Grownups sometimes seem to make things more complicated than they need to be. Like using photovoltaic cells to capture sunlight, and turn this into electricity. Then they use the electricity to heat hot water to wash the dishes. There is an easier way to make a solar panel but you have to use the hot water right away.
An Experiment to Heat Water without Photovoltaic Cells
A solar panel can be as simple as heating water directly with the sun. To illustrate the point, run water through the garden hose and close the tap. Place the hose directly in bright sunlight and wait a few hours. When you turn the tap on again, the first water coming out will be hot.
Be careful not to burn yourself. Better still ask a grownup that knows what they are doing to help!
How to Make a Solar Panel from an Empty Pizza Box
For this experiment, you need
- A pizza box
- A hobby knife
- Matt black paint and brush
- 3 foot of clear plastic tubing
- A sheet of thin clear plastic
- Contact glue
- Sticky tape
First, choose a sunny day to eat the pizza. Then remove the pizza box lid. Make two holes just large enough for the tube to pass at opposite corners and sides of the box. Paint the inside black. Lay the plastic tubing through one hole. Wind it around a few times before passing it through the other hole and fixing it with the glue.
When the glue is dry, cover the open box top with the sheet of plastic and tape it down. Place your solar panel on a table in direct sunlight for one hour with the plastic facing up.
Then fill your mouth with water at room temperature and blow it very slowly through the plastic tube. It will feel warmer when it comes out at the other end of your thermal solar panel.
Now swap the secret with your family in exchange for a pizza party! How’s that for solar fun?
Related
Practical benefits of solar thermal panels
Preview Image Pizza Box
