HYPOTHESIS AND SPECIFIC AIM BY RALIAT O. ALABI SOLAR ENERGY

HOW SOLAR ENERGY WORKS Photons in sunlight hit panels and are absorbed by semi conducting materials e.g. silicon. Electrons are knocked off from atoms causing a potential difference. Current begins flowing through the material to annul the difference and electricity is captured in cells. The solar panel are designed such that electrons move in only one direction. An array of solar cells create a substantial amount of direct current electricity. A power inverter changes it to alternating current which could be use in homes and offices. hv+ Si → electrons →potential difference→ current

THEORY

THINGS TO NOTE Every day the sun provides approximately 170,000 terawatt hours of energy - about 2,850 times the energy required by people around the world. In 40 minutes of daylight the sun releases upon the earth the amount of energy that is consumed by the entire population of the planet in one year. All the energy stored in Earth's reserves of coal, oil, and natural gas is matched by the energy from just 20 days of sunshine. Currently we harness about 1% of this energy.

HYPOTHESIS How can solar energy be stored for use at times of less sunlight( darkness or obscured)? How can solar panels be made less expensive? How to improve the efficiency of solar cells, which at recent is of only 10% to 20%? How to increase the total energy market of solar energy?

SPECIFIC AIM To make use of large banks of batteries for energy storage or to copy the biological capture of solar energy by plants. To make use of new, less expensive materials as solar panels(use of abundant earth metals such as copper and zinc instead of rare earth metals. To increase efficiency through developments in nanotechnology and multilayered cells. To make the government pump more money in solar energy developments and afterwards, inform people of the usefulness and cleanliness of such an energy.

PHOTOSYNTHESIS Chlorophyll uses CO 2, nutrients and water from the soil and sunlight to make glucose and oxygen. In photosynthesis, solar energy is converted into chemical energy which is stored in glucose form. Photosynthesis is composed of two stages: light and dark reactions. The light reactions convert light into energy(ATP and NADPH) and the dark reactions use the energy and CO 2 to produce sugar. 6CO H 2 O + light → C 6 H 12 O 6 + 6O 2 + 6H 2 O

NICOTINAMIDE ADENINE DINUCLEOTIDE PHOSPHATE

ADENOSINE TRIPHOSPHATE

SIGNIFICANCE AND INNOVATION To produce electrical energy for home and commercial use. To tell time using a stick shadow. For cooking purposes which reduces deforestation and drying. Heating and cooling space facilities. Used in architecture and urban planning. Used as a form of portable energy for travelers. Used by plants to make food.

POTENTIAL PROBLEM The biological capture of light energy by plants is a suggestion and hasn’t been investigated thoroughly. The forcing of other solar panel companies out of business and the use of ‘abundant earth’ panels are still in its early stages. Liquid Nano crystals are easier to fabricate than the traditional silicon cells and an issue is how to make it conduct electricity To prove that it is a viable and lucrative venture

ALTERNATIVE APPROACH Using banks of batteries is a better alternative. Other solar energy companies have to adopt the cheaper technique to stay in business. Also scientists have to do more research into using abundant earth metals. Research shows a synthetic ligand may be use which build tiny bridges connecting the Nano crystals. Rules should be made to avoid fabrication. More and more reliable research needs to be done to solve this problem.

PLACES THAT USE SOLAR ENERGY The Mojave Desert is located in California and is the world’s largest solar power installation. It generates enough electricity to power the homes of more than half a million people. Since the maintenance costs are very low, the only expense is the one made initially to construct the solar panel.

MARKET FOR PHOTOVOLTAIC CELLS Germany: 9,785 Mega Watts Capacity Of PV Solar Energy Spain: 3,386 Mega Watts Capacity Of PV Solar Energy Japan: 2,633 Mega Watts Capacity Of PV Solar Energy United States: 1,650 Mega Watts Capacity Of PV Solar Energy Italy: 1,167 Mega Watts Capacity Of PV Solar Energy It takes megawatts of energy to power New York city.

COMPARISON Energy Comparison 1 ton of coal = 6,182 KWH 1 barrel of oil = 1,699 KWH 1 cubic foot of gas = 0.3 KWH Energy Costs 1 ton of coal costs $36 = $0.006 per KWH 1 barrel of oil costs $70 = $0.05 per KWH 1 cubic foot of gas $0.008 = $0.03 per KWH  So a $45,000 5KW solar energy system produces about 119,246 KWH of electric over its lifespan meaning the average cost equals $0.38 per KWH

COMPARISON

The relatively high solar energy costs in comparison to conventional fuels should improve with utility rebates and government tax incentives. In addition, solar panel prices should continue to decline as volume production increases.

COMPONENT COSTS

USING THE HEAT TO INCREASE EFFICIENCY Combines the light and heat to increase the efficiency of solar cells The process is called "photon enhanced thermionic emission," or PETE It will be cheap enough to compete with oil. Used to combat higher temperatures. It works by coating a piece of semiconducting material with a thin layer of the metal cesium, which made the material able to use both light and heat to generate electricity.

With a PETE system, the amount of semiconductor material needed for a device is quite small. For each device, it is figured something like a 6-inch wafer of actual material is all that is needed the actual efficiency of the process could reach up to the 50 or 60 percent