Student-Designed Solar Photovoltaics Investigation – Student Handout Part 1

Summary

Students calculate the energy needed to charge school laptops, then work backward to size a photovoltaic array, adjusting for real-world panel losses and the physical footprint of the installation. The handout walks through laptop energy use, total demand, panel count, area, and weight calculations step by step using provided formulas. Pairs with the teacher guide as Part 1 of the solar PV efficiency investigation.