Energizing Alternatives

Overview

Objectives/Goals The objective of my experiment was to compare power generated from a solar cell and wind turbine to determine which is the better alternative for the use in my community, given our unique weather conditions. Methods/Materials The experimental method involved designing and building the solar cell and the wind turbine apparatuses, researching weather conditions over the course of a year, interviewing subject matter experts, collecting current and voltage data, calculating power and energy, and finally drawing conclusions on which power source would be better given local sun and wind conditions. The materials we used were photovoltaic cells, 2 dc motors, wire, PVC pipes, fan blades, multimeter, and wood and mounting materials. Results The total annual energy generated from the solar apparatus would be 132.48 watt-hours per year, verses 377.04 watt-hours generated per year from the wind apparatus. Based solely on my data, wind is the better alternative for my community. Conclusions/Discussion When only looking at the data, wind power is the better alternative for my community due in large part to the number of hours per day that power can be generated and the fact that voltage and current increased with greater wind speed. However, when I factor in expert opinion from my interviews I conducted, my conclusion is broader, indicating that a mix of alternative energy resources is actually optimal. This takes into account economic factors and timing of a typical energy consumption.

Competition history

• CSEF 2011 Alternative Energy (Junior Division Only) · Entry J0235

Resources

• CSEF project summary ↗

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