3 Hands-on DIY solar4STEM Experiments to Enjoy!

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Experiments are a perfect way to expand your mind to the concepts of STEM and the physical world.

​While we may be stuck indoors, there are still ways you can harness the power of light to learn about the concepts of natural phenomena like solar energy!

Here are three experiments you can do yourself at home with the same set of materials for the whole family to enjoy, derived from CME’s very own solar4STEM science kits!

Materials for Experiments
These materials can be reused for all these experiments:

• Solar panel (of any size)
• Digital Multimeter
• Light source (e.g. desk lamp)
• Breadboard (or soldering tools)

1 – Varying Light Intensities on a Solar Panel

Solar energy works by capturing photons and turning them into electricity; what do you predict will happen when the intensity of light, or the amount of photons, changes? Is there a limit to the efficiency of a solar panel?

1. Plug the black test lead into the bottom socket of the Digital MultiMeter and the red test lead into the middle socket of the Digital MultiMeter
2. Move the Dial on the Digital MultiMeter to the 20 in the DCV region. Touch the ends of the black and red test leads to make sure the voltage on the Digital MultiMeter Reads 00.0
3. Take the black wire of one solar panel and the red wire of the other solar panel and connect them in the same row on the breadboard.
4. Take the digital multimeter and touch the red test lead to the remaining red wire of the solar panels and the black test lead to the remaining black wire. Read the voltage of the solar panels in series.
5. Shine a Desk Lamp on the Solar Panel and observe how the voltage changes as you move the lamp closer and further from the Solar Panel.

2 – Optimum Orientation of a Solar Panel

Solar panels work through the photoelectric effect, where photons collide and dislodge electrons located in the solar cell. What were to happen if we adjusted the orientation of the solar panel? Is there an ideal angle which allows photons to collide with the solar panel to eject the most electrons?

1. Repeat steps 1-4 of experiment 1.
2. Shine a Desk Lamp on the Solar Panel and observe the voltage.
3. Change the angle of the solar panel by rotating it and observe how the voltage changes. Slowly adjust and make observations about which angle provides the highest reading to obtain the optimal orientation.

3 – Temperature Affecting Energy Collection

Photons kick electrons out of their existing energy states to produce a current; this difference from initial to final energies gives us electricity. Temperature is the measure of average kinetic energy; if we were to raise the temperature, what would happen to the electron’s initial energy? If the energy provided by the photon were to not change, what would happen to the overall energy collection? Follow these steps to find out:

1. Repeat steps 1-4 of experiment 1.
2. Shine a Desk Lamp on the Solar Panel and observe the voltage.
3. Keep the solar panel under the Desk Lamp for an extended period. The panel will begin to heat up. Record the voltage and current over time.
4. Use the formula, power is equal to voltage times current to calculate the power over time.

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Choose solar4STEM

With these three experiments, you can bring the world of solar energy right into your home!

​If you’re looking for a world of many more STEM experiments, choose CME and solar4STEM as the best choice for your science solutions.

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Author: Martin Stavro
​
​solar4STEM designs solar powered science kits for students ages 8+. Learn about renewable energy, and electricity hands on with one of solar4STEM's three kits.