It’s yet another week into our SIA. It has been progressing quite slowly, we’ve done basic research and such, but we still have yet to meet up to dicuss more, collate information and make our poster. Hopefully sometime during the March holidays.

I realise our blog is lacking a post about our project and our topic, aims and objectives etc.

Bascially, our physics SIA is all about physics concepts behind any chosen topic regarding the environment. Our chosen topic is Solar Energy.

In the modern day, machines make up part of our everyday life, whether it’s a coffee making machines or a car, all these require energy to run, which come in the form of electricity and petrol and the likes. However, these are all derived from fossil fuels, natural resources found deep in the earth. Fossil fuels are carbon-rich fuel (coal, oil and natural gas) formed from the remains of ancient animals and plants. Their combustion is considered to contribute to the ‘greenhouse effect’. (www.planningportal.gov.uk/england/professionals/en/1115310689129.html)

Fossil fuels are non-renewable energy sources, that is tp say that they cannot be recycled, they can only be used once. also, fossil fuels cannot be derived from just anywhere, there are limited resources. These sources are rapidly decreasing due to increased use of machinery etc. The extraction of these fuels from the earth harms the environment, and their use further harms the environment. As said above, their combustion contributes to the greenshouse effect, as when burned, they release great amounts of carbon dioxide.

We now face pressing issues of the greenhouse effect and global warming, which fossil fuels contribute greatly to. But there are ways to salvage the situation. Other than conserving energy, we can use renewable energy.

Renewable energy is energy which can be reused over and over again. they can come in the form of hydroelectric energy, solar energy, wind energy and many others, of which we have chosen solar energy. Solar energy is energy derived from the Sun, a readily available energy source. It is clean and will greatly help in saving our environment.

Energy is derived from the Sun through solar panels, that’s where the physics comes in.

Solar energy can be converted into electrical energy through the photovoltaic effect or solar thermal technologies.

Some physics principles involved in solar thermal technologies: 

1. Concentrating sunlight using of concave/ parabolic mirrors.
2. Convention of liquids (in solar ponds).
3. The change of states of matter.  

Some physics principles involved in photovoltaics: 

1. Formation of electric currents.
2. Connecting cells in parallel yields a higher electric current.

We’re currently still gathering more information about these physics concepts and principles behind solar energy, which we will update about in our later posts.

That’s the overview of our project so far!

- Rachel