Lesson plan for Solar Car activity

Estimated Length	Class period for discussion 2 class periods for construction of solar cars and racing Half class period for quiz or test on material
Prerequisite knowledge/skills	The students will have background knowledge in different types of renewable energy. They will use their knowledge of solar power to have an idea of how a solar panel can produce energy created from the sun. The students will incorporate their engineering design skills to build a custom model car. The students will be given a demonstration of solar energy. The students will be given various reading material regarding solar energy.
Description of New Content	The students will learn the physics of how a solar panel produces electrical energy. They will learn about Silicon and its electronic band structure. They will also learn about other materials that are commonly used to make electronic devices.
Rationale	The solar car is a great way for the students to get hands on knowledge on how a solar panel can produce electricity. They will realize that this power can be utilized as a renewable energy source. They will understand the advantages and disadvantages of using photovoltaic as an energy source in automobiles. From this, they will then think about what solar energy can be best used for.
Goals	The students will understand the basic concept of solar energy. They will understand how solar energy can be produced via a solar panel. The students will understand the physics that describe how a solar panel works; in particular silicon and its band structure. The students will build a working solar car.
Materials Needed		There are many different sites where one can find solar car kits. The kits that were purchased for our class can be found at http://www.sunwind.ca/. These kits consist of the materials shown to the left. We purchased a few sets of kits enough for 30 solar cars. Additional materials would be floodlights, with a minimum wattage of 75 W. A number of these can be placed in a row to create a race track. The most useful lights would be those with the ability to clamp to an object.

Procedure	Opener In the opener, I will give a demonstration on solar energy using a radio meter, which is essentially like a wind meter that is enclosed in a vacuum “bulb.” When light is shined onto the radiometer, it will cause the blades inside the bulb to spin. I will also give a demonstration of how a solar cell works by connecting a motor to a solar cell. Attached to the motor is a spinning holographic disc and once light is shined on the solar cell, the motor will begin to spin. The purpose of these demonstrations will be to give the students a sense of how solar light can be used to create energy and how that this energy can be used to help heat homes, create electricity. Development The students will first have short readings involving a few physics concepts; electrons and the electron shells of an atom, silicon and crystal lattice of materials, energy gap and electron transitions from valence band to conduction band. After the demonstrations, the students will have a teacher led discussion about what they read about and to talk in depth, if necessary, about any topics that are unclear. The students will be responsible for taking notes and making sure they understand the material.
Evaluation	The students should build a working solar car. The students should know the basics of how a solar photovoltaic cell can produce electricity. The students will write an essay about solar power. By writing in their own words, it should help them retain the new information. A quiz on solar energy will reinforce what they learned about solar energy.
Extensions
References
Additional information	There are countless number of resources available on the internet regarding photovoltaic cells. Some interesting websites along with questions that students should ponder are listed below: Solar power http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761554832/Solar_Energy.html#endads How many solar cells would I need in order to provide all of the electricity that my house needs? http://home.howstuffworks.com/question418.htm How Solar Cells Work http://science.howstuffworks.com/solar-cell3.htm Questions: What does it take to power a house? Can/Should PV cells be used to power a house? What other domestic use does the photovoltaic have? What obstacles does one need to consider when dealing with solar power? Click here for pdf file of this lesson plan.

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