar kit zdenka koupilova1 solar energy is more and more used in everyday life. The amorphous word with respect to solar cell means that the comprising silicon material of the cell lacks a definite arrangement of atoms in the lattice, noncrystalline structure, or not highly structured. In chapter 20 we introduce different concepts related to solar thermal energy. Alternative methods of solar energy are discussed in part v. Best researchcell efficiency chart photovoltaic research. The difficulty lies in converting it efficiently and cheaply. Therefore, asi amorphous solar cell is comparatively cheaper and widely available.
In most cases, semiconductor is used for solar cell material. Note down the observation of voltage and current in table 1. Jan 16, 2015 experiment instructions to carry out an investigation into the factors affecting the voltage produced by a solar cell. Jun 29, 2015 celebrate the power of the sun and let kids see solar energy with these fun solar energy experiments for kids. Solar energy can be part of a mixture of renewable energy sources used to meet the need for electricity. Solar cell characterization apparatus iv characteristics. Sunlight is incident from the top, on the front of the solar cell. Solar cells produce direct current dc electricity and an inverter can be used to change this to alternating current ac electricity. Nowadays, many households have converted their home to be powered solely by solar power, reaping all the advantages offered by the sun. Effect of temperature on a solar panel results carrying out the experiment. This channel covers theory classes, practical classes, demonstrations, animations. Finding the efficiency of a solar cell while driving an electric motor.
Vary the load resistance through band switch and note down the current and voltage readings every time in table 1. Chapters 68cover the designs of systems constructed from individual cellsincludingpossible constructions for putting cells together and the equipment needed for a practioal producer of electrical energy. Switch on the lamp to expose the light on solar cell. Nrel maintains a chart of the highest confirmed conversion efficiencies for research cells for a range of photovoltaic technologies, plotted from 1976 to the present. Hoedsc01 is an effective tool for evaluating the characteristics of solar cell. It is called the player because of its positive tendency. Exploring solar energy student guide seven activities grades. Solar cell is the basic unit of solar energy generation system where electrical energy is extracted directly from light energy without any intermediate process. In addition to everyday objects such as solar calculators or solar garden lamps, photovoltaic power plants.
Since the voltage is too small for most applications, to produce a. Part ii aims to cover all the physical fundamentals that are required for understanding solar cells in general and the different technologies in particular. Use the same methods for obtaining forward and reverse bias characteristics as in the diode experiment series 1. Pdf experimental study on photovoltaic cell emulating system in. I setup the equipment outside once the day began to warm. Electrolyte turns on the solar cell chemistry science fair project experiments, chemistry models, exhibition ideas, expo topics for kids and also organics chemistry science ideas for cbse, icse, middleschool, elementary school for 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th and high school students. In the czochralski process a silicon ingot is grown or drawn from a pool of molten silicon.
Solar cell, nxt robot, colored filters, flashlight, ruler, voltage probe plus alligator clips, a labview program and excel spreadsheet were set up prior to. A solar cell uses the photovoltaic effect to convert solar radiation directly to dc electrical energy. Solar energy is undoubtedly the future trend of energy. Pdf experiments with solar cell from solar kit lokesh. Oct 31, 2016 the solar cell was kept at 25 c on a water cooler stage and positioned under the multisun solar simulator. An experiment to measure the ivcharacteristics of a silicon. This is the measure of the number of photo junction inside the solar cell which is e. Thus, a solar cell is simply a semiconductor diode that has been carefully designed and constructed to ef. The readeris told why pv cells work, and how theyare made. Part 1 was an experiment to determine whether the distance of the source of light from the photovoltaic cell affects the power the cell produces. In these measurements you treat the solar cell as a diode. Pdf at the present, the gridtied solar power system is the most promising as a renewable energy technology for replacing the fossil energy.