![Picture](/uploads/5/2/5/7/52571611/1432160416.png)
Name: Deryck Yin
Introduction
What is solar energy? Solar energy is energy that is generated from the sun.1 It is then used by humans. The sun produces four hundred septillion watts of energy every second.9 In numerical form, that is 400,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 watts of energy every second.9 We should utilize and take advantage of that. You can see solar energy being used in everyday life already, like the road signs on the highway.
When you think about solar power, you probably think about solar panels. But solar panels are just one method. Solar panels are an example of photovoltaic solar energy, one of the four main types of solar energy. The other three are: Passive, Active, and Thermal.7 Passive solar energy is when energy from the sun is used without machines, like when you plant something, the sun helps it to grow. Active solar energy is when you use the sun’s energy with machines, such as using water to trap heat, then pumping it through pipes to heat your house. Thermal solar energy is using the sun to heat something, like when you trap heat in a greenhouse. And finally, photovoltaic energy is the use of solar energy by converting it into electricity.7 A solar panel does that by allowing photons, or light, to pass through but “knocks” the electrons off the atoms, generating a stream of electrons and electricity.2
Solar energy has been used longer than you think. The ancient Greeks and Romans used the sun for many uses, including drying food, and clothes, farming, and to heat homes.1 In the early 18 hundreds, the greenhouse was invented.1 It allowed light to enter while keeping the heat. That way, plants could be grown all year long, even through the winter.1 A solar cell is a device that converts sunlight into electricity. A solar panel is a solar cell. The idea of a solar cell was created in 1800s and the first real example of one was constructed in 1941 by Russell Ohl. Solar panels eventually were used in the space program. The first spacecraft that was solar powered by panels was the Vanguard 1, launched by the United States in 1958.1 Solar panels are now used on the majority of spacecraft launched. So far, Germany is the top user of solar energy. The United States is in fourth place, and is having more and more people use solar energy each month.8
Studying solar energy and what it is capable of is important because humans are in need of an alternative source. Humans need to improve solar panel’s low efficiency rate as solar panels need a huge amount of area to generate a sufficient amount of electricity. We have the power to do that. For example, some problems with solar panels have already been fixed, like what to do in nighttime. The solution was to store the energy collected and then use it when sunlight was not available. Once improved, solar panels can replace the current energy sources. The current sources are all polluting the environment and affecting the health of humans. The replacement of current fuels for electricity like coal would reduce pollution. Solar energy is a renewable energy source, meaning that it can be replenished, unlike oil and coal.1 It is also free, you do not have to pay for sunlight like you have to pay an electric company.1
The independent variable for the experiment to be conducted was the surrounding temperature of the operating solar panels. The temperature could impact the amount of electricity generated over a period of time because of the materials the panel is made of. Different materials work well with different temperatures. Also, particles at different temperatures behave differently, and will react to the panels a different way.
The hypothesis for the experiment was ‘If the temperature is warmer, then more electricity will be generated. The hypothesis was made because when particles are warmer, they move faster and are more excited. If they move faster, photons will go through the panels much quicker and more electricity will be generated in a period of time, as electrons will be knocked off faster.
Solar panels only have an efficiency rate of about 22% on average.3 Solar panels need certain conditions to operate at their full capacity. The experiment was to see what temperatures solar panels operated the best in. We would know where to place them and improve them based on their optimal conditions. If the best conditions a solar panel works in is known, people would know how to improve them and finally use them on a wider scale, as currently only 1% of the world’s electricity comes from solar energy.6
Solar energy is an excellent source of green energy and has the potential to be the next worldwide powersource. It is the future!
Bibliography
1. Charalambides, Alexandros George. Why aren't we only using solar power? www.youtube.com. Google,
n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2014. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8d5Pf7VIiU>.
2. Dahr, Michael. "How Do Solar Panels Work?" www.livescience.com. Purch, n.d. Web. 27 Nov. 2014.
<http://www.livescience.com/41995-how-do-solar-panels-work.html>.
3. How efficient are solar panels?" www.qrg.northwestern.edu. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Dec. 2014.
<http://www.qrg.northwestern.edu/projects/vss/docs/power/
2-how-efficient-are-solar-panels.html>.
4. "Solar Energy." Alternative Energy. Ed. K. Lee Lerner, Brenda Wilmoth Lerner, and Kathleen J. Edgar. 2nd ed. Detroit: U*X*L, 2012. Science in Context. Web. 20 Nov. 2014.
5. ”Solar Power Systems." Space Sciences. Ed. John F. McCoy. 2nd ed. Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA, 2012. Science in Context. Web. 21 Nov. 2014.
6. Unknown. Making Solar Energy Economical. www.engineeringchallenges.org. National Academy of Engineering, n.d. Web. 2 Dec. 2014. <http://www.engineeringchallenges.org/cms/8996/
9082.aspx>.
7. www.solar-energy-at-home.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2014. <http://www.solar-energy-at-home.com/
types-of-solar-energy.html>.
8. Wheeland, Matthew. "Top 10 Countries Using Solar Power." pureenergies.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Dec. 2014. <http://pureenergies.com/us/blog/top-10-countries-using-solar-power/>.
9. Unknown. "The Sun Is Our Source." solarthermal.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Dec. 2014.
<http://www.solar-thermal.com/>.
picture 1 diagram from: Unknown. "Concentrated Solar Power." ec.europa.eu. Europa Editions, n.d. Web. 28 Dec. 2014. <http://ec.europa.eu/research/energy/eu/index_en.cfm?pg=research-csp>.
picture 2 from: The Gale Encyclopedia of Science July 9, 2014
Introduction
What is solar energy? Solar energy is energy that is generated from the sun.1 It is then used by humans. The sun produces four hundred septillion watts of energy every second.9 In numerical form, that is 400,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 watts of energy every second.9 We should utilize and take advantage of that. You can see solar energy being used in everyday life already, like the road signs on the highway.
When you think about solar power, you probably think about solar panels. But solar panels are just one method. Solar panels are an example of photovoltaic solar energy, one of the four main types of solar energy. The other three are: Passive, Active, and Thermal.7 Passive solar energy is when energy from the sun is used without machines, like when you plant something, the sun helps it to grow. Active solar energy is when you use the sun’s energy with machines, such as using water to trap heat, then pumping it through pipes to heat your house. Thermal solar energy is using the sun to heat something, like when you trap heat in a greenhouse. And finally, photovoltaic energy is the use of solar energy by converting it into electricity.7 A solar panel does that by allowing photons, or light, to pass through but “knocks” the electrons off the atoms, generating a stream of electrons and electricity.2
Solar energy has been used longer than you think. The ancient Greeks and Romans used the sun for many uses, including drying food, and clothes, farming, and to heat homes.1 In the early 18 hundreds, the greenhouse was invented.1 It allowed light to enter while keeping the heat. That way, plants could be grown all year long, even through the winter.1 A solar cell is a device that converts sunlight into electricity. A solar panel is a solar cell. The idea of a solar cell was created in 1800s and the first real example of one was constructed in 1941 by Russell Ohl. Solar panels eventually were used in the space program. The first spacecraft that was solar powered by panels was the Vanguard 1, launched by the United States in 1958.1 Solar panels are now used on the majority of spacecraft launched. So far, Germany is the top user of solar energy. The United States is in fourth place, and is having more and more people use solar energy each month.8
Studying solar energy and what it is capable of is important because humans are in need of an alternative source. Humans need to improve solar panel’s low efficiency rate as solar panels need a huge amount of area to generate a sufficient amount of electricity. We have the power to do that. For example, some problems with solar panels have already been fixed, like what to do in nighttime. The solution was to store the energy collected and then use it when sunlight was not available. Once improved, solar panels can replace the current energy sources. The current sources are all polluting the environment and affecting the health of humans. The replacement of current fuels for electricity like coal would reduce pollution. Solar energy is a renewable energy source, meaning that it can be replenished, unlike oil and coal.1 It is also free, you do not have to pay for sunlight like you have to pay an electric company.1
The independent variable for the experiment to be conducted was the surrounding temperature of the operating solar panels. The temperature could impact the amount of electricity generated over a period of time because of the materials the panel is made of. Different materials work well with different temperatures. Also, particles at different temperatures behave differently, and will react to the panels a different way.
The hypothesis for the experiment was ‘If the temperature is warmer, then more electricity will be generated. The hypothesis was made because when particles are warmer, they move faster and are more excited. If they move faster, photons will go through the panels much quicker and more electricity will be generated in a period of time, as electrons will be knocked off faster.
Solar panels only have an efficiency rate of about 22% on average.3 Solar panels need certain conditions to operate at their full capacity. The experiment was to see what temperatures solar panels operated the best in. We would know where to place them and improve them based on their optimal conditions. If the best conditions a solar panel works in is known, people would know how to improve them and finally use them on a wider scale, as currently only 1% of the world’s electricity comes from solar energy.6
Solar energy is an excellent source of green energy and has the potential to be the next worldwide powersource. It is the future!
Bibliography
1. Charalambides, Alexandros George. Why aren't we only using solar power? www.youtube.com. Google,
n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2014. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8d5Pf7VIiU>.
2. Dahr, Michael. "How Do Solar Panels Work?" www.livescience.com. Purch, n.d. Web. 27 Nov. 2014.
<http://www.livescience.com/41995-how-do-solar-panels-work.html>.
3. How efficient are solar panels?" www.qrg.northwestern.edu. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Dec. 2014.
<http://www.qrg.northwestern.edu/projects/vss/docs/power/
2-how-efficient-are-solar-panels.html>.
4. "Solar Energy." Alternative Energy. Ed. K. Lee Lerner, Brenda Wilmoth Lerner, and Kathleen J. Edgar. 2nd ed. Detroit: U*X*L, 2012. Science in Context. Web. 20 Nov. 2014.
5. ”Solar Power Systems." Space Sciences. Ed. John F. McCoy. 2nd ed. Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA, 2012. Science in Context. Web. 21 Nov. 2014.
6. Unknown. Making Solar Energy Economical. www.engineeringchallenges.org. National Academy of Engineering, n.d. Web. 2 Dec. 2014. <http://www.engineeringchallenges.org/cms/8996/
9082.aspx>.
7. www.solar-energy-at-home.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2014. <http://www.solar-energy-at-home.com/
types-of-solar-energy.html>.
8. Wheeland, Matthew. "Top 10 Countries Using Solar Power." pureenergies.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Dec. 2014. <http://pureenergies.com/us/blog/top-10-countries-using-solar-power/>.
9. Unknown. "The Sun Is Our Source." solarthermal.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Dec. 2014.
<http://www.solar-thermal.com/>.
picture 1 diagram from: Unknown. "Concentrated Solar Power." ec.europa.eu. Europa Editions, n.d. Web. 28 Dec. 2014. <http://ec.europa.eu/research/energy/eu/index_en.cfm?pg=research-csp>.
picture 2 from: The Gale Encyclopedia of Science July 9, 2014