My Project

Difficulty
Time Required	Average (6-10 days)
Prerequisites	None
Material Availability	Specialty items required. You need to purchase a small solar panel.
Cost	Average ($50 - $100)
Safety	No issues

Abstract

Do you like getting something for nothing? Everybody likes getting things for free. How about getting energy and power for free? The Sun sends us free energy every second and all we have to do is collect it. Taking advantage of free energy can reduce our dependence on fossil fuels, which are harmful to our environment. In this science fair project, you will work with a solar panel, which is a collector of free energy, and investigate how varying the angle of the solar panel, and thus the amount of light it absorbs, affects the solar panel's output power.
    
Objective
   
To investigate the effect of the angle of incident light on the output power of a solar panel and determine which angle of incidence produces the most output power.

  
           
Credits

Michelle Maranowski, PhD, Science Buddies
     
HYPOTHESIS
When the angle of the solar panel is tilted 80 degrees, it will absorb the greatest amount of solar energy.

Dependent Variable -> Amount of energy absorbed by solar panel.
Independent Variable -> Angle of Solar Panel
Constant -> Where the solar panel is placed, type and model of apparatus

RESEARCH QUESTIONS
How do I ensure a fair test?
What are the real-life applications of the experiment?
What am I looking out for in the testing?