Photovoltaic Voltage Effect

The Photovoltaic experiment fit well inside the syllabus as it allowed me to further my knowledge into how voltage is stored/created using Photovoltaic panels, along with the effects different distances and color filters would have on the overall voltage produced from using this panel. During this experiment we were required to use a small hand held flashlight, and a small solar panel. During this experiment we found that voltages changed depending on the distance in-between the light source and panel; the  least amount of voltage came from a distance of 16cm (0.17 volts) and the most voltage came from a distance of 0cm (0.33 volts). Understandably so, these findings did not shock me. However, when we added different color filters to this experiment (Red, Green, Purple) we found that these three colors did effect the voltage the solar panel would produce. For instance, the Purple filter allowed for highest voltage count while the green allowed for the least voltage accumulation. I feel the color differences could be positively introduced in color coating of Photovoltaic panels, for instance maybe one color would attract UV rays more on a cloudy day then a non-tinted panel (just a thought). I also feel that we need to invest more into solar farms high elevation mountain tops as you can see the difference in cm, imagine the benefits of hundreds of feet!

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