Solar Energy

Environmental Literacy and Inquiry Working Group, Lehigh University

This activity comes at the beginning of a sequence of activities in an energy module. Students observe the transfer of solar energy to different appliances with a solar cell and then they investigate the effect of using different solar sources to supply energy to appliances.

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Students should have previous experience wiring circuits and be familiar with the differences between series and parallel circuits before completing this activity. Could be used in technical schools that focus on engineering or could be used informal education.
This lesson is from a 6-week instructional sequence on energy resources. The entire sequence can be found here: [link http://www.ei.lehigh.edu/eli/energy/sequence/index.html]. Comments from expert scientist: Very good information presented and mostly in a way that won't get out-dated. Strong connection to basic scientific principles. Good hands-on activity for science classes.
Students investigate solar energy with a combination of watching video clips and building their own photovoltaic cell to power several small appliances. Assessment requires a log in, so is protected against students going online to look up answers. Does not offer a lot of inquiry, as it is 'cookbook style.'
Photovoltaic Cells video clip seemed to end early as if the entire clip wasn't loaded all the way. Pictures of wiring in instructor and student handouts may help students who have not had much experience with creating different types of circuits. Lab kits must be purchased (wires/ photovoltaic cells/ light bulbs/ music box/ fan / etc.), which may be a major limitation for some schools.