Physics Ia Solar Panels

While total photovoltaic energy production is minuscule it is likely to increase as fossil fuel resources shrink.

Physics ia solar panels. Use a ruler to measure the active area a of your solar cell see photo below. First calculate the solar power arriving at the solar cell by multiplying the intensity of the sun by the area of the solar cell. There are a number of physics topics that relate directly to the core principles underlying the development of solar panels. That relationship is non linear when plotting power production vxi against the angle of incidence.

They have also become much more efficient they produce more electrical power from the sunlight falling on them. To linearise it i tried to plot vxi against sin of the angle. The higher the rate of photons striking the solar cell the more power it can produce. The solar panels generate electricity as long the sun hits the solar panels.

In fact calculations based on the world s projected energy consumption by 2030 suggest that global energy demands would be fulfilled by solar panels operating at 20 percent efficiency and covering only about 496 805 square km 191 817 square miles of earth s surface. Math and science 81 311 views. With growing interest in the field of renewable energy this may be a good opportunity to introduce your students to real world applications of principles covered in class. The ratio of the power of radiation scattered from the body to the total power incident on a body relationship between albedo and emissivity.

So in this case my general topic of interest would be. For my physics ia i m doing power production of a solar panel versus the angle at which light is incident on it. Solar panels have become much cheaper in recent years. The sun provides energy into solar panels and it is then converted into electricity to power your home but how does this process.

The panels on the roof of the institute of physics building are among the most efficient in the world producing over 200 watts per square metre w m 2. The solar radiation per second per m 2 at the top of the earth s atmosphere 1400 w m 2. The electricity generated is multiplied by the number of solar cells in each solar panel and the number of solar panels in each solar array. α e 1.

In this week s livestream patrick and andrew will explain how solar panels work and the basic physics involved behind photovoltaic pv solar. As you ve seen above i get around 3 4 emails a day from ib physics student asking for physics ia ideas. Physics behind solar pv and how solar panels work.