Low Cost Alternative Energy Lab

1. Low Cost Alternative Energy Lab Fall 2011 Meeting of WAPT By Roger Hanke –NTC (Retired)

2. 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

3. Challenges • Cost • Firmly believe in small lab groups (four or less) • Storage Space

4. Solar Panels from Northern Tool Polycrystalline (item #336608) Amorphous (item #121186) 5 watts 12 volts $59.99 • 11 watts • 12 volts • $99.99 ($79.99)

5. Final Lab Setup • Polycrystalline • Amorphous

6. 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

7. Sun Angles

8. Sun Angle Chartsolardat.uoregon.edu/SunchartProgram.php

9. 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

11. Results-Part 1

12. Results – Part 2

13. 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

14. Low Cost Wind Tunnel