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presents…
Grades: 4-6
Duration: 150 minutes
Standards: NGSS 3-5-ETS1-2; 3-5-ETS1-3
Capturing Solar Energy
This Prezi presentation stems from TeachEngineering.org from the University of Colorado - Boulder to guide your students.
Be sure to read the lesson 'Let the Sunshine and Cooking with the Sun,' authored by the Integrated Teaching and Learning Program at the University of Colorado, Boulder.
This set of lessons will guide you in our use of this Prezi presentation, which can be copied and revised as you see fit.
The lesson reviews several types of solar power and guides students into building a solar cooker. Students also compare the strengths and weaknesses of several designs and assess their cookers' efficiencies.
Click here to see the lesson guide:
https://www.teachengineering.org/activities/view/cub_energy2_lesson09_activity3
What do we know?
What do we want to know?
With your partner:
Create a list of at least ten things you know about solar energy. (On green sticky notes)
Write down three questions that you have about solar energy. (On pink sticky notes)
Don’t worry about being right or wrong.
Let's share. Place your sticky notes on the board.
True or False?
Which of these are true? Which are false?
Solar power is the most abundant
energy source on Earth.
Solar power is cheaper than fossil fuels.
China is the world leader in solar energy.
Air pollution holds back solar power.
An area the size of Spain could generate enough power for the whole world.
Solar panels are virtually pollution-free.
All of these are true!
There are two types of solar energy:
Passive Solar Energy
When solar energy is being used for heat or light without needing electrical or mechanical components.
Active Solar Energy
When solar energy from the sun is transformed into electrical or mechanical energy.
Images
Which images do you think are passive vs. active solar energy? Why do you think so?
Take a minute and discuss with your partner the various examples.
Share out when the teacher is ready.
Solar Plant
There are two types of solar plant systems:
Tower System
Trough System
Let's Work
Let’s work in teams of 2-4 and diagram or draw out how we think these two systems might work.
Take your best guess to illustrate:
What do they look like?
How do they capture solar energy?
Feel free to illustrate your drawings with arrows and symbols.
Share out!
How do the systems work?
Questions
Where does the collection of solar energy work best?
What is the best month?
What is the best time of day?
What is the best season?
What is the best position to face solar collectors (north, south, east or west)?
Answer
Because the planet is always shifting in relation to the sun, the answers to the questions are not clear cut.
They depend on where on Earth you’re located, plus all sorts of other information about where the receptor is in relation to the sun.
So the correct answer is: “When the sun is directing the most energy our way!”
PVC Cells
The photovoltaic cell is another type of technology that is used to capture solar energy. Light is converted to power.
They are made of silicon crystals and are a more expensive technology.
They're often used for solar panels.
Examples
Let’s work with solar power
and build a solar oven.
Objectives:
Explain how engineers help develop solar cooking technology to benefit people in need.
Describe the important properties of a solar cooker and their purposes.
Describe the transformation of energy that takes place in a solar cooker.
Situation
A major disaster has hit your region. There has not been electricity for three months and people are running out of propane and gas to heat water and food.
And, wood is off limits as trees are limited and considered a valued oxygen resource. The air also needs to remain clean.
People are desperately trying to figure out how to use the sun for basic cooking.
Question: How can we use simple solar power to cook food?
Goal: Create a simple solar oven that can heat food efficiently.
Your team has been tasked with coming up with a simple way to heat food that requires only solar energy.
Team
In your team of 2-4:
Review the design process.
We are now poised to enter step 2.
Given your past knowledge, draw out your thoughts for how your solar oven works.
Be prepared to answer questions about your team's design, e.g., why did you choose your particular design?
Share out to the class.
Let's Compare
Let's compare your designs and where you took up key principles of solar cooking.
Principles
Three Principles of Solar Cooking
As you build, consider:
Directing the maximum possible amount of sunlight to the food by reflection.
Converting sunlight to thermal energy.
Holding onto solar heat by using insulation.
When you designed your quick illustrations, which of these did you address?
Build & Refine
Let’s build a solar oven to spec. We have four different designs to choose from.
There will be two of each group, so we can compare construction and outcomes.
Box Panel Cooker
Modified Box Panel Cooker
Simple Cone Cooker
Parabolic Solar Cooker
Directions: https://www.teachengineering.org/activities/view/cub_energy2_lesson09_activity3
Rules
Team Ground Rules:
Consists of 3-4 people max.
Cannot talk to other groups - focus on their own creations and problem solving
Will have 60-80 minutes to make
their ovens.
Will present their ovens and get feedback from the other groups for potential revision.
Begin
Ok, now that you have been assigned to a group and been assigned an oven with directions on how to build them:
BEGIN!
Feedback
Let’s get feedback!
Present what you have built.
Address the following when you present:
How do these principles come into play?
Who is in your group?
Did you take roles? If so, what role did you each play?
Directing the maximum possible amount of sunlight to the food by reflection.
Converting sunlight to thermal energy.
Holding onto solar heat by using insulation.
What were your challenges
in constructing the oven?
How did your original design compare to the design you built from the spec?
What went well?
Prediction
Given what you have seen of the various cookers, make a prediction.
Which cooker do you think will be the most effective?
Directions:
Take your cookers outside and position them to receive the best sunlight.
Fill two beakers with 200 ml of water.
Take and record their temperatures. Each beaker should
be the same temperature.
Place one beaker in the shade and the other in the cooker.
Every two minutes, take and record the temperature of the water in both beakers for 20 minutes.
Graph the data with time on the x axis and temperature on the y axis.
Report your findings.
Reports
When you report out, please answer:
How did the sun to shade
temperatures compare?
Did you make any adjustments to optimize the light?
Were you surprised by anything?
How might you improve your design?
What feedback do others have?
Time to Compare
How did the designs between all the groups compare?
Was your prediction correct?
What produced the best results? Why?
Celebrate!
Make cookies or s’mores in your ovens!
How did the baking compare between cookers?
As you eat, think about what you learned and how you learned it.
Discuss as a group!
Given your investigations into solar energy and the creation of a solar cooker, pair up and create a PREZI PRESENTATION or PREZI VIDEO that outlines five things you've learned while creating the solar cooker and how you'd improve it given feedback.
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Directions:
1. Choose a topic.
2. Outline five learnings and ways to improve the cooker.
3. Create a Prezi presentation or video to present your findings and newfound knowledge.
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