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Science of Solar – Starter Pack

Summary

This section provides a complete science of solar quiz and vocabulary resource tailored for high school students. It defines essential technical terms like silicon, p-n junction, solar array, and intermittent. The quiz assesses student understanding of core concepts, including how solar panels work, the difference between photovoltaic and mirrored panels, and the challenges associated with solar power

Bell Ringer

Instructions: Answer the prompt provided by your teacher.










Vocabulary

Instructions: Watch the Science of Solar video and listen for the vocabulary words.

WordDefinitionExample
Nuclear Fusion Reactornoun: a device that produces energy by fusing (joining) light atoms, like hydrogen, into heavier atoms, like helium“. . . we don’t have a working nuclear fusion reactor.”
Wattnoun: a unit of power equal to one joule per second, used to measure electrical power“This square meter will receive over a thousand watts of sunlight today.”
Solar Arraynoun: a group of connected solar panels that generate electricity from sunlight“Our solar array . . . can turn about 15% of that sunlight into electricity.”
Siliconnoun: a chemical element (Si), commonly used as a semiconductor in solar panels and electronics“A solar panel is essentially two layers of silicon . . .”
Positively-Chargedadjective phrase: having fewer electrons than protons, resulting in a net positive electrical charge“One layer is positively-charged and one is negatively charged, like the batteries we made earlier.”
Negtively-Chargedadjective phrase: having more electrons than protons, resulting in a net negative electrical charge“One layer is positively charged and one is negatively-charged, like the batteries we made earlier.”
Electronnoun: a subatomic particle with a negative charge; main carrier of electricity“[The] Sun strikes the layers, [and] excites electrons between them . . .”
Wavelengthnoun: the distance between one wave peak and the next in a series of waves, like in light or sound“You remember the light comes in different wavelengths along the spectrum from infrared to ultraviolet.”
Spectrumnoun: the range of different wavelengths of light, from infrared (long) to ultraviolet (short)“You remember the light comes in different wavelengths along the spectrum from infrared to ultraviolet.”
Efficientadjective: doing something well without wasting time, energy or resources“We can make panels nearly three times as efficient at capturing energy by adding more layers…”
Affordableadjective: inexpensive; reasonably priced“If we could figure out more affordable storage to smooth out this curve and more affordable panels…”
Intermittentadjective: occurring at irregular intervals; not continuous or steady“[Clouds and night] make solar’s output intermittent which can be a challenge to handle in an electricity system.”
Generatornoun: a machine that converts mechanical energy into electrical energy“They concentrate it with mirrors, [and] heat water to make steam which turns a generator . . .”

Quiz

Instructions: Circle the correct answer based on what you learned in the Science of Solar video.

Q1. How does the Sun produce light and heat?

  1. electromagnetic waves
  2. combustion
  3. nuclear fusion
  4. electricity

Q2. What is the biggest challenge of using solar energy to generate electricity?

  1. intermittency
  2. panel cost
  3. storage
  4. transmission

Q3. Which of the following accurately describes how most silicon-based solar panels function?

  1. The full spectrum of light heats water between two layers of silicon.
  2. The full spectrum of light excites electrons between two layers of silicon.
  3. A narrow band of the spectrum of light excites electrons between two layers of silicon.
  4. Heat from the sun excites electrons between two layers of silicon.

Q4. Which of the following accurately describes how mirrored solar panels function?

  1. Mirrored panels bounce light waves through a silicon filter to excite electrons.
  2. Mirrored panels store light until it converts into enough heat to excite electrons.
  3. Mirrored panels concentrate light to create heat that generates steam from water.
  4. Mirrored panels reflect light into a battery that stores it for later use.

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