Demonstrations

Solar Cells and Motors

Code Number :	7A10.40
Disclaimer:	Reprinted by permission of Dick Berg, University of Maryland, for use on this website. The demonstrations contained and referenced herein are listed for the purposes of cataloging and describing physics demonstrations which should be conducted only under the direction of a trained instructional support professional or physicist. These demonstrations are not presented for the purpose of being conducted by persons unconnected to this Facility and/or persons not consulting with or being supervised by the recognized instructional support professional or physicist and his/her staff. The University is responsible only for those demonstrations carried out using its own equipment using established safety and scheduling policies, and bears no responsibility for those choosing to use this source material for their own purposes. All demonstrations described and contained herein are public domain, and can also be found in reference materials in libraries, bookstores, and electronic sources. Further information regarding legal liability in use of demonstrations and labs will be found on the web site Injuries in School/College Laboratories in USA. The University of Iowa Disclaimers: University of Iowa Disclaimer All Rights Reserved..
Condition :	Excellent
Principle :	Electrical Generation
Area of Study :	Electricity & Magnetism
Equipment :	Solar Cells, Motors, Demo Kits, Voltmeter.
Procedure :	Expose the solar cells to sunlight or very strong artificial lighting. The motors attached to the cell should run with any of the equipment from the demo kits mounted on them. The motor may be replaced with a voltmeter to show dependence of voltage on intensity of lighting.

Web Sites

"Chapter 3: Electrochemistry: A Flat Panel Solar Cell."

www.scitoys.com

"Chapter 3: Electrochemistry: Make a Solar Cell in Your Kitchen." www.scitoys.com

"Java tutorials on LEDs and solar cells at the Olympus site"
http://www.mic-d.com/java/solarcell/

References

M. N. Amsarizadeh, E. F Walker, "Solar Approach to Ohm's Law", TPT, Vol. 27, # 3, Mar. 1989, p. 217.

J. Gerard Anderson, "Power Line Transmission Problem", TPT, Vol. 25, # 7, Oct. 1987, p. 417.

Walt Schelder, "Response", TPT, Vol. 25, # 7, Oct. 1987, p. 417.

Walt Scheider, "A Student Lab Examining the EMF-Internal Resistance Model of a Solar Cell," TPT, Vol. 24, # 8, p. 488, November 1986.

C.G. Granqvist, "Spectrally Selective Surface Coatings for Energy Efficiency and Solar Applications", TPT, Vol. 22, # 6, Sept. 1984, p. 372 - 376.

Uri Ganiel, Oved Kedem, "Solar Energy - How Much Do We Receive?", TPT, Vol. 21, # 9, Dec. 1983, p. 573.

J. Christopher Ludlow, "A Chlorophyll Solar Cell", TPT, Vol. 20, # 4, Apr. 1982, p. 230 - 232.

Phillip F. Schewe, "Current Physics Research", Part II, TPT, Vol. 18, # 7, Oct. 1980, p. 519.

Arthur O. Stinner, "A Solar House for Northern Latitudes", TPT, Vol. 16, # 1, Jan. 1978, p. 25.

William G. Pollard, "Prospects for Solar Electricity", TPT, Vol. 15, # 7, Oct. 1977, p. 391.

Milo Oppegard, "Down to Earth Solar Energy Measurement", TPT, Vol. 13, # 3, March 1975, p. 162.

Matt Young, "Solar Energy", TPT, Vol. 12, # 4, April 1974, p. 243.

Peter E. Glaser, "Solar Energy - An Option for Future Energy Production", TPT, Vol. 10, # 8, Nov. 1972, p. 443.

F. Herrmann, P. Wurfel, "The Semiconductor Diode as a Rectifier, a Light Source, and a Solar Cell: A Simple Explanation", AJP, Vol. 74, # 7, July 2006, p. 591.

D. W. Kammer, M. A. Ludington, "Laboratory Experiments with Silicon Solar Cells", AJP, Vol. 45, # 7, p. 602, July 1977.

E-340: "Thermoelec. Magnet & Solar Cube," DICK and RAE Physics Demo Notebook.

H-188: "Radiometer and Solar Cube," DICK and RAE Physics Demo Notebook.

Philip F. Schewe, "Plasmon-Assisted Solar Cells," Physics Today, June 2007, p. 27.

George W. Crabtree and Nathan S. Lewis, "Solar Energy Conversion," Physics Today, March 2007, p. 37.

Karen H. Kaplan, "Portugal Builds on Renewables Effort with $78 M Solar Plant", Physics Today, p. 27, Sept. 2006.

Simon Quellen Field, "A Solar Cell You Can Make in Your Kitchen", Gonzo Gizmos, p. 76 - 81.

R. W. Buckley, "School - Made Solar Cells," Physics Experiments and Projects for Students, Vol. 1, p. 100, Edited by C. Isenberg and S. Chomet.

Neil A. Downie, "Wet Solar Cell", Ink Sandwiches, Electric Worms and 37 Other Experiments for Saturday Science, p. 313.

Tom Petruzzellis, "Light Detection Devices," Electronic Sensors for the Evil Genius, p. 26.

Mail Questions and Comments to: Dale Stille