What are some good experiments on solar energy?
Question:
Thanks
Answer:
Here's a relatively simple idea:
Make a solar panel from 1/4" copper tubing bent into a meander and glue or solder it to a thin (~2 mm) copper sheet. Make this to cover a known area, for example 1/2 meter x 1/2 meter for 0.25 meter^2
Paint it with flat black paint.
Run water at a slow rate through the copper tube. Measure the temperature of the water entering the pipe, and the water exiting the pipe. The temperature rise, flow rate, and properties of water will give you the amount of solar power (watts) you are collecting.
Do this under various conditions. For example, sunny days, partly cloudy days, overcast days. Do it with the input temperature at different values. Do it at different times of day.
Caclulate and chart the available energy for these various conditions. It might be very helpful to show the available energy over the greater part of a sunny day, or a day with varying conditions. Compare the collected solar energy to an equivalent amount of electrical energy.
Use your data to estimate the size of solar collection array to collect heat for a home. For practicale purposes, remember that heat pumps can raise the temperature of the collected heat to useful amounts, so even "cool" water that comes out of an array that is collecting heat will provide energy that can heat a home.
Use passive solar in a quick, home made solar oven. See this site for easy, easy instructions.
http://solarcooking.org/plans/spc.htm...
Many years ago when I was in junior high school I saw a solar windmill inside a jar which might have been in somewhat of a vacuum. When you put the jar in the sun, the mill spun like crazy! The photons from the sun struck the solar mill inside the glass jar and displayed their physical mass!
You can design a nice solar fountain.
All components (small solar panel, pump) are easily available and affordable.
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