SRP Rough Draft

Does the Angle of a Solar Panel Affect its Productivity?

Benjamin Perumala

8th Grade Science

Mr. OZ’s Class

Sonoran Science Academy Davis-Monthan

October 1, 2013

Solar Panels are used everywhere, some are found on houses, others on the ground. The one thing solar panels are used for is to produce clean and renewable energy. Each solar panel productivity varies with three variables. The first one is the material that the solar panel is made out of, the second is the angle of the sun relative to the solar panel, and third is the materials, such as clouds, dust, trees, etc, that block the sunlight from the solar panel.

Out of all three problems, many think the second problem is the top most priority. Many have tried to make solar panels more efficient by making elaborate machines and equations to find a simple question; What is the best angle for solar panel productivity? However, there is not a very simple answer to this question. It varies with every season and the solar panels location. (Landau)

This experiment will be conducted in Tucson Arizona, meaning only a certain area around this location, will have the best results.

References

“Discover Earth and Science Data and Services” NASA Sept. 2013 Retrieved from <http://gcmd.gsfc.nasa.gov/add/portals.html>

Landau, Charles. "Optimum Tilt of Solar Panels." MACS Lab, Inc.. MACS Lab, Inc., 18 Jul 2012. Web. 30 Sep 2013. <http://www.macslab.com/optsolar.html>.

Warlick, David. "Son of Citation Machine." Son of Citation Machine. Study Break Media, 29 Oct 2000. Web. 30 Sep 2013. <http://citationmachine.net/index2.php?reqstyleid=1&newstyle=1&stylebox=1>.

Olsen, Lola, ed. "Earth Interactions Data Services." Global Change Maser Direcory. NASA. Web. 30 Sep 2013. <http://gcmd.gsfc.nasa.gov/KeywordSearch/Home.do?Portal=sun-earth&MetadataType=1>.

Tukiainen, Matti. "Tucson, Arizona sunrise, sunset, dawn, and dusk times for the whole year - Gaisma."Sunrise, sunset, dawn and dusk times around the World - Gaisma. Gaisma. Web. 30 Sep 2013. <http://www.gaisma.com/en/location/tucson-arizona.html>.

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