Month: March 2013

In this experiment we are trying to calculate how many voltage the solar panels are producing from the distance of the light. We will be needing a solar panel, a flashlight, few colored transparent paper, a ruler, and the usb to connect the panel to the computer. Same as any experiment, we will need to the help of Labview. After connecting the panel to the computer and opening Labview, we will first calculate what is the voltage when there is no light. We will do that by facing the panel to the table.  Later on we will do 4 more sets of calculations and each will have a different distance. The first set will be 0cm, then 10cm, 20cm, and the last will be 30 cm away from the panel. Each calculation will be recorded by Labview. After that, you will open Excel and open the file. You’ll then see the results for every calculation. As you see below, the closer the light is from the panel, the more voltage you’ll get.

After working on it without any borders, we will then try 3 more sets with 3 different color sheets, which include red, pink, and green. In this part, we will just one distance and see what the difference is between different colors. As you can see from the graph below, pink has the greater voltage because out of the 3 colors, pink is the one with the lightest one.

In this experiment, I learned that the further away the light is the less voltage it creates. It is the same meaning on how “shine” the sun is. For instance, if today is a bright day and the sun is really strong, the panel will absorb more energy from the sun and create more voltage. But if it’s a cozy day and the sun is blocked by the clouds or it doesn’t “shine” that much, then therefore, it wouldn’t absorb that much energy and will eventually not creating that much voltage.

Although I was sick and didn’t have the chance to go to class and listen to Tom Vales presentation about the various engines and machines, but one of my friend is still nice enough to explain to me what has happened in that class. The first thing he showed us was the stirling engine. The engine was invented by Robert Stirling back in 1816, making the engine has about 200 years of history. As he describes, the engine we use is still the same today, however, the engine is still 80% effective, and it runs at the bottom of the machine by heat. This engine is still used nowadays, such as in submarines, to keep it quiet and power the generator. Tom later on placed the engine on top of the warm cup of water, so that the heat the warm water releases will be absorbed by the engine, and therefore, making the machine work. 

The next thing he showed use was the Peltier Junction. The Peltier Function has uses the copper and metal to generate a electric current. In the experiment, he used two coffee cups, one containing hot water, and the other cup containing cold water. Tom then puts one junction in the hot water and while the other one in the cold. The function will then generate a type of energy, and the energy could be used to run the motor. However, as he describes, the function is inefficient.

The third thing that he showed us was the Mendocino Motor. Saying its a motor, this motor doesn’t create any energy, but it is sure a good teaching tool. The rotor on the machine is floating on a magnetic fields, and when the light shines on the rotor, the rotor will then eventually spins. Therefore, the sun could be a source replacing the light to making to rotor to move.

Due to fever, I didn’t go to class and can’t see the presentation with my own eyes, however, when my friend describe it to me, it still fascinates me! It was amazing how even using hot water and cold water can also generate energy.

The Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Disaster happened in March 11, 2011. What happened in this incident is that a 14 meter high tsunami has hit the northeastern part of Japan. The earthquake itself has disabled 3 of the nuclear planet’s air conditioner system, which is also called the AC power. With many efforts by the workers, the cooling system still can’t be fixed, making the power plant leaking the radioactive material.

With the devastating incident occurred in Fukushima, the members of the Radiation Safety Council at Hirosaki University convened a meeting to discuss the response to this accident on March 13. Later on, the Japanese government has decided to dispatch the university staff members to Fukushima to support the people living there. The team was sent there 2 days later, on March 15. To solve this problem, the Japanese government has decided by end of this year, they will begin removing the fueling system from the reactor and placing them near cool pools so that the nuclear could cool down and stop leaking out the radioactive materials.

I still remember when this incident occurred, I was in Hong Kong. This breaking news just suddenly happened and every news channels were just reporting this accident. I don’t remember how many days it happened, but nearly for a week, everyday the news was reporting the process in Fukushima and everyone was just worrying about what will happen to the people there. From that day on, people are just afraid of traveling to Japan, due to the leak of the radioactive material and scared it will contaminate the sea creatures and the air that they breathe in.

 

References:

http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/Safety-and-Security/Safety-of-Plants/Fukushima-Accident-2011/#.UTlnhdEjrZc

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3246178/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fukushima_Daiichi_nuclear_disaster

What is solyndra scandal? Solyndra is a corporation that manufactures cylindrical panels of copper indium gallium selenide thin film solar cells. What it does is it can be used as a component to generate and supply electricity/energy for the commercial and residential environment. Solyndra manufacturer’s solar panels is capable on large, low slope commercial rooftops, which in other words, it’s not suitable for residential use. The modules they created are designed to last for or over 25 years because of the kind of material they used. They used the material “copper indum gallium selenide”, which is also called CIGS, to prevent any possibilities of cell degradation due to moisture. The company was founded in 2005 by Dr. Christian Gronet, but is shut down 6 years later, in 2011.

On August 31st 2011, Solyndra has announced shutting down the corporation and stopping all operation and manufacturing process, making 1,100 employees being laid off. The company notified to their employees that the company was losing money and they must shut down the corporation. However, in March 2009, the Energy Secretary, Steven Chu has announced a $535 million conditional loan guarantee to Solyndra. Even with the loan, the corporation itself is already in trouble. Later on the years, DOE has learned that Solyndra has difficulty making the loan payment, therefore, violating the “federal loan deal”. In the beginning of 2011, family funds that is connected to Obama fundraising bundler, George Kaiser, has provide another $75 million more in financing. However, even with the the large amount of money that they loan, Solyndra has still shut down. In August 2011, the company has filed for bankruptcy.

References:

http://www.solyndra.com/technology-products/

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/special/politics/solyndra-scandal-timeline/#document/p1/

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/post/solyndra–explained/2012/06/01/gJQAig2g6U_blog.html

 

For this experiment, all the students in the course should have the same results. Due to technical problem, the professor have sent us the results, which includes how much the mass is, the power of each trial, and the time that used for each trial etc. However, even we have the results for every trial, we will still have to calculate what the power=mgh/t (W) and mgh (J) is. For mgh (J), we will calculate and get the results by multiplying mass(kg), h (m), and g (m/s^2) together. For power=mgh/t (W), we just need to divide mgh (J) with the time (s), and we will eventually get the result.

After getting results for everything, we will be working on the graphs. We will have to create 4 graphs, which include “Battery Discharge vs Mass”, “Acceleration vs Mass”, “Acceleration vs Force”, and “Power=mgh/t (W) vs Power Level”.

Below is the graph of Battery Discharge vs Mass.

Below is the graph of Acceleration vs Mass

Below is the graph of Acceleration vs Force

 

Below is the graph of Power=mgh/t (W) vs Power Level