The Power of Solar Energy

CONWAY 2.9 Energy

Abstract
In my experiment, I investigate whether different
types of solar panels charge your phone
differently. The purpose of my experiment is to
test the difference between a monocyrstalline
and a polycrystalline panel. I hypothesize that a
monocrystalline panel will charge my phone the
quickest because it has a higher silicone content
than the polycrystalline panel. To test this, I built
two solar chargers: one with a monocyrstalline
panel and one with a polycrystalline panel. Then,
I observed how effectively they charged a
smartphone. I found that both panels were
equally effective. In 1 hour, both solar panels
either increased the phones battery by 1% or not

Problem
What effect does the type of solar
panel have on the time it takes to
charge a smart phone?

Hypothesis
If I use two different solar panels,
monocrystalline and polycrystalline,
then a monocrystalline panel will
charge my phone the quickest
because it has a higher silicone
content than the polycrystalline
panel.

Materials

Monocrystalline panel
Polycrystalline panel
3 phones
2 USB cords
2 Inverter/USB charging modules
Wires
Soldering Gun
Timer

Procedures

Build solar chargers with a monocrystalline and

polycrystalline panel:
Connect panel to inverter/USB module by soldering the
wires.
Place USB cord into the inverter/USB module.
Connect phone to the opposite end of the USB cord.
Place chargers and phones outside, preferably when its
sunny (phones must have an initial range of 50-60 percent
battery).
Also place a third phone outside with no charger.
Leave the two phones charging for one hour.
Unplug the phones and record the changes in battery
percentage.
Repeat steps 3-6 a total of 10 times (phones will be
alternated across conditions).

Monocrystalline Charger

Polycrystalline Charger

Results
Results showed that a
monocrystalline and a polycrystalline
panel were equally effective when
charging a smartphone. In 1 hour,
both solar panels either increased
the phones battery by 1% or not at
all. The phone with no charger did
not charge at all, but decreased in
battery life.

Monocrystalline Panel

Polycrystalline Panel

No Charger

Conclusion
Based on my results, my experiment is
inconclusive; the monocrystalline panel was
not more effective than the polycrystalline
panel. I found that there was no significant
difference in the rate that the
monocrystalline and polycrystalline panels
charged the smartphones. However, since
the solar chargers were used for only 1 hour,
more valid results may be obtained if the
phones are left charging for a longer period
of time.