Energy cannot be created or destroyed, only converted from one form to another.
One of the renewable energy sources we can convert to electrical energy is the solar energy. We convert the solar energy using a solar cell. When the sunlight hits the solar cell, the photons induce electrons to flow creating electrical energy.
In the lab, we did some experiment with this phenomenon. We were given a solar cell, a light source,three different frequency filters, a ruler, and a voltmeter that is connected to the computer.
There are two factors that affect the voltage generated by the solar cell, the distance between the cell and the light source, and the frequency of the light. The purpose of this lab was to observe these factors.
Distance vs. Voltage:
At the beginning, we measured the average voltage with no lights at all. Then, we put the light source right against the solar cell to get the maximum voltage. After that, we increased the distance between the light source and the cell to 10 cm. We recorded the voltage generated at that distance. Then, we increased the distance again to 20 cm and recorded the voltage.
The following table shows the relation between the distance and the voltage generated.
No light ………. 0.108478 V
Max light ……. 0.429228 V
10 cm ……… 0.243193 V
20 cm ……… 0.195722 V
From the table, the voltage is inversely proportional to the distance. That means, when we increased the distance, the voltage decreased.
Frequency vs. Voltage:
The other factor we observed was that different frequencies from the light affect the voltage converted by the cell.
We were given three different colored filters, purple, pink, and yellow. These filters allow specific frequency to go throw and block the others.
The following table shows the voltage generated when a filter is applied.
Purple ….. 0.252174 V
Pink ….. 0.304777 V
Yellow ….. 0.368927 V
No filter ….. 0.429228 V
From the table, the most voltage generated is when no filter is applied. The second most voltage generated is with the yellow filter. The third would be when the pink filter is applied. Lastly, the purple. It seems that the purple filter blocks a great amount of frequency.
The factors affecting the voltage generated by the cell are not limited to the above, but that was what we observed in the lab.