Experimenting with small solar panels is helpful in learning how solar energy works. Small scale solar panels are capable of producing only a few watts of power, but they can teach us much more about how larger solar panels are used to help power homes.
Let's try a simple experiment with the solar panel by testing the output DC voltage and output current from the panel. Step 1: Set up the solar panel under a good light source. Generally, direct sunlight will provide the full amount of voltage from the panel.
Experiment with solar power by building your own solar-powered robot or oven or by testing ways to speed up an existing solar car. Or analyze how solar cells or panels work. Now You're Cooking! Building a Simple Solar Oven Here is a project that uses direct solar power, gathering the sun's rays for heating/sterilizing water or cooking.
In this science fair project, you will work with a solar panel, which is a collector of free energy, and investigate how varying the angle of the solar panel, and thus the amount of light it absorbs, affects the solar panel's output power. Specialty items required. You need to purchase a small solar panel.
Be sure to have a wall plug close by. Plug in the lamp and place it at one end of the table. Place the solar panel about 2-3 feet away from the lamp. Record how tall the lamp is and how far the lamp is from the solar panel in a data table in your lab notebook. Tilt the solar panel at the lowest angle possible.
Small solar panels work the same way that their larger counterparts do, by taking energy from the sun through photovoltaic cells and directly powering a DC electrical device or by storing the energy for later use in a rechargeable battery. Small solar panels are available from a number of sources including Radio Shack and Amazon.