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.