Currently, our power is derived from fossil fuel and uranium. All of these fuels are finite and cause negative effects on the environment. One answer to this problem is solar energy. Solar panels are used to capture solar energy and convert it to electricity. However, scientists are unsure whether solar panels will be reliable in all weather conditions. Will solar panels continue to convert significant amounts of solar energy to electricity when it is cloudy or when there is precipitation? That is the question that our experiment seeks to answer.
For this experiment, we measured the electrical output of a two inch by six inch solar panel in the following weather conditions: sunny, partly cloudy, cloudy and precipitation. The panel had a stated maximum output of twenty-four volts. We compared this data to the readings that we took for precipitation which served as our control to reach our conclusion.
Our hypothesis was that the electrical output of our solar panel will decrease as the cloud cover increased. Our independent variable was the weather condition, while our dependent variable was the electrical output. This experiment would serve to answer the question posed above. Our conclusions would aid engineers in developing more efficient solar panels, and would also assist aid agencies to better choose the type of power source needed to bring power to remote areas of third world countries.