Solar Cell Demonstration

Room C045

Our sun has the ability to produce 3.8 x 10^26 Watts of energy every second. That’s 38 followed by 25 zeros! Scientists use solar cells to collect this energy so it can be used to power our houses here on Earth. Solar energy is much cleaner than burning fossil fuels, which released nasty gases into our atmosphere.

This activity is an example of a solar cell. One electrode is made from a special type of glass called “fluorine-doped tin oxide” which is coated with a layer of titanium oxide. This electrode is then placed in raspberry juice, which acts as a dye to absorb light. Construct your own solar cell and see if you can collect the energy emitted from the flashlight!