Clean Energy Trainer

Experiment Guide

Clean Energy Trainer - Experiment Guide 9
Experiment 1
How do the measurements behave depending on the
angle of irradiation?

Fig.2-1 Experiment 1 setup
1. Set up experiment as shown in Fig.2-1.
2. Adjust the distance of the lamp to the solar cell to 50 cm. The
angle of irradiation should be approx. 90.
3. Start the software and select the SOLAR MODULE tab.
4. Switch the operation mode to MANUAL MODE.
5. Switch on the lamp.
6. Change the angle of the solar module by hand.
The distance to the solar module must always be the same. Make
sure that the magnet base always remains in the same position.
7. Observe the measurements and make not of the observations.
How do the measurements behave depending on the
intensity of illumination?
1. Set up experiment as shown in Fig.2-1.
2. Adjust the distance of the lamp to the solar cell to 50 cm. The
angle of irradiation should be approx. 90.
3. Hold various objects (films, sheets) between the lamp and solar
module and observe the measurements and make note of obser-
vations.

Learning the different features of a solar cell


Clean Energy Trainer - Experiment Guide 11
Worksheet 1
Questions about the experiment
1. How do the measurements behave depending on the tilt angle?
2. How do the measurements behave depending on the intensity of
illumination?
3. What general statements can be made about the measurements
with a continuously increasing intensity of illumination?
4. What factors does the angle of irradiation depend on?
5. What can contribute to shadowing?
General questions
6. What is solar energy?
7. What is solar electricity and what does photovoltaic mean?
8. What is needed to feed solar electricity into the mains power
grid?
9. How is a solar cell assembled?
Comprehension questions
10. We only consider voltage values in the experiments. Why is the
current value always the same?
11. Is the generation rate of electricity the same every day of the year?
Why or why not? What could be a solution for this?
12. What factors does the ideal current yield depend on?
13. What physical size can the current and voltage values of the solar
module reach?

Clean Energy Trainer - Experiment Guide 15
Experiment 2

Fig.2-2 Experiment 2 setup
When does the solar module provide maximum power?
1. Set up experiment as shown in Fig.2-2.
2. Adjust the distance from the lamp to the solar cell to 50 cm. The
angle of irradiation should be approx. 90.
3. Start the software and select the SOLAR MODULE tab.
4. Switch on the lamp.
5. Switch the operation mode to AUTOMATIC MODE and start the
measurement.
6. Record current and voltage values in a table and calculate the
power.
The power P is calculated with the formula .
7. Draw the power characteristic curve.
Click on POWER CHARACTERISTIC CURVE in the software and
compare with the power characteristic curve which is
shown.
When does the solar module provide maximum power
with a low intensity of illumination?
1. Hold a film between the lamp and solar module and re-start the
automatic measurement.
2. Record current and voltage values in a table and calculate the
power.
3. Plot the power voltage characteristic curve into the power voltage
characteristic curve from the previous experiment (only if a previ-
ous experiment was conducted).
Determining the power characteristic curve of a solar
cell

Solar Energy
16 Clean Energy Trainer - Experiment Guide
Click on POWER CHARACTERISTIC CURVE in the software and
compare with the power characteristic curve which is
shown.
In this experiment you continue with different tasks. For example, draw the
characteristic curves for varying light intensity, draw the characteristic
curves for solar modules connected in series or parallel, draw the
characteristic curves for different angles and draw for different distances.
Switch the operation mode to MANUAL MODE if necessary. Summarize
your observations.

Clean Energy Trainer - Experiment Guide 17
Worksheet 2
Questions about the experiment
1. When does the solar module provide maximum power?
2. When does the solar module provide maximum power with a low
intensity of illumination?
3. What is a characteristic curve?
4. How is the maximum power point of the solar module calculated?
5. Has the MPP (Maximum Power Point) of the solar cell changed
with a lower intensity of illumination? Can a generalization be
made?
6. Which graphic visualization is best suited for reading the MPP?
7. Is the MPP constant? What does the MPP depend on?
General questions
8. What are the advantages of solar electricity?
9. In what areas does solar electricity make the most sense?
10. What are the disadvantages of solar cells?
11. Who is credited as the inventor of the solar cell?
12. When was the first solar cell created?
13. Do solar cells generate direct or alternating current?
14. What is the name of the component which converts direct current
into alternating current?
15. What is built into an inverter for PV systems so that the maximum
power of solar cells is achieved?
16. What types of solar cells are there? Which have the highest
degree of efficiency? Which are the most affordable?
Comprehension questions
17. Does a solar cell behave similarly to other power sources, such as
batteries, when connected in a series and in parallel?
18. If one solar cell within a series of connected solar cells is
destroyed, is the current flow interrupted?
19. How could the problem from the previous question be solved?
20. Is the efficiency of solar cell comparable with that of a diesel
engine?
21. How does a characteristic curve in the current/voltage character-
istic curve behave if the resistance is doubled?
22. Known or estimated? How high is the annual energy output
[kWh] of a photovoltaic system for an average single family
home?

Solar Energy
18 Clean Energy Trainer - Experiment Guide
23. How many of the solar modules used in the experiment are
required to operate the following devices?
Unit P [W] Number of solar modules
Computer 400 W
Car radio 40 W
Mobile phone 2 W
Hair dryer 2,000 W
Light bulb 2.4 W

24. Can a light bulb be damaged if 20 more modules are connected
in parallel than the number of modules calculated above?