A New Angle On Solar Panel

Lesson Objective:

Course (Topic):

To find the optimal angle of elevation for a solar panel with respect to the sun and the what happens as a result of tilting the
solar panel away from facing the sun.
Geometry (angles, right triangle trig)

NGSS
Performance Expectation(s)
HS-ESS3-4 Evaluate or refine technological solutions that reduce the
impact of human activities on natural systems
Disciplinary Core Idea(s)
ESS3.C: Human Impacts on Earth Systems
Scientists and engineers can make major contributions by developing
technologies that produce less pollution and waste and that preclude
ecosystem degradation.
ETS1.B: Developing Possible Solutions
When evaluating solutions, it is important to take into account a range of
constraints, including cost, safety, reliability, and aesthetics, and to
consider social, cultural, and environmental impacts. (secondary)
Cross Cutting Concept(s)
Influence of Science, Engineering, and Technology on Society and the
1

Lesson Duration
(Period Minutes):

1 block period (112 minutes)

CCSS-M
Domain(s)
Similarity, Right Triangles, and Trigonometry
Modeling with Geometry
Content Standard(s)
G-SRT.8. Use trigonometric ratios and the Pythagorean Theorem to solve
right triangles in applied problems.
G-MG.3. Apply geometric methods to solve design problem

A New Angle On Solar Panel

Natural World
Science and Engineering Practice(s):

Mathematics Practice(s):

SEP 3 Planning and carrying out investigations.

SEP 4 Analyzing and Interpreting Data
SEP 6 Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions

MP 3 Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others.

MP 4 Model with mathematics.

Powerpoint with video Energy 101: Solar Power https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDZzAIcCQLQ , speakers, H1

Investigation Worksheet, H2 Ticket Out the Door
Materials:

For each pair/group of students: Mini solar panel, digital multimeter, 2 alligator clip wires, 2 pieces of cardboard (about
the same size as the panel), duct tape, protractor, 2 rulers or 1 ruler and a meter stick (shadow lengths tend to be longer in
the morning), extra strips of cardboard for Experiment 2, scissors, large area with unobstructed sunlight outside
Note: To save time, assemble the solar panel set up for each group of students ahead of time.
Lessons adapted from: https://www.teachengineering.org/activities/view/cub_pveff_lesson01_activity1

Engage: Connect to prior knowledge and experience. Focus students' thinking on learning
outcomes.

Estimated Time: 20
minutes

Description: Introduce the lesson with a video on solar power.

Conceptual
Focus

Teacher Does (including Questions to Ask)

Student Does (including Anticipated Responses)

A New Angle On Solar Panel

Have students sit with a partner as they enter.

Students sit with a partner.

Tell students today we are going to conduct two experiments

dealing with solar energy.
Ask students how familiar they are with solar panels and share
any personal experience with solar panels (e.g. you might have
them on your house, etc.)
How many of you have seen solar panels before?
Where have you seen them?

Students raise their hand if they have seen solar panels and
volunteers share personal experiences, such as having them at
home, or seeing them in the school parking lot, etc.,

Define photovoltaic (PV) panels (slide 2). Distribute the

Investigation handout and tell students they will watch a video
to gain some background on solar energy. Tell them to jot
down notes on the questions (slide 3) as they watch the video.
Play the video. Have students discuss with their partner the
three questions and what they got from the video.
Tell them to watch the video one more time and try to add to
their notes on how to capture solar energy and the benefits and
limitations of using solar energy.

Students watch the video and take notes. Then they discuss
what they got from the video with their partner.
Students rewatch the video and add to their notes.

Randomly call on students to share their responses to the

questions.
1. Using solar cells [photovoltaic (PV) panels] that
convert solar energy directly into electricity.
2. Capturing the heat of the sun using solar thermal
3

A New Angle On Solar Panel

How do we capture energy from the sun?

What are some benefits to the use of solar power?

power plants that use the suns heat to convert water to

steam. The steam turns turbines to power generators
that produce electricity.
Solar energy is the most abundant resource on Earth; 0.01% of
the suns energy could supply all of the Earths energy needs;
(Yuma, CA can supply 80% of the planets current use); does
not produce air pollutants or carbon dioxide; does not require
extra land for power plants because panels can be placed on
existing roof tops.
It is gone when the sun is gone; less energy on cloudy days.
We currently cant store solar energy.
Build power plants with a combination of renewable energy
sources (solar, wind, bio gas). Work on technologies to
develop batteries to store solar energy.

What are some limitations to the use of solar power?

What were some ways to address those limitations?

Tell students that Gov. Jerry Brown recently (in October 2015)
signed a bill into law that requires state-regulated utilities to
get 50% of their electricity from renewable energy sources,
such as wind, solar, and hydro, by 2030.
http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2015/10/07/3710034/brown4

A New Angle On Solar Panel

signs-renewable-efficiency-law/
Furthermore, the California Energy Commission's New Solar
Homes Partnership offers incentives to encourage installation
of energy efficient solar panels in new homes.
http://www.energy.ca.gov/renewables/
Explore 1: Students actively explore their environment or manipulate materials. Students identify
and develop concepts, processes, and/or skills.

Estimated Time: 45-50

min

Description: Experiment 1: Angle of elevation for the solar panel

Students calculate the zenith angle and conduct an experiment to determine the optimal angle of elevation for a solar panel.
Conceptual
Focus

Teacher Does (including Questions to Ask)

Student Does (including Anticipated Responses)

Tell students the first experiment is to investigate the optimal

angle of elevation for the solar panel.
Tell them the first thing they will do is calculate the zenith
angle which tell us how high the sun is. Refer to the handout
and explain the diagram on the board or under a document
camera. Review angle of elevation and facilitate a discussion
on how to use the angle of elevation to calculate the zenith
angle.
angle of elevation

What is the angle of elevation?

The angle of elevation is the angle between the

ground/horizontal and the line representing the suns ray.

complementary

How can we use it to calculate the zenith angle?

The zenith angle and angle of elevation are complementary so

A New Angle On Solar Panel

angles
right triangles
right triangle
trigonometry

we can subtract the angle of elevation from 90 to get the

zenith angle.
When the ruler creates a shadow, what kind of triangle is
formed?
How can we use the right triangle to find the angle of
elevation?
If necessary, review with students how to determine a
unknown angle in a trig function using the inverse function--in
this case tan or arctan.
Have students go outside with their partner and use two rulers
(or a ruler and a meter stick if this is down in the morning) to
create a shadow to calculate the angle of elevation. Check for
understanding by comparing zenith angles of each group.

The ruler and shadow form a right triangle (the suns ray is the
hypotenuse).
Since we know the side lengths opposite and adjacent to the
angle of elevation, we can use the tangent function. To find the
angle, use the inverse tangent/arc tangent function on the
calculator.

-1

What is the measure of your zenith angle?

Answers will vary depending on students precision with

measuring but they should all be about the same.

Tell students they will conduct the first experiment to

determine the optimal angle of elevation. Show students the
materials they will be using..
Have partners bring their handout, pick up their materials
(solar panel on cardboard with alligator wires and multimeter,
protractor) and go outside.
Have students gather around you. Demonstrate how to set up
the panel and protractor. Tell students that one partner will be
in charge of the protractor (angle) and holding the panel in
place. The other partner is in charge of reading the multimeter
and recording the current. Tell them to record amps to the
6

Students observe how to set up the experiment and ask any

clarifying questions.

A New Angle On Solar Panel

nearest hundredth for every 10 degrees of inclination. Check
for understanding before letting students start.
precision with
rounding

How many amps is this rounded to the nearest hundredth?

What would 0 degrees look like? Thats where you start.
How many degrees do you increase by?
When done, tell students to graph the data, answer the
questions on the handout and be ready to discuss. Tell
students they have about 15 minutes to finish Experiment 1.

Answers will vary.

O degrees is flat.
Go up every 10 degrees.
Students collect data with their partner, complete the graph,
and answer the questions on the handout

Have the class return to the classroom for discussion, bringing

their materials with them.
Explain 1: Students explain the concepts they have been exploring. They verbalize their conceptual
understanding or demonstrate new skills or behaviors. Teachers introduce formal terms, definitions,
and explanations for concepts, processes, skills, and/or behaviors.

Estimated Time: 10
minutes

Description: Students share their conclusions about the optimal angle of elevation for the solar panel.
Conceptual
Focus

Teacher Does (including Questions to Ask)

Student Does (including Anticipated Responses)

Ask for volunteers to answer the following questions. See if

any pair can add on to what was said. Call on 2-3 nonvolunteers as well to check for understanding.
optimal energy
production related
to the zenith angle
of the sun

At what angle did the PV panel create the highest current?

How does this compare to the zenith angle you calculated
earlier?

Answers will vary but will be close to the measure of the

zenith angle calculated earlier.

What happens as a result of tilting the PV panel away from

the sun?

The current gets lower and lower. As the solar panels angle
approaches the zenith angle, the current gets higher and

A New Angle On Solar Panel

How is this reflected in the graph?

higher. Once it exceeds the zenith angle, it gets lower and

lower. The graph rises to a peak (maximum) then declines.

Explore 2: Students actively explore their environment or manipulate materials. Students identify
and develop concepts, processes, and/or skills.

Estimated Time: 25
minutes

Description: Students will conduct an experiment to determine the effect of the suns changing position throughout the day on a
fixed solar panel. To model this we will have the solar position fixed and rotate the solar panel.

Conceptual
Focus

Teacher Does (including Questions to Ask)

Student Does (including Anticipated Responses)

Tell students that since we know the optimal angle for our
panel, we want to set up our panel for Experiment 2.
Have students work with their partner to set their panel at the
optimal angle by taping a cardboard stand to the back of their
panel at the appropriate angle. Give students about 5 minutes
to do this.
Introduce Experiment 2 by showing a video of a sunflower in
the sun from sunrise to sunset. Tell students to pay attention
to the time of day and the position of the plant. Pause the
video periodically to check for understanding.
movement of the
sun throughout the
day

At the beginning of the video, it is 5:30 in the morning.

Where do you think the sun is in the morning?
(Stop the video at about 12:30 pm) What do you notice about
the sunflower now?
Why do you think it is straight up and down?

In the east; students may point to the right of the plant.

It is straight up and down because the sun is directly overhead.

A New Angle On Solar Panel

(Stop the video at about 3:00 pm) What do you notice about
the sunflower now?
Why do you think it is still straight up and down?
(Stop the video at about 7:00 pm) What happened at 7:00
pm?

It is still straight up and down because the sun is still high in

the sky.
The sunflower is now facing west because the sun is going
down.

Explain that we want to determine the effect of the suns

changing position throughout the day on a fixed solar panel.
To model this we will have the solar position fixed and rotate
the solar panel by adjusting the azimuth angle. Explain that
the solar azimuth angle tells us where the sun is,
Explain the setup for Experiment 2 and demonstrate under the
document camera. Show how to anchor the protractor and
rotate the panel while keeping the center of the panel in line
with the center of the protractor.. Before sending students
outside, check for understanding.
What is the first thing you need to do?
What do you have to watch out for when rotating the panel?

Tell students to go outside and collect data on Experiment #2.

Tell them to answer the questions when done. They will have
about 10 min to complete Experiment #2.
When most pairs are done with collecting data, tell them to
bring in their materials and return to the classroom for
9

Students observe how to setup and rotate the panel and ask
clarifying questions.

Place the panel so it is directly facing the sun and tape down
the protractor.
Make sure the center of the panel is lined up with the center of
the protractor.
Students collect data with their partner and answer the
questions.

A New Angle On Solar Panel

discussion.
Explain 2: Students explain the concepts they have been exploring. They verbalize their conceptual
understanding or demonstrate new skills or behaviors. Teachers introduce formal terms, definitions,
and explanations for concepts, processes, skills, and/or behaviors.

Estimated Time: 5
minutes

Description: Share results from Experiment 2.

Conceptual
Focus

Teacher Does (including Questions to Ask)

Student Does (including Anticipated Responses)

Ask for volunteers to answer the following questions. See if

any pair can add on to what was said. Call on 2-3 nonvolunteers as well to check for understanding.
effect of the
azimuth angle

What was the effect on the current of rotating the panel

away from the sun?

The current produced decreased as the panel rotated away

from the sun.

Why do you think this happened?

The panel gets the most solar energy when it is directly facing
the sun.

What could you do to increase the efficiency of the PV panel

over the course of a day?

Since the sun moves thorughout the day, the solar panel should
move with it.

Evaluate: Encourages learners to assess their understanding and abilities and lets teachers
evaluate students' understanding of key concepts and skill development.
Description: Students summarize what they learned by completing a Ticket Out the Door.

Conceptual
Focus

Teacher Does (including Questions to Ask)

What is the importance of designing a solar panel that is

able to track the sun?
10

Estimated Time: 5-8

minutes

Student Does (Anticipated Responses)

A New Angle On Solar Panel

Would you recommend purchasing an adjustable or fixed
solar panel? Explain your reasoning.
The Governor wants to require all new homes to be designed
to be solar ready. What considerations should a builder
need incorporate in new home designs to meet this
requirement?
Extend: Through new experiences, the learners develop deeper and broader understanding of
concepts and refine their skills.
Description:

Conceptual
Focus

Teacher Does (including Questions to Ask)

1. Graph the data in desmos.com and use regression to

find a function of best fit.
2. How does changing the layout of the panels (horizontal
versus vertical) affect the energy produced?
3. Research different PV panel designs. What makes one
more efficient/productive than another?

11

Estimated Time:

Student Does (including Anticipated Responses)