Solar Hydrogen System
Hydrogen Fuel Cells:
A hydrogen fuel cell converts chemical energy into electricity through a chemical reaction. It is a renewable energy source and an inexhaustible energy source. They have been around since 1838 and have been very helpful. They are used as another way to form energy that is similar to solar panels. The fuel cell was almost forgotten about until the 1930's when these fuel cells came in to play again. In a fuel cells simplest form, it has two electrodes positive and negative (anode and cathode) and an electrolyte in-between them. The electrode is where the electricity is produced. Hydrogen cells require oxygen along with the hydrogen as the basic fuel. The purpose of a fuel cell is to produce an electrical current that can be directed outside the cell to do work. The hydrogen fuel cell helps produce an electrical current which lets the cell do work like powering a motor which is used in this project.
Solar Panels:
A solar panel absorbs the suns rays and uses it as a source of energy to work as electricity. It works as photons (particles of light) break away the electrons free of the atom which makes a flow of electricity. They can be used to power many things like homes and batteries. Most solar panels for homes are placed on the rooftops to absorb the sunlight to make it into energy. The more the sun hits the solar panel, the more electricity is produced. Solar panels are a bunch of solar cells grouped together. They also include smaller units within them called photovoltaic cells. Unlike normal circumstances, we used an artificial light to make the process of the project easier and quicker.
Series and Parallel circuits:
A series circuit is a circuit that contains only one path for the current to flow and if the path is open anywhere, the current stops flowing to all components. A parallel circuit is a circuit that contains more than one path for current to flow. If a component is removed, then it is possible for the current to take another path to reach other components. The main difference between the two is the path and how the current can flow. For a series circuit the current flowing through every series component is equal. The total resistance is also equal to the sum of all of the resistances. For a parallel circuit the voltage across every parallel component is equal. The total resistance is also equal to the reciprocal of the sum of the reciprocal.
Reflection:
For the beginning of the project I really did not understand what we were doing but I soon learned and figured it out. It was also very difficult to work on it because there were always field trips or other reasons people weren't there. Even though we all got frustrated at one point, we always stayed positive and got the job done. Our design for the project changed many times as our ideas changed. We had to make the car big enough to fit many things like the breadboard, hydrogen fuel cell, and solar panel so we changed our design since we had just made a really simple one not thinking much of it. We never really had time to take the measurements because we would always wait so long before the fuel cell was charged. We were also very confused on how to take the measurements. If i could change the way we did it, I would make a plan so we could be more organized so there is no confusion.
A hydrogen fuel cell converts chemical energy into electricity through a chemical reaction. It is a renewable energy source and an inexhaustible energy source. They have been around since 1838 and have been very helpful. They are used as another way to form energy that is similar to solar panels. The fuel cell was almost forgotten about until the 1930's when these fuel cells came in to play again. In a fuel cells simplest form, it has two electrodes positive and negative (anode and cathode) and an electrolyte in-between them. The electrode is where the electricity is produced. Hydrogen cells require oxygen along with the hydrogen as the basic fuel. The purpose of a fuel cell is to produce an electrical current that can be directed outside the cell to do work. The hydrogen fuel cell helps produce an electrical current which lets the cell do work like powering a motor which is used in this project.
Solar Panels:
A solar panel absorbs the suns rays and uses it as a source of energy to work as electricity. It works as photons (particles of light) break away the electrons free of the atom which makes a flow of electricity. They can be used to power many things like homes and batteries. Most solar panels for homes are placed on the rooftops to absorb the sunlight to make it into energy. The more the sun hits the solar panel, the more electricity is produced. Solar panels are a bunch of solar cells grouped together. They also include smaller units within them called photovoltaic cells. Unlike normal circumstances, we used an artificial light to make the process of the project easier and quicker.
Series and Parallel circuits:
A series circuit is a circuit that contains only one path for the current to flow and if the path is open anywhere, the current stops flowing to all components. A parallel circuit is a circuit that contains more than one path for current to flow. If a component is removed, then it is possible for the current to take another path to reach other components. The main difference between the two is the path and how the current can flow. For a series circuit the current flowing through every series component is equal. The total resistance is also equal to the sum of all of the resistances. For a parallel circuit the voltage across every parallel component is equal. The total resistance is also equal to the reciprocal of the sum of the reciprocal.
Reflection:
For the beginning of the project I really did not understand what we were doing but I soon learned and figured it out. It was also very difficult to work on it because there were always field trips or other reasons people weren't there. Even though we all got frustrated at one point, we always stayed positive and got the job done. Our design for the project changed many times as our ideas changed. We had to make the car big enough to fit many things like the breadboard, hydrogen fuel cell, and solar panel so we changed our design since we had just made a really simple one not thinking much of it. We never really had time to take the measurements because we would always wait so long before the fuel cell was charged. We were also very confused on how to take the measurements. If i could change the way we did it, I would make a plan so we could be more organized so there is no confusion.