Month: February 2013

Last friday we conducted a lab where we were testing the voltage of a solar panel with different light intensities.  After performing the procedure four times with the light at different distances, we then covered the solar panel with four different colored filters to see which allowed more light. Attached is our data that we found. SOLARdata-1

What we found was that the farther the light was from the solar panel, the less power it gave off therefore decreasing the voltage. On our excel sheet, we also show a bar graph and a scatter plot to better visualize our findings.

After we conducted the experiment four times we then continued on with the four colored filters. We used turquoise, royal blue, pink and yellow. We found out that the yellow and pink filters let more light through giving a stronger voltage outcome. The royal blue filter gave the least amount of light resulting in an average voltage of 0.394587. We also put together a graph for these recordings to understand better the outcomes.

I think of a lot of this is pretty easy to predict. Because I think that the closer the light is to an object that gains power from the intensity of light will benefit more with a closer light. And if you have a clear understanding of light and light waves, I think this experiment will be clear to you.

According to the New York Times from October 11, 2012, solar is growing quickly in the United States. For the United States, the growth of solar power was helped by a federal stimulus package that extended a tax credit.

What about around the world?

Countries around the world are beginning to explore the idea of solar energy. China, of course, excelling quite fast with their research. One of the most interesting topics that I’ve come across while doing some research is the solar-powered boat that did a around the world journey for 19 months! Its point? It wanted to prove to us that solar power can in fact power a boat around the world. While passing by different cities around the world it finally sailed to shore In Monaco.

The idea of this boat is from the mind of Raphaël Domjan, who has an informational site called PlanetSolar.org. On this site you can learn more about the boat, their mission and much more.

 

Efforts around the world are being shown when it comes to using solar power. People are saying that this source of power is much more powerful than we think. Unfortunately, it’s not sunny everyday…The U.S Environmental Protection Agency has a website dedicated to clean energy. Clean Energy Programs are working with state policy makers, electric and gas utilities, as well as energy customers to identify, design and implement clean energy policy and technology solutions. Combining these two ideas and techniques I think our energies issues could be decreasing within the next few decades.

 

http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/business/energy-environment/solar-energy/index.html

http://www.planetsolar.org

http://www.epa.gov/cleanenergy/basic-information.html

In order to fully understand this experiment you should first learn about Faraday’s Law.

Faraday’s Law states that any change in the magnetic environment of a coil of wire will cause a voltage (emf) to be “induced” in the coil. No matter how the change is produced, the voltage will be generated.

Our equipment included:

• One generator
• One voltage probe
• One NXT adaptor
• NXT
• Labview VI

With these materials, and the Faraday’s law in mind, we started the experiment. Our goal for this experiment was to compare the number of shakes of the generator, in a thirty second time interval, with the voltages that the generator generates. After a bit of a technically difficulties, we were able to record the correct numbers and square them all and find the sum. After about four trials, we complied the information and made a graph to better understand our results. Attached you will find our excel chart with our numbers.

generator1 test2

 

 

http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/electric/farlaw.html

This is a process by which it is economically easier to extract natural gases through a dense mining process. It’s a development process that increases the flow of water from a bedrock well by increasing the size and extent of the bedrock fractures that bring water into the well. Hydro Fracking is a more cost effective alternative than drilling deeper, which is an important aspect now a days and will benefit our future.

There has been some speculation that this process contaminates our drinking water. According to switchboard.nrdc.org, a loophole in the Safe Drinking Water Act exempts hydraulic fracturing from regulation, despite the threat to drinking water supplies. Hydraulic fracturing has been linked to contaminated drinking water in communities around the country

So is this new process good or bad for us? Economically it is good, but what about our drinking water?

Resources:

http://switchboard.nrdc.org/hydrofracking.php

http://www2.epa.gov/hydraulicfracturing