Solar energy lesson plans

A series of six lesson plans are now available: three of these include student lab activies and the other three cover the basics of solar cells and solar electric systems. They are primarily designed for high school science students.

Curriculum and experiments using the photovoltaic education kits

A complete set of all activities can be downloaded here.

Activity 1.Solar cell series and parallel PV cell connections

This unit teaches how to measure the current and voltage output of photovoltaic cells; how to investigate the difference in behavior of solar cells when they are connected in seriesor in parallel; and how solar cells behave like batteries.
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Activity 2. Current output vs shading

This unit investigates the dependence of multiple PV cells' current output when the cells are shaded.
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Activity 3. PV cells with a load

The current and voltage of photovoltaic cells when connected to various loads is investigated. Also included is content related to power curves, and engineering characteristic of the PV cell.
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Activity 4. Output current vs color of light

The PV cell output current is studied when the wavelength (color) of light is varied. The student will discover why fluorescent bulbs are more efficient than incandescent bulbs.
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Activity 5. Photocell output vs. lamp distance

The distance between the PV cell and an incandescent lamp is varied and the PV cell output is studied. By varying the distance the amount of light incident on the cell is varied
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Activity 6. Output current and sun angle

The angle of light is varied and the PV cell output is investigated. By changing the angle the amount of light reaching the cell varied.
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Activity 7. PDFPower output and temperature

The power output of a solar cell is studied under different temperatures.
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Appendix A: Electricity circuit primer

This supplement will help students to understand the concepts of voltage and current; teach them how to connect current and voltage meters in a circuit; and introduce them to the concepts of circuit resistance and power.
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Appendix B: Voltage vs lamp distance (alternate)

Investigate the dependence of a PV cell as the distance between the cell and an incandescent lamp varies.
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Appendix C: Vocabulary

The terminology used in the curricula.
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Appendix D: Measuring electricity

Appendix E: How a photovoltaic cell works

What is a kilowatt hour?

Students are challenged to use personal energy output as a means to quantify the energy unit of 1 KWh.
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Experiments with photovoltaic cells

The concept of converting sunlight to electricity with photovoltaic cells is investigated.
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Solar cells

The basic physics and chemistry behind the operation of a solar cell is investigated. They will learn how a single crystal silicon cell accepts energy from light and turns it into electricity.
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Solar electric arrays

Students are introduced to the components of a solar electric system and the concept of the photovoltaic IV curve. They will learn how modules are put together to generate the desired voltage and current, and how an inverter helps the system to operate efficiently.
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Photovoltaics in arrays: solar cells generating electricity

Students will learn about some of the variables related to the effectiveness of photovoltaic arrays in generating electricity. They will learn to use a software tool called PV Watts to calculate the output of PV arrays as a function of location conditions.
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