lolipop_choc Posted April 29, 2013 Report Share Posted April 29, 2013 I'm thinking of doing the Extended Essay about the solar energy. My goal is to heat a cup of water with it. I have to build a solar panel which I don't really know which type is the best. It's going to be a small cup of water. Which one is better? PV solar panel or Thermal Panels? Thermal panels might be better, i guess, but I don't really get the concept of it.Please help me Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
I-Bugger Posted April 30, 2013 Report Share Posted April 30, 2013 (edited) Actually you could just heat the water under the sun without any panels as the sun itself radiates heat(a lot of them), but if for some reason you must use some panels...Well, logically it should be thermal panel if you're heating water as PV panels are mostly used for generating electricity. Yet even thermal panels have a lot of types, but basically they all use the same concept, capture the heat radiated by the sun and convert it into a more usable energy. So what i suggest is how about you use all of them and compare them, not just for heating water, but also compare the energy obtained. The solar energy striking the earth's surface is about 1000 watts per square meter in tropical sunny conditions, so you could measure the efficiency from that amount. Well, this is just my suggestion anyway, to give you more options. Consider it, and good luck! Edited April 30, 2013 by I-Bugger Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lolipop_choc Posted May 16, 2013 Author Report Share Posted May 16, 2013 Actually you could just heat the water under the sun without any panels as the sun itself radiates heat(a lot of them), but if for some reason you must use some panels...Well, logically it should be thermal panel if you're heating water as PV panels are mostly used for generating electricity. Yet even thermal panels have a lot of types, but basically they all use the same concept, capture the heat radiated by the sun and convert it into a more usable energy. So what i suggest is how about you use all of them and compare them, not just for heating water, but also compare the energy obtained. The solar energy striking the earth's surface is about 1000 watts per square meter in tropical sunny conditions, so you could measure the efficiency from that amount. Well, this is just my suggestion anyway, to give you more options. Consider it, and good luck!Thank you so much for your suggestion! I am thinking about it, too, whether I make a few of them and compare or just one. I feel like it needs a lot of work for comparing different types since I have to make them myself. I'll try anyway, and thanks again! Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
yii yann Posted May 16, 2013 Report Share Posted May 16, 2013 Agree with I - Bugger, I don't think heating a cup of water is a great EE topic, but trying out different varieties of solar panels, and even possibly other materials (magnifying glass over the cup?), would be a good base point. Realistically, you'd be looking at about 4 different materials + a control, which would already be a lot to write about! Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lolipop_choc Posted May 16, 2013 Author Report Share Posted May 16, 2013 Agree with I - Bugger, I don't think heating a cup of water is a great EE topic, but trying out different varieties of solar panels, and even possibly other materials (magnifying glass over the cup?), would be a good base point. Realistically, you'd be looking at about 4 different materials + a control, which would already be a lot to write about!Honestly, is it hard to build a solar panel? Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
yii yann Posted May 16, 2013 Report Share Posted May 16, 2013 Obviously a professional grade one would be complicated, but I am sure a simple student produced one would be rather rudimentary, yet effective. It depends on what your EE is specifically about. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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