Will the Magnification of a Light Source on a Solar Cell Increase the Output?
Jessica
G.
6th
Grade, Fairglen Elementary, Cocoa, Florida
Teacher: Lori Gross
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Hypothesis: The output from the solar cell will increase with the magnification of the light source on the solar panel. I think the magnifying glass should concentrate the light source on the solar panel and increase the output.
Conclusion: The results show that the output from a solar cell does increase with magnification, and that my hypothesis was correct.
I can conclude from the data collected there was an increase in solar output. The 6" (15cm) and 12" (30cm) readings had an increase in output for the Lexan piece and the 18" (45 cm) and 24" (60cm) readings have an increase with the magnifying glass but without a focal point on my solar panel. When I added the cardboard focal point these readings changed because the amount of light was focused on one area through the whole experiment. These readings immediately showed that the magnifying glass increased the output over both clear glass and a Lexan piece. My data supports my hypothesis.
I have learned about how important keeping everything the same in a science project is. First, I learned that if I did not have something to protect the solar panel surface from the heat for the control then the reading would also show the added thermal (heat) energy. I also learned that the amount of solar panel being used all during the experiment without a focal point would show the readings from different sizes of light on the solar panel. That is when I made the cardboard cutout to provide a focal point for every level of my experiment.
There are many ways this experiment could be improved on to help the world. If I could find a way to magnify evenly the sun on a large surface of a solar panel, perhaps even adding mirrors would help. Maybe we could increase the efficiency of the solar panels of the future. Living in Florida we should be trying all these and more things to help our world find non-polluting energy sources.
