Low Cost Alternative Energy Lab Fall 2011 Meeting of WAPT By Roger Hanke –NTC (Retired)
Dec 30, 2015
Goals
• Provide Hands-on Experience With Solar Power
• Introduce Students to Basic Terminology Associated with Solar Panels
• Provide Students with a Lab Experience that Differentiates between Published Data and Real Life Data
• Provide Students an Outside Lab in Spring
Solar Panels from Northern Tool
Polycrystalline (item #336608)• 11 watts• 12 volts• $99.99 ($79.99)
Amorphous (item #121186)• 5 watts• 12 volts• $59.99
Equipment Needed
• Two Millimeters• One 25 ohm power resistor• One Polycrystalline Panel Mounted on a Variable Angle
Stand• One Amorphous Panel Mounted on a Variable Angle
Stand• One Laminated 2’ x2’ sheet Giving Azimuth Angles
Ranging from 90o to 270o
• Sun Angle Chart for That Day• Blackboard Protractor
Lab Procedure
• Part 1– Set Panel Angle to the Complement of Sun Angle for
that Time of Day– Take Current and Voltage reading for Azimuth angles
90o to 270o in 10 o increments• Part 2– Set Azimuth Angle to the Azimuth Angle for that
Time of Day– Take Current and Voltage reading for Panel Angles 0o
to 90o in 10 o increments
Challenges/Improvements
• Hard to Read Computer Screens Outside• Cloudless Sky Helps• Read Current and Voltage Directly with the
Computer using Vernier Probes– Have the Voltage Probe– Need High Current Probe
• Need to Experiment With Different Size Power Resistors