You Have The Power
Energy Project
For the last project of the year, we were given the opportunity to create our own project that reflects the laws of thermodynamics. We were given this assignment after learning multiple other pieces of information that had to do with power and energy. This unit was done quite differently than others, because we were learning remotely due to Covid-19.
I chose to do my project with a partner, and since we were obviously unable to get together and physically work together, we decided to take a hypothetical path, in which we used the internet to communicate and we came up with a plan to use green energy. Considering our restraints, we chose to plan out the expenses and energy usage of a tiny house powered on green energy.
I chose to do my project with a partner, and since we were obviously unable to get together and physically work together, we decided to take a hypothetical path, in which we used the internet to communicate and we came up with a plan to use green energy. Considering our restraints, we chose to plan out the expenses and energy usage of a tiny house powered on green energy.
What we learned about:
Cow Power:
One of the first things that we learned in this unit is about the power that can come from cow manure. To research this, we were given documents that discussed the negative affects on the environment that livestock creates and the ways that the livestock could be utilized in other ways to better the environment. The document also discussed the chemistry of how manure is turned into electricity. This process is shown in the diagram to the right. |
Energy Forms and Changes:
One of the main ways to understand the first law of thermodynamics (energy can not be created or destroyed, only transferred) is by visualizing how energy is transferred rather than created. We did this by completing and observing a Phet simulation that allowed us to electronically toy around with ways to generate and release energy. An example of one of the experiments is shown to the left, where a water wheel is used to light a light bulb. My partner and I used this specific simulation as inspiration for our project since we were taking a hypothetical route. |
Lemon Battery Lab:
In this lab, lemon mocks the chemical makeup of a battery when zinc and copper are added to it and can be used to generate power, but it generates a limited amount of said power. When a zinc and copper are added to a lemon, it closely mimics the makeup of a battery. All batteries are made of an anode, a cathode and an electrolyte solution. In the lemon, the zinc acts as the anode, or the negative end, the copper acts as the cathode or the positive side, and the lemon juice acts as the electrolyte or acidic solution. This means that by following the steps in the procedure, a lemon can obtain the three main components in a battery. |
Laws of Thermodynamics:
As you can see in the diagram to the left, there are four laws of thermodynamics. the main law that we focused on in this project was the first law. This law states that energy is not created or destroyed, but it is converted. We took a lot of time to study and learn about the ways that energy converts forms. For example, the Phet simulation allowed us to play around with forms of energy. |
Separate Power Experiment:
Finally, we were given the opportunity to create our own project that reflected what we learned in this unit. My partner and I chose to design a tiny house that could run on green fuel and be better cost-wise and energy-wise in the long run. To research this, we brainstormed possible ways to generate clean energy, basing our ideas on what we learned in this unit. For example, water power, peddling a bike to generate electricity, and solar power. After this, we researched the amounts of energy needed to power these appliances, and then calculated the monthly cost for our house compared to a house that doesn't use reusable energy.
Finally, we were given the opportunity to create our own project that reflected what we learned in this unit. My partner and I chose to design a tiny house that could run on green fuel and be better cost-wise and energy-wise in the long run. To research this, we brainstormed possible ways to generate clean energy, basing our ideas on what we learned in this unit. For example, water power, peddling a bike to generate electricity, and solar power. After this, we researched the amounts of energy needed to power these appliances, and then calculated the monthly cost for our house compared to a house that doesn't use reusable energy.
Proof of Efficacy Document:
Name of energy transfer device: Green-powered Tiny House (uses solar, water and mechanical power)
Photos of device:
Description:
The miniature house that we are designing would be placed near a river for water power, would have solar panels on the roof, facing the direction in which the sun would hit it the most, and it would have a clothes-washing station outside. The final piece of green energy used would be a bike that could be used to power a blender. There would also be a gravity-based water removal toilet installed that does not require electricity,
Energy forms and changes:
The miniature house that we are designing would be placed near a river for water power, would have solar panels on the roof, facing the direction in which the sun would hit it the most, and it would have a clothes-washing station outside. The final piece of green energy used would be a bike that could be used to power a blender. There would also be a gravity-based water removal toilet installed that does not require electricity,
Energy forms and changes:
- Bike-powered blender
- Chemical-mechanical-electrical
- Solar panels
- Light energy-electrical energy
- Water wheel
- Mechanical-electrical
- Hand washing
- Chemical-mechanical
- Chemical-mechanical
Measurements of energy output (you will need to get creative here if you don’t have scientific instruments for accuracy. (Ex. you don’t have a voltmeter, but you do have an LED, how much energy is required to light the LED)
Voltage vs. wattage
A volt is a unit of potential energy, while a watt is a unit of power. One watt= “the amount of power a one-volt supply will provide when one amp of current flows: 1 V × 1 A = 1 W.”(Quora). An amp is a unit of current, and it tells how many electrons flow per second.
A volt is a unit of potential energy, while a watt is a unit of power. One watt= “the amount of power a one-volt supply will provide when one amp of current flows: 1 V × 1 A = 1 W.”(Quora). An amp is a unit of current, and it tells how many electrons flow per second.
If this same hypothetical tiny house was powered with the normal course of action, it would use 15,185 watts of electrical energy, which contrasts greatly with green power, which uses mechanical and light energy to create power that is healthy for the planet (and cost effective).
Molecular Blueprints:
Based off of the phet simulation, this is what the systems we have look like.
Solar power: The sun emits light energy that is captured by the solar panel. This where the first law of thermodynamics comes into play. As seen in the model, new energy is not created, it is converted from light energy to electrical energy. This energy transfer then allows the solar panel to use the electrical energy to power appliances in the house. In our tiny house, we want to have solar panels on the roof. We would ideally position the house at the angle and direction that would get the most sunlight each day. This would maximize how much electricity could be generated.
E= solar energy
E= electrical energy
E=mechanical energy
E= thermal energy
E= chemical energy
Molecular Blueprints:
Based off of the phet simulation, this is what the systems we have look like.
Solar power: The sun emits light energy that is captured by the solar panel. This where the first law of thermodynamics comes into play. As seen in the model, new energy is not created, it is converted from light energy to electrical energy. This energy transfer then allows the solar panel to use the electrical energy to power appliances in the house. In our tiny house, we want to have solar panels on the roof. We would ideally position the house at the angle and direction that would get the most sunlight each day. This would maximize how much electricity could be generated.
E= solar energy
E= electrical energy
E=mechanical energy
E= thermal energy
E= chemical energy
Solar panels are made up of solar cells, where the sunlight reflects on. The solar cells are made of silicon which is a semiconductor and can generate electricity. There is also metal and wiring that allows electricity to flow in the cells. When light interacts with a silicon cell, it causes electrons to be set into motion, which initiates a flow of electric current. This is known as the “photovoltaic effect,” and it describes the general functionality of solar panel technology.
The image above shows the process and energy transfer that solar panels use. The sun emits light energy that is captured by the solar panel. This where the first law of thermodynamics comes into play. As seen in the model, new energy is not created, it is converted from light energy to electrical energy. This energy transfer then allows the solar panel to use the electrical energy to power appliances in the house. In our tiny house, we want to have solar panels on the roof. We would ideally position the house at the angle and direction that would get the most sunlight each day. This would maximize how much electricity could be used.
Solar panels work by absorbing sunlight with photovoltaic cells, and by doing so they can generate direct current (DC) energy. Then they convert it to usable alternating current (AC) energy with the help of inverter technology. AC energy then flows through the home’s electrical panel and is used to power appliances and other electrical needs. Any energy that is not used, excess, is then fed to the electric grid or other sources where it can be stored or used.
Solar panels are made up of solar cells, where the sunlight reflects on. The solar cells are made of silicon which is a semiconductor and can generate electricity. There is also metal and wiring that allows electricity to flow in the cells. When light interacts with a silicon cell, it causes electrons to be set into motion, which initiates a flow of electric current. This is known as the “photovoltaic effect,” and it describes the general functionality of solar panel technology.
The photovoltaic effect is essentially a characteristic of some materials, semiconductors, can generate electrical flow from exposure to energy from sunlight. As mentioned, silicon is the semiconductor that is used in most solar panels.
The photovoltaic effect is essentially a characteristic of some materials, semiconductors, can generate electrical flow from exposure to energy from sunlight. As mentioned, silicon is the semiconductor that is used in most solar panels.
The photovoltaic process works through the following simplified steps:
1. The silicon photovoltaic solar cell absorbs solar radiation
2. When the sun’s rays interact with the silicon cell, electrons begin to move, creating a flow of electric current
3. Wires capture and feed this direct current (DC) electricity to a solar inverter to be converted to alternating current (AC) electricity
The image above shows the process and energy transfer that solar panels use. The sun emits light energy that is captured by the solar panel. This where the first law of thermodynamics comes into play. As seen in the model, new energy is not created, it is converted from light energy to electrical energy. This energy transfer then allows the solar panel to use the electrical energy to power appliances in the house. In our tiny house, we want to have solar panels on the roof. We would ideally position the house at the angle and direction that would get the most sunlight each day. This would maximize how much electricity could be used.
Solar panels work by absorbing sunlight with photovoltaic cells, and by doing so they can generate direct current (DC) energy. Then they convert it to usable alternating current (AC) energy with the help of inverter technology. AC energy then flows through the home’s electrical panel and is used to power appliances and other electrical needs. Any energy that is not used, excess, is then fed to the electric grid or other sources where it can be stored or used.
Solar panels are made up of solar cells, where the sunlight reflects on. The solar cells are made of silicon which is a semiconductor and can generate electricity. There is also metal and wiring that allows electricity to flow in the cells. When light interacts with a silicon cell, it causes electrons to be set into motion, which initiates a flow of electric current. This is known as the “photovoltaic effect,” and it describes the general functionality of solar panel technology.
The photovoltaic effect is essentially a characteristic of some materials, semiconductors, can generate electrical flow from exposure to energy from sunlight. As mentioned, silicon is the semiconductor that is used in most solar panels.
The photovoltaic effect is essentially a characteristic of some materials, semiconductors, can generate electrical flow from exposure to energy from sunlight. As mentioned, silicon is the semiconductor that is used in most solar panels.
The photovoltaic process works through the following simplified steps:
1. The silicon photovoltaic solar cell absorbs solar radiation
2. When the sun’s rays interact with the silicon cell, electrons begin to move, creating a flow of electric current
3. Wires capture and feed this direct current (DC) electricity to a solar inverter to be converted to alternating current (AC) electricity
The pictures above are molecular blueprints that we developed after researching what happens on the molecular level on solar panels. The image on the left shows the overall process of light energy hitting the solar panel with a closer look at the molecules and atoms that make up solar panels. It shows how when the light hits the panel it causes the electrons to get excited, which creates a flow of electricity that is converted to usable energy in a household. The image on the right is showing how energy is stored in molecules. Molecules have energy that is stored in their bonds, light from the sun is able to change the shape of the molecules in a solar panel and by changing shape, the energy in the molecule’s bonds is released as energy/heat. The molecules can retain their old shape by a trigger of some sort like temperature change and the cyclic process can start again. These are just basic drawings of what is happening when sunlight hits a solar panel and energy transfers occur.
Water wheel: The mechanical energy that keeps the water flowing spins the wheel, which causes more mechanical energy to be transferred to electrical energy to power.
Water wheel: The mechanical energy that keeps the water flowing spins the wheel, which causes more mechanical energy to be transferred to electrical energy to power.
This drawing shows how the energy moves from one area to another, according to the first law of thermodynamics. This law states that energy cannot be created nor destroyed, but it can be transferred or changed into another form. This image is a water wheel that uses mechanical energy to move. As that energy is used by the wheel, the energy itself moves through the water, as shown with the arrows. The energy from one system or machine can be transferred to another, such as the instance of the water wheel and water. Additionally, the wheel moves because it gets energy from water falling on it.
Hand-washing clothes:
Hand-washing clothes:
Humans get chemical energy from eating food, and this is how our bodies are able to work and function. This energy transfer above shows the transfer of energy that happens when you hand wash clothes. The transfer is generally chemical to mechanical. The chemical is from the movement of the human body and the mechanical comes from the washing. A washing station is another green-energy source at our house. By using a washing station no electricity is needed to power a washer/dryer. Ideally the tenants can hand wash what they need and use a clothesline to dry. This will help cut down the amount of energy/electricity used monthly and save money in the long term.
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Bike-powered smoothie:
This is a drawing that shows how energy transfers are happening in the case of riding a bike. In our house one of our sources of renewable energy is using a bike to power things like a blender. The basic chemical transfers that are occuring are chemical to mechanical to electrical to chemical. The electrical energy that is created through pedaling the bike, allows the blender to work. By generating the blender to work using your own body and not electricity, the investment of paying for a bike will pay off when you save money on the monthly electric bill. It is a more physical process, maybe less efficient, but it is better use of the free energy that is available.
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Conclusion:
Overall, this project definitely had its roadblocks, but I think it was an important experience. The shelter in place situation caused multiple challenges, but we still persevered. This required me to gain new skills such as perseverance and communication. I had to utilize patience during this project because it was very difficult to get a project done online with limited resources. My partner and I decided to take a hypothetical route because it allowed us to work together and create a project that we were very proud of while still social distancing and staying at home. I used perseverance in this project to keep up the courage to continue working without the needed resources for our ideas. I also utilized communication in this project because my partner and I were unable to meet in person. This meant that we had to work extra hard at communicating with each other in order to complete this project. For example, we communicated throughout the project by texting each other to plan out times to meet over face time. This allowed us to stay on task and keep our ideas in check. Even though there were struggles, this project was important because it allowed me to develop the skills of communication and perseverance.
There are definitely ways that I could've improved to make these challenges easier to overcome. For example, when we were trying to figure out times to set up meetings, we came across the issue of conflicting times, and we had to set back meeting times. This made the time management part of the project difficult, because we had to plan the project out before getting started. This means that communication needed to be extra precise. Overall, I think that by having the challenges from the shelter in place order, I learned to better manage my time and communication skills. I think that working on this project really pushed me to do my best in the worst situations. It will definitely be a project to remember!
There are definitely ways that I could've improved to make these challenges easier to overcome. For example, when we were trying to figure out times to set up meetings, we came across the issue of conflicting times, and we had to set back meeting times. This made the time management part of the project difficult, because we had to plan the project out before getting started. This means that communication needed to be extra precise. Overall, I think that by having the challenges from the shelter in place order, I learned to better manage my time and communication skills. I think that working on this project really pushed me to do my best in the worst situations. It will definitely be a project to remember!