What's your question?
Unless you're Ms. Wizard or Mr. Brainiac, we're sure you have at least one
burning question about this hot sun stuff. We have already collected a bunch
of questions from students like yourself and even from ones much older than
you (like your teachers, moms and dads). See if your question is listed below
and click on it. We'll take you to the answer! If your question isn't there,
you can e-mail it to one of the School Project Partners for your school.
1. Why are the panels facing
the way they are?
To capture as much sunlight as they can.
2. How do you make a solar
cell?
You grow a crystal, or rock, from silica and cut it in super-thin slices with
a laser beam.
3. Who is America's Energy
Partner?
AEP.
4. Why do we want to make
electricity from solar cells?
Electricity from the sun doesn't pollute and doesn't cost much to make once
you have the equipment.
5. Who causes pollution?
Everybody contributes to pollution. That's why we're looking at many different
ways to reduce it.
6. How much electricity does
the panel make?
The most it makes is 2,000 watts, about half the amount an average house uses.
That's enough to power 20 100-watt lightbulbs.
7. Will it catch on fire from
the sun?
No, it's made out of metal and glass, the same kind of glass that is in your
car windshield.
8. Will I get a shock if
I touch it?
No, the electricity it creates goes through cables into the school. But you
might get burned on a hot sunny day!
9. How long did it take to
build?
Four days.
10. How slanted does it get?
In the winter it is slanted at 60 degrees, and in the summer it's at about
30 degrees.
11. In a bad storm could
anything hurt the solar panels?
The solar panels have glass on them that can withstand hail the size of baseballs.
It also has no moving parts.
12. Does it make electricity
when it's cloudy?
Yes, but not as much as on a sunny day.
13. How much power can it
make?
The panel can convert about 15 percent of the sunlight it collects into electricity.
14. How much electricity
does one panel make?
About 75 watts.
15. How much power is lost
before it gets to the school?
It's capable of making 2,250 watts, but some of it is used in the inverter
(the device that converts the DC, or direct current energy, into AC, or alternating
current energy), and some is lost when the electricity travels through the
45 feet of cables to the school.
16. How much does a panel
cost?
From $4 to $7 a watt, but as crystals become more efficient to make, the cost
might only be about $1 per watt.
17. Are there other schools
with solar panels?
Yes, but Bluffsview is one of the first to be able to graph its electricity
production on a Web site.
18. Will the solar energy
project help our school?
Yes, by reducing the amount of electricity the school needs to purchase by
about one percent.
19. What's cool about the
solar project?
It's the first one in Ohio.
20. What will we learn?
We will learn about making energy with coal, the sun and other resources.
21. How do the solar panels
work?
When sunlight strikes the silica in the solar cell, it causes electrons to
move around, creating an electrical current. Want to know more? Go to the grade
7-12 InfoBook in Power
Pie for a more detailed explanation.
22. How are we going to find
out how much energy is used
by the school?
The graphs on this Web site tell us how much is used every day.
23. Can we tell the difference
in electricity made on a cloudy
or sunny day?
Yes, by choosing "days to graph" and by going to the weather Web site.
24. Can we see the graphs
only on our computers at school?
No, you and your parents can look at the AEP Web site on your home computer
or on computers in your public library if it has an Internet connection.
25. How will this project
help proficiency test scores?
In regards to current test results, energy is one of the weakest areas. The
solar project and Web site should help improve those scores.
26. Where can I learn more
about Solar Energy?
Check out the solar training and education offerings at the Sandia
National Laboratories Photovoltaics Program Web site.
