For the lab today in class, we did an experiment using solar cells. The equipment we used was a light, solar cell, different colored pieces of reflectors, and the robot to measure how much voltage was being collected by the solar cell. We also had to look at the relationship of how much light was being absorbed by the solar cell compared to the height of the light. The next relationship we had to look at was how much light got through to the solar cell while it was covered up by different colored reflectors or paper.
We used lab view to measure how much energy was being absorbed by the cell. Lab view took 30 readings, one every second. We raised and lowered the light to see the relationship between having the light closer to the solar cell or farther away. We found that more energy was absorbed when the light was closer than when it was farther away.
After we took the readings and created a line chart and bar graph. In the line chart, we inserted a trend line which clearly shows that the closer the light was the more voltage that was created. Next we placed different colored papers or reflectors over the solar cell to see how much effect they would have on the energy absorbed. The bar graph shows that the red reflector or paper allows the most energy through to the solar cell, then blue, then green. Below is the graph that shows this.